Recommendation for some polish/compound/etc

[fuzzybam]

Background info
1) There are not any worthwhile detailers in town. The last one I tried left a lot of polish all over my car.
2) Cars are a BMW 328i and Subaru WRX
3) I currently have most of the Auto Finesse line, but I have not been able to commit to a polish/pre-wax/compound yet and I have been slowly building my detailing gear. I am trying to get the cars prepped and waxed/sealed before the winter rains start to come.
4) I do have a Griot's 6" DA, but I am just beginning to use it.

I have a couple of imperfections on our two cars that I was looking to rectify. They are light scratches, a tiny amount of marring, leftover "stuff" from a poor detail job, and some aheadlight haze. What would you guys recommend to clean this stuff up? Thanks in advance! Pics below show the imperfections.

This is leftover from a previously poor detailer


This is the headlight haze. I want to get this fixed and then apply some proper film to prevent this, so recommendations for that would be great too.


This is the absolute worst of the imperfections. Someone tapped the mirror, but it looks like I can get most of it off with some muscle.


These are a couple of typical scratches, but I have no idea what caused them.

[mpower4life]

Originally Posted by fuzzybam

Background info
1) There are not any worthwhile detailers in town. The last one I tried left a lot of polish all over my car.
2) Cars are a BMW 328i and Subaru WRX
3) I currently have most of the Auto Finesse line, but I have not been able to commit to a polish/pre-wax/compound yet and I have been slowly building my detailing gear. I am trying to get the cars prepped and waxed/sealed before the winter rains start to come.
4) I do have a Griot's 6" DA, but I am just beginning to use it.

I have a couple of imperfections on our two cars that I was looking to rectify. They are light scratches, a tiny amount of marring, leftover "stuff" from a poor detail job, and some aheadlight haze. What would you guys recommend to clean this stuff up? Thanks in advance! Pics below show the imperfections.

This is leftover from a previously poor detailer


This is the headlight haze. I want to get this fixed and then apply some proper film to prevent this, so recommendations for that would be great too.


This is the absolute worst of the imperfections. Someone tapped the mirror, but it looks like I can get most of it off with some muscle.


These are a couple of typical scratches, but I have no idea what caused them.

griots is a great tool. is the headlight "haze" on the outside or inside? if outside you can easily buff it off. Should be able to get most of the scuffing white marks off as it looks like paint transfer. Do not forget the importance of a quality pad to go along with your compound/polish. Hands down, meguiars micro fiber pads will be your best friend. Meguiars D300 compound is awesome and M101 will be available very shortly, M105 is available now and can still do a good job. Make sure you keep your pads clean. ( im talking after every pass. it will make a world of a difference in your finish) Id pick up some Lake Country hydro pads (tangerine light cut/ red finishing) Menzerna 203 and 85rd are great for refining and finishing.

feel free to ask away

[fuzzybam]

The haze is on the outside as far as I can tell, but I didn't take a closer look. However, the haze is mostly localized to the driver's side headlight and not the passengar side.

As for pads, I have a slew of the Uber blue, black, green, and orange pads. I forget which one does what off hand, but they are labeled. How would you keep the pads clean?

Thanks for all of the good information.

[mpower4life]

trust me on this... get yourself some of the microfiber pads I stated above.... the best way to keep pads clean is to blow them out with an air gun on an air compressor.... it is night and day in the difference it makes. your next best bet is to take a stiff brush and scrub out with some water as much of the compound as you can. and i would recommend then doing a thorough cleaning every panel or so with a strong all purpose cleaner (Dawn Power Dissolve works great) and scrub and wash out. and remember... higher speed does not mean better.... the correct pressure and speed is important in both your arm movement and how much your pad is rotating.