Originally Posted by mikenapoli

Thanks man. Buffer trails (or holograms) can be caused by a few issues. Generally they come from rotary polishers (I have only once seen them from a DA polisher, and this was on crazy soft paint.) being used with an overly aggressive pad and/or polish, with too much tilt to the pad, or with polishes that haven't broken down fully. Some polishes will fill in buffer trails, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not, and leave a surface that looks perfect but after a few washes, the fillers wash off showing the true condition. This is especially common with cheap detail jobs and body shop work. If buffer trails show up from your work, use a finer polish and finer pad to finish, use a DA polisher to finish with, and always inspect your work with something like Carpro Eraser, a wax/silicone remover like PrepAll, or diluted Isopropyl Alcohol. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by MarcHarris

Can we go ahead and just sticky this thread?

Originally Posted by AlsCobra

Agreed and great job. Guys, don't be afraid to pick up a DA polisher and go to work on your cars. Even on black they are really forgiving and get you great results. For cars not too far gone, a light polish and the right pad will do wonders without any real compounding. Tons of videos on YouTube will walk you right through the process. Without trying to cut too deep, it's really hard to mess your finish up with one of these polishers. After your car is done well, upkeep is a breeze. I was intimidated for a long time until I finally went for it. Don't let your cars get too far gone before you decide to do it the right way. Catch it before you have to spend multiple days correcting swirls.

Originally Posted by StangMahn

It's been a bit since I posted that, I no longer see them, so I'm thinking maybe it was some dirt/oily grime that was playing a bit of tricks on my eyes. It's amazing what a pair of polarized lenses do on some surfaces. But the advice is still much appreciated.