Cutting/Polishing Black Boxster
 

So, decided to try my new dual action rotary polisher-Chicago Electric (Harbor Freight) on my boxster yesterday....

Used Maguiars M105 ultra cutting compound w cutting pad, and then Maguiars M205 Ultra Polish w polishing pad. Was going to wax, but this took about 3.5 hours. Will wax tonight.

Results were AMAZING..... Wow....

Also installed some Boxster door sills...

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Great job! :cheers:
I am planning to paint correct my 986 soon, any tips or lessons learned?

Well done! The first time is the most intimidating. I didn't have any test vehicles for my first attempt, so I dove in the deep end and started on my CSS. When you do a clay bar, compound, polish, and wax job, it easily takes 2 days to complete.

Edd China Top Tip 1: go easy until you get a feel for it. It's always better to go back over an area because it needs some additional work than to go too far.

Edd China Top Tip 2: take the time to mask off areas you don't want wax residue on. It's time consuming to mask and you're all excited to get started, but it's WAY worth the time afterwards to mask.

Edd China Top Tip 3: if you get wax residue on some rubber trim, the good old Pink Pearl pencil eraser works wonders to remove it.

Here's a reflection pic I took after doing a 4-step polish on my 911 cab:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/p231499705863.jpg

I just did the same to my black spec boxster last week, turned out great. I also used the ultracut 105 to clean up my headlights, worked great.

Hey Rick,

It definitely takes longer than you think.

Also, if you take long with the cutting compound, it starts to dry, and then wiping it off becomes a LOT more cumbersome. Much better to work in smaller areas, and wipe off early.

Seems to work best with a criss-cross pattern. Up-down, and then left-right.

Definitely spend the extra time to tape everything off.

I did the windshield too with the cutting and polish, and it helped somewhat, but I don't think the cutting compound is strong enough for glass.

Mike

Now you get to fret and obsess over making sure nothing touches the car that could cause scratches or swirls! Been there, doing that! :-)

Aaah, don't touch the paint!!!

That Harbor Freight polisher isn't too bad if you don't mind the noise, and it's hard to beat the price. I wasn't terribly impressed with their pads though - picked up some Meguiars which seem much nicer.