Auto body repair & detailing: Oxidized paint, compound numbers, hand wax

Question
Hello Michael,
I have 97 Ford F150 with dark red paint that has gotten dull looking due to being in the sun.  I want to buff it out with something, but from experience I know that red shows up swirl marks really bad, so I don't know if using a buffer would be a good idea.  I have some rubbing compound that I thought about using, but again I'm not sure about using that or just going with regular wax.  What would you suggest that would get the finish back to looking half-way decent?

Thanks,
Gary in WV

Answer
GARY......USING A BUFFER IN THE BEGINNING IS OK BECAUSE YOU STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT RUBBING COMPOUND NUMBERS WHICH DESIGNATE THE CUTTING ABILITY OF THE PRODUCT.
IT IS ADVISABLE TO TEST THE COMPOUND ON A SMALL AREA AND SEE HOW MUCH WORK IT TAKES. THE FINER THE COMPOUND, THE LONGER IT TAKES.

SINCE YOU SOUND LIKE YOU HAVE A PRETTY DULL FINISH, USE A MEDIUM CUT AND THEN FOLLOW WITH A FINER CUT AND THEN POLISH BY HAND.

WAX WILL TAKE SOME OF THE OXIDATION OUT BUT NOT AS MUCH AS THE COMPOUND.

MCGUIRES MAKES A GOOD PRODUCT AND THE DESCRIPTIONS ON THE BOTTLE WILL TELL YOU THE SUGGESTED USES.

SO TO SUMMARIZE....COMPOUND/CLEANER 1ST,POLISH/WAX 2ND.