If you get your light in the correct orientation, you should be able to see the scratches left (made) by wet sanding after a fairly simple buffing pass. Once you've scratched the surface of the paint, you're trying to make the scratches so small that the human eye doesn't really notice them anymore. That's what polishing is. Believe me, you are NOT making the scratches completely disappear - no matter how much you buff and polish. (waxes make the paint look shinier by filling some of the surface scratching)

The type and quality of the final coat used can make a huge difference when it comes to sanding and buffing. Some clearcoats buff out very well (easily) and some are a little more stubborn. I think you should look very closely at the surface and see the scratches, if they're not minimizing with a concentrated buffing pass, you need a more aggressive compound like those mentioned above. I use Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and it's not very aggressive. Try one of their "heavier cut" compounds if you still can see surface scratches. But remember that it's grit, and you're removing material from the surface - don't burn through.

Another note I might add is that your clearcoat should be clear. You should be able to see through the clear to the base coat like you're looking through glass - if it's cloudy, it's wrong. If it's cloudy, no amount of surface buffing will make it go away. So determine if your lack of shine is surface scratches or cloudy clearcoat.

Edited August 2, 20213 yr by cgsheen1

I think the plan on the remaining bits (one fender and the hood), will be to compound more aggressively.  I didn't understand that it should be 'shiny' (albeit with swirl marks and such), after compounding.  I was just going for a dull reflection of a ceiling light.  I'm saving the hood for the last, hoping that it will be my opportunity to 'shine' (sorry, I'm an old guy).

So, I suppose the glossmeter isn't justified. I would like to justify the Makita polisher, but I may have to settle for merely moving up from HF to Northern Tool.  And I will check out the heavier Meguiar's, although I now have quite an inventory of Ultimate Compound.

If I can get the hang of it. I've got 2 more cars (non-Zs) to try.

Thanks guys

The makita is expensive but I have found it very useful. I have used it on multiple cars, my boat and I do glass panels too. I figure it will last a while