made a big mistake

I was trying to get out a scratch on my hood (in the clear coat) and i used "turtle wax rubbing compound" it smoothed out the scrath fine, and all seemed good (nice reflection and mirror shine when looking at it from an angle)...then i changed my viewing angle (now looking straight down on the hood) and could clearly see a dull area where i used the rubbing compound. I thought maybe i now need to go over this with a finer polish, so i used "turtle wax swirl and fine scratch remover" and that helped a little but the dull area is still there....did i ruin my clearcoat or will a wax top coat fix this? FML...i hope i don't have to get the hood re sprayed.

 

No wax coat should help. Take your truck down to the nearest car was and have them wax it for you. You should be fine.

 

so it's normal?

 

No it's not normal but it can be fixed with a simple wax. Next time take it easy on the polishing, the truck cant take the beating your "lil' john" does if you know what i mean.

 

a rubbing compound (in my experience) always leaves a dull area until you wax it. give it a good once over with a high quality wax, and you should be alright...just don't press so hard next time

 

x2

 

THANKS GUYS!!!! pheww!!!

 

+1 You should always re-wax after using rubbing compound.

 

x2 same goes for a polish, as it takes off the wax and leaves the paint (clear technically) exposed to the elements

 

I'd give the whole hood a wash with a good soap, even detergent to remove the old wax or anything left from the rubbing compound. Polish & Wax. Repeat as necessary. You'll want to invest in a buffer.

 

what type buffer should i get?

 

I've been using a cheap Ryobi 6" orbital I got from HD for $30. But I'm going to splurge on a better one soon.

The cheap Ryobi is good enough.

While you're at it, might as well give the whole truck a good detail. Full polish/wax all around. Depending on what color you have, might as well claybar too.

 

Porter Cable 7424.

You used a rubbing compound. Now, you need to use a polish. Wax goes on after a polish to protect the surface.

 

you essentially "Sanded" the surface. you just need to get to a couple of finer grits..and work it from there. no biggie.

 

do it yourself! dont take it to a carwash theyll charge you 4 or 5 times as much as ud spend on the wax at a shop

 

any suggestion for a good polish? is "turle wax swirl and scratch remover" a polish or a lighter grit rubbing compound?

 

over the counter, go meguirs, i buy from a detail shop in san diego. buy a polish, if its just a small spot, hand polish it and wax it. u dont have to buy a porter cable buffer, i have one, but theyre pricy, its not like u fucked up ur whole hood

 

but i can use the orbital for buffing wax right...so it may be a good investment. I'm assuming you have to changne the bonnets on the buffer a lot while waxing/buffing right? about how may bonnets do you go through for a wax job?

 

x2 on the porter cable. its a little expensive but well worth it. i ordered it along with a wolfgang premium car detail kit which included a swirl remover, polish, and wax. truck looks better than show room ready.

but yea, a good wax will get rid of the dullness

 

bonnets?? u mean pads?