I need some advice on putting together a polishing kit. I've read just about every machine polishing guide out there (autopia, proper auto care, mikeyc's guide) and I'm still a little confused. I understand the process, but it seems that there are so many different pads and polishes out there therefore creating a seemingly endless number of combinations. To make things easy, I decided to go with Sonus pads and polishes as they have a pretty straightforward method of naming their products, making it easier for me to understand what to use with what, etc. I also have had good experiences with sonus products. Ok, with that said, here are my questions:

What is the difference between the Sonus DAS pads and the Sonus SFX pads? Which ones are better?

What polishes should I use with these pads? Are the Sonus SFX1 and SFX2 polishes good?

When I'm using a final finishing pad, autopia suggests I use Sonus SFX3 polish. Can I just use Klasse AIO for this step instead?

How many pads of each varying cut should I buy? How long will a pad last? Do I just wash the pad after each use?

Any other suggestions welcome. If you don't think the sonus products are the way to go, please help me put together a comprehensive polishing package with other products. Thanks!

 

If you dont have any serious scuffs or scratches, I would do it by hand. Then everything you need, except the cotton towels, would be here:

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

 

If you want your car to look it's absolute best you MUST have a machine polisher. The results you can achieve by hand polishing do not come close to what you can get with a machine and it takes less effort. Trust me, I hand polished for MANY years. Cob webbing, scratches, and scuffs are a going to happen no matter how careful you are. So, be prepared for them by owning a PC and a wide selection of pads and polishes. FYI, I even lightly polish brand new cars with my PC and get a noticeable improvement.

As for your other questions, I really can't help you because I'm only vaguely familiar with the Sonus products. I know there are other forum posters who know them better though.

 

Thanks for your advice, pantera. But I'm interested in getting a machine polisher as I have a few older vehicles that I would like to work on that certainly wouldn't benefit from hand polishing. Even my relatively clean s2000 could benefit from some machine polishing like mikeyc said. Anyhow, I'm still looking for some opinions and or advice. Thanks!

One last question:

What pads and polishes can I use for plastic and glass?

 

I have all the sonus pads, LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the sfx-1 yellow. On a pc, it has just the right amount of cutting power...if I can't see results after the first pass, I pull out the rotary I use my sonus yellow 80% of the time on the pc.

I am also a big fan of menzerna products for polishing, my goto product is power gloss...which is a bit more agressive than Intensive polish and they don't dull the surface...you can go directly to sealant or wax.

Pad care is easy, I just dunk it in whatever I'm washing the car in and wring it a few times and then air dry.

 

Thanks for your advice! What do you think of Sonus polishes?