The pads:
White = Cutting. Use this for heavy swirl removal.
Orange = Medium Cut/Slight Polish
Yellow = Polish.
Polishes:
Power Finish - PO85RD3.02 = the most aggressive youve got.
Power Finish - PO203s = a medium compound (good enough if you wanted to get away with 1 hit)
Final Finish - PO85RE5 - high gloss polish
1 pass = moving the polisher from left to right
1 hit = 8-15 passes
To start with you need to see how much work your paint requires.
If it is very swirly then a light gloss compound isnt guna cut it. If you look after the car and there are just very light swirls that you can only see in the right light then a medium compound is adequate.
Start off with the PO203s (might be worth writing on the bottom of the bottles if your unsure which is which) on an orange pad.
This can be described as a 1 hit process. The polish has enough cut to get rid of the swirls, but is glossy enough to not need more work.
(If after 1 hit you have not removed enough of the swirls, you need to move onto a more aggressive pad (white). If after another hit the swirls are still there then you need to move onto a more abrasive polish. I very much doubt this will be required on yours. The idea is you start with a less aggressive combination and work up if your not getting the desired results)
If after 1 hit you have removed the swirls, move on and do the whole car (remember to work in manageable sized areas 15-18sqr inches. less if your working in the sun).
Once you have finished this process you should be swirl free.
Are you happy with the finish, the shine, etc:
Yes - Stop and wax the car
No - move onto a finishing pad (yellow, the softest one to touch) and carry out the same technique as before, but with your gloss polish, the
PO85RE5 (final finish). This is a very high gloss, very low cut polish, so is basically buffing the surface and making it shiny.
After this you will be ready to wax.
NOTES:
-Ideally you need to see how thick your paint is. If you have standard from factory paint you will be fine to machine polish.
-You cant really do alot of damage with a DA, but test the panel with your hand to see how hot they are getting after a hit. (youll soon get the hand of it)
-dont rush. you will need a good 4 hours to machine polish the car. atleast. if you wanna do the whole car with both types of pad, youll be looking at more like 6-8 hours.
-use the larger pads for large flat areas, and the small spot pads for bumpers etc.
-apply about 2-3 pea size blobs to the pad (spread out) and follow the technique shown in the guide, dab the polish on the area your working on, then work it in so you have an even coverage on about speed 2. dont push the machine in, just move it around. With the polisher touching the bodywork, move from 2-5 and youll be fine. try and srart and stop the machine when its touching the bodywork to stop product splatting everywhere.
-the polish is finished when it is clear. if you want to after 1 hit, instead of applying more product for the second hit, spray a light spray of water over the pad. this will cool the polish and make it haze a little on the second hit. make the second hit 5-10 passes tho, not 8-15.
-if you have followed as above, i wouldnt worry about lime prime. thats more of a filler/cleanser, so just move straight onto wax.
Finishing the Car (LSP - last stage protection)
You can either Wax or Seal. Dont do both (its a waste of time)
Wax (i.e. your dodo) will bead lovely, and last. wax gives a better look, slightly less lifespan.
Seal (i.e. EGP) wont bead quite as well, but will last longer (if you look after it).
So decide, do you want it to look better, or last longer.
I personally wax cuz the car is looked after. (Next time you come to wash, finish off the process, after drying the car, with a detailing spray or dodo red mist etc. this brings back the shine and adds a tad of protection).
MORE NOTES:
-If you are taping up the plastics when polishing, leave this on until you finish waxing. it will prevent you getting residue on the plastics.
-You will get a little dusting with cutting compounds, but shouldn't with the finishing types.
-once youve finished waxing, remove the tape and finish the plastics etc.
Have fun!