I was washing my car today, got her nice and clean and dried it all off. I decided to use polishing compound on my hood because there were little paintchips and whatnot on there. Well, I read the directions of the tub and now my hood looks like dick. Its very dull and I can see the "streaks" of the compound. Tub says to wax after. I wax it up, its still dull and it still looks like crap. Now my hood is dull with streaks all over it and I feel like an idiot. What should I do? This was my first time using the compound.

 

You need to follow up with a finishing polish. What you were using was a product filled with large abrasive particles which should never be applied by hand. You were unable to break down the abrasive particles and you are left with hazing, streaks, or potentially even scratches in your paint. You need to follow up with a light abrasive. If you plan on tackling this by hand, I'd recommend picking up a bottle of ScratchX. After you polish to your liking, then protect with a sealant or wax.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

George

 

I see scratch x being thrown around here quite a bit. Are the results by hand as good as people make it seem?

 

It works well for minor imperfections. It requires a lot of elbow grease and often multiple applications before you get the results you are looking for. If you were to buff an entire car with it, I'd imagine you'd be quite sore the next day and looking into a quality buffer such as the Porter Cable 7424.

Let us know what you think of it if you give it a shot.

George