Detailing - what pads/compounds have people had success with?

Invertigo

Active Member
Nov 19, 2019
169
77
As title really, I'm reading a lot of conflicting things about how hard the clear coat is on these cars, some saying its about medium, others saying its more like the typical rock hard German clear coats.

Any advice from anyone who's taken a DA polisher to their car?
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,388
1,278
I have a VW which has fairly hard clear coat (assume Seat will be similar?). I’ve most recently used the following products on my car;

Polish
Pads;
I’ve achieved good results with V38 on a Shinemate blue or orange pad to correct light swirls, and for finishing (on a white pad). If I need a bit more ‘cut’ to remove marks such as clear coat etching from bird droppings, I’ve used V36 on a blue pad.

Condition of the car’s paintwork will be a significant factor in which combination of pad and polishing compound to use. If the car’s new or has always been cleaned using a ‘safe’ wash method, then it shouldn’t really be necessary to use a heavy cutting polish or a pad with a high degree of ‘cut’.

To try and keep my paintwork relatively swirl free (IMO, some swirling is inevitable over time, however careful you are), I always use a safe wash method; an initial snow foam prewash stage before a safe three bucket wash (third bucket for the wheels) with lambs wool mitt, and dry using a combination of a warm air dryer and microfibre drying towels. Oh, and I never let the dealer wash my car with their grit laden sponge and bucket of dirty water, nor do I use automatic car washes or the £5 hand wash places.
 

black_sheep

Active Member
Mar 10, 2013
1,256
585
Depends on colour, but generally as per your description for VAG - fairly durable against scratches, on par with most VW, Skodas, Seats that I’ve owned medium-hard! Paint on my Audi A3 seems harder still.

I’ve had success with Sonax Pads, Menzerna Polishes to achieve a good finish. Generally full range of pads and 1000 Heavy Cut Compound and 3800 Super Finish Plus are sufficient to achieve a good finish. In my experience, always decent polish, but you can get away with lesser quality pads.
 
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