He never said because that's the least of his problems now since he has to fix the paint damage.

 

He told me today that he can get a pre painted piece from the factory to replace the damaged panel. Should turn out pretty good since it's white.

 

@chinee Thank you for the advice, I will try to upgrade to Porter Cable (7424XP)
If I used a single step product, then no any polishes needed?

 

@charley95 That's good to hear. As far as the DA polisher, it's just the backing plate, the polisher should be okay. The plate probably had very small cracks in it and was faulty so the vibrations just shook it apart, that can happen with any polisher, I wouldn't necessarily blame Griot's.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't blame Griot's either, I just thought I'd mention it since Griot's was mentioned earlier.

 

That's correct. The all-in-one product usually incorporate a chemical cleaner to remove smudges and discoloration, an abrasive to remove minor swirls and polish the paint, and a wax or similar to provide protection. You can use a good quality detailer/sealer spray after every wash or every other wash to maintain the protection. Try to use a detailer/sealer in the same family.

Try correcting a small section first, maybe about a quarter of the driver's door in your picture, or if the hood looks similar, a 2ft x 2ft section of the hood. Do this so you can see if the product and your technique is working and is providing the results you want. It's also easier to work on and look at a flat horizontal area than the vertical door.

You will see and hear about multistep paint correction, which provides much better results, assuming the right products and techniques are used, but it takes twice to three times (or more) as long to get those results. Maybe the detailing bug will bite you and you'll up your game, but for me, a one step process is all I need. Also, you will read about claying and iron removers... they work as well, but it's 2 additional steps to the correction process, that's not really necessary for most cars.

Good luck and let us know how it works out... take pics so we can see, and you can share the satisfaction you feel from a job well done. Cheers!

Edit: Found this video from Autogeek, it's 2 hours long but you can skip through to the parts you need. Very informative, IMO.

 

@chinee I have one more question, what's the difference between # of grits? I have 1500, 2000-2500, and 2500-3000 grit of compounds, does higher girt work better on the deep scratches?
I'm planning to start with speed 4 and go up later but how fast (rpm) do you recommend for polishing the car?

 

When I hear grit, I think sandpaper or wet sanding, That's typically used for really deep scratches and I would not recommend a newbie using anything that aggressive. Wetsanding is something I would not even want to attempt myself.

Higher grit does remove deeper scratches but keep in mind, scratches are removed by leveling the paint down to the level of the scratch, in other words, you have to remove clear coat, and sometimes paint, to remove severe scratches. I think Ammo did a good job explaining in this vid:


Here's a couple of vids that provides very real feedback using Meguiar's over the counter Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. The second video shows a pretty drastic improvement.


Now after the compound step to remove deeper scratches, a polish is used to remove haze and provide a high gloss shine, but you still have another step to go... waxing. Today there are many easy to apply synthetic waxes, I would not go the carnuba or paste wax route anymore, too much effort to apply. I would go with the Ultimate Liquid Wax. I know I probably sound like a Meguiar's salesman, I'm not... I'm just a little bit loyal to Megs since I've been using that brand since my early 20's, and up until December, still used their inexpensive Cleaner Wax on my 18 yr old Sequoia. My daughter uses their Quik Spray Wax after every wash on her Civic.

All these steps... I'm sure you now understand why I prefer an All in One product. Happy Detailing!

 

Your Lexus GS is not the car to practice on. If you don't have experience get professional help, otherwise your going to cause more problems than it's worth.

If you insist on DIY practice on a cheaper car or buy a body panel to work on.

 

I used to use a professional to do ceramic coating for $500.

Last June, I tried this DIY Turtle Ceramic coat with a simple microfiber cloth.
It is so shiny, no streaks, and the water still beads after 9 months.

Best Ceramic Spray Wax Reviews and Buying Guide - My Blog (usafishingreview.com)

 

If you're looking for a good wax, I recommend Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax (Green) + big red sponge. The wax itself only lasts a couple weeks but if you're like me and wash the car every week, the car will always have protection. Also no more hard water spots since it also has a water softener built in.

 

Came out to pick up lunch and had to take pics to share with the water-beading fans. I last did a paint correction and protection at the end of 2019. 3 years and 15K miles later, this is what rain looks like on my GS.



I used to top with Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer every 2nd or 3rd wash but haven't done so in at least 4-5 months. This detail spray is notorious for being grabby in its application and not smooth and silky like most other detail sprays, but it is the MOST hydrophobic product I have ever used. It is often referred to as being closer to a paint sealant than a detail spray, given it's longevity. A few weeks ago, when I posting the responses above, I was thinking of pulling out the polisher and renewing the paint protection, but I didn't, and probably won't for a while... the paint still looks good. Here's my suite of products:

 

I've been using this too. Its works very well. Because I have a Black car I use the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Acrylic Black Wax. Its been lasting way longer than I thought.

 

I used Turtle Wax

Seal n Shine on my nebula gray it's awesome. Just be careful how much you spray on a panel or it will streak if you overdo it.

My paint is good overall so I didn't polish but used a paint cleanser before using the seal n shine.

 

That looks really good!

Here is what mine looks like. You are right about the streaking. Be glad you don't have Black, it streaks anything. But when it's right it looks great. To me anyway. This is the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Acrylic Black Wax. I was lazy so I did not even use a cleaner 1st. I will next time. lol!
This was Not even a Sunny day.