I'm about to polish my 2013 XF sportbrake, but I don't know the hardness of the paint. The internet says medium to hard.

I'm also planning on using Menzerna 2500 or Menzerna Heavy Cut Compound 4000 with DA machine. Car has some swirls, so I'm not sure I need some rougher polish.

What do you use when polishing your XF?

 

Cannot recommend any particular product but best practice is to start with as mild of a polish and test an area. Work your way up until you find the right polish to get the work done quickly without being too aggressive.

 

Agreed with halveb, always start light and work your way down to a heavier grit. When i polished mine i found the clear to be much harder than what was on my Lincoln LS. I didn't go for orange peel removal, just some swirls, but i still needed a heavier grit than i expected.

 

Small world.....we also had a Lincoln LS before our XF.

 

It's not so much the brands you use as it is what you do to the finish.

Here's what I do (once a year -- car is garaged at night):

1. Wash and dry
2. Apply clay bar
3. Paint cleaner (P21S or Pinnacle paint cleaner)
4. Polish (any low abrasive polish with no silicones -- I don't have any swirl marks bec my car has never been to a car wash)
5. Synthetic wax

Steps 3-5 are applied using Porter Cable 7424 orbital polisher.

Whatever I do to the paint, I also do to the windshield, and my wipers clear the windshield beautifully.

All this takes me around 9 hours on the XF, but the car looks stunning after nearly 8 years.

Good luck.

 

With respect to the OP, I really didn't recommend any particular brand of product, since his signature says he's in Norway. I have no idea what products are sold there.


A number of years ago, the people on both the 'Corvette Forum' website, as well as the 'Lincoln LS Owners Club' (LLSOC) website, were highly recommending the Zaino line of polishes. I used them for a while, on both our LS, as well as my Corvette. I was pleased with the results, but they weren't easy to obtain. Everything had to be purchased by mail.


Around 2008, I received a sample of Surf City Garage's 2 step system called "Nano Seal" and "Nano Glaze", as well as their "Speed Demon" spray detailer. I was very pleased with the results of using those products, and have been using them ever since. The only downside, is that while the Surf City Garage products were once readily available, they, too, I now have to order by mail, except for the spray detailer, which is available at Pep Boys.


Depending on what you're interested in, the Griot s Garage products are also pretty good, quality wise, but rather pricey, and again, primarily mail order. I use their "Machine Polishes" on a regular basis.

 

Thank you very much!

I will do what Long Islander is doing. I did something similar to my old S-type. I will also much likely use around 9 hours.

 

I have been using Blackfire products from Autogeek, they have performed beautifully. They of course are more expensive than auto parts products but the quality and longevity are much better. Look into "fire over ice" kit. Makes my emerald fire metallic xf look amazing.

 

I use their BlackIce product as a final wax, i agree it's fantastic stuff. This is a pic of my reflection on the passenger door after my first time polishing and using Black Hole swirl reducer, Wolfgang Paint Sealant, and the BlackIce by BlackFire.