I know there is stickys on all this s**t, but they're too in depth for me, I've never detailed or cut and polished a car before.

I want to clean up my xr8

I was just after a bit of advice, some tips even. I don't want to f**k it up and scratch the paint, i've heard you have to pretty careful when cutting as to not rip up the paint.

Can anyone give me a few pointers and also the basic minimum of products i would need to buy to do it.

thanks heaps

if its faded and chalky cut it and buff it,
if it still has factory shine at all hand polish , maybe a scratch remover then wax

You will need a good buffer with good pads.. i have a 1400W buffer with a (sheep skin pad?) and it doesn't work too well with polish haha, but I have a a*** one that works well..

Make sure the car is washed well, and try to avoid doing it on a hot car as it tends to become sticky and is hard to get a glossy finish.

You may find it might only need a polish

just something to think about

there is a s**t load of circle swirl marks all over it

i have no idea what i should be doing

shoot Aurora98 a pm, he is the bloke that has done the two stickys.
if ya could include some pics he should be able to point you in the right direction and even supply you the gear to do the job.
its not overly hard to do but its a lot easier with the right advice and products.

yer same here mate my car got loads of circle swirl marks all over it

How much do you want to spend?
I'd say for 1st timers, Just do it by hand, learn how hard it is
Yellow Meg's pads cost $4 for 2 of them.
Use a clay bar first on the car which is about $35 to get the whole car as smooth as glass.
Then do a hand polish over the car putting in as much effort as you can. Use foam pads. Foam does not scratch the paint.

After you buff it off with some microfibre towels, or terry toweling towels, give it a good wax. I recommend if it is a red, green, or blue car to use Meg's NXT tech wax, stunning wax on those colored cars for the price.

Just my 2c
For a 1st timer, i wouldnt bother about machines etc until you know what your doing by hand!
Paul

thats very good advice tufftr. you have to crawl (hand polish) before you can walk(orbital) and walk before you can run (rotary)

Do not do it when the paint is warm.
Do not do it in the direct sunlight.
Ensure the paint is clean and dry first.
Do only one panel at a time, except bonnet and roof, where you do half at a time.
Do not us any cutters or 'cut and polish' if your paint has shine.
If you have swirls, use a wax or swirl remover.
Use clean cotton cloths. I prefer open weave.

I use an old fluffy sheet (not the smooth ones, the warmer ones) torn into manageable squares (a bit bigger than a4 paper) and then fold it over until its about twice the size of your palm. If the paint has a lot of blemishes or discolourations, then a cut and polish might be a good idea, if not, then a decent polish should be fine. Dont expect to get it done in twenty minutes. Allow yourself a full day to do it and do it properly. Once its been polished properly, it wont take much to keep it polished, but the first time always sucks.

Make sure its in the shade, pay attention to edges around moulds and where the black rubber window surrounds are. You need to go close, but be warned! The black does rub off somewhat, and will leave streaks on your paint for you to remove again. Open the doors when doing it, and do the first part of the door jambs at least, and the overlap in between the doors. Its the little details that make it worth it. The edges of the fuel filler cap will also need doing.