swirl marks

[Joseph P.]

I had my car detailed and it came back with swirl marks. It doesn't look good at all. So I am going to attempt it myself. I have received some help but wanted to ask the following: What polisher, swirl remover, glaze and wax would you recommend to a beginner? Would you use 5 or 6 inch pads? If you have a procedure you recommend I would appreciate your advise. all info is welcomed. Joe

[Stephen L.]

Re: swirl marks

What and how you do it, depends on how bad the swirls are.

I'd definitely NOT try to learn how to do this on a paint job that you value... so start practicing on the wife's KIA.

Stay away from edges and raised areas. A buffer can remove the paint down to the primer in a heartbeat if you aren't careful.

There are various pads to use depending on the compound'polish you use. You might visit your local automotive paint supplier for some recommendations on the products to use.

[Bill I.]

Re: swirl marks

Joe, your post indicates you paid for the detail. Did you go back and complain? Bill

[Joseph P.]

Re: swirl marks

Thanks for your replies. The swirl marks are only visible in the sun. They seem to be very light compared to the ones on my Toyota. I was going to practice on one of my less desirable cars, not my 62 or 65 vettes. I wouldn't do that on a bet. But I wanted to learn to do this myself. The detailers we have here are not very good. They are not true professionals. I went back to see the guy that screwed it up and was watching him do a new Lexus and was actually grateful he didn't do more damage then just swirls. The Lexus looked worse then mine. He said he would redo it but I declined. I was told that you can't remove swirls by hand which I think I would prefer. What's your take on hand work? I would have less of a chance to burn the finish. Joe

[Keith L.]

Re: swirl marks

Check this out

http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120179

[James W.]

Re: swirl marks

I bought a polisher kit that used a Porter Cable 7424 and several pads for cutting, polishing, finishing and so on. Does an excellent job and, since it is DA, you'd have to work at it to burn through your paint. Been very happy with the whole kit. Several places sell them. I think I paid $160 or $170 for it.

Jim

[Patrick H.]

Re: swirl marks

Like James, I have this polisher, as sold by Meguiars:

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+G110V2

They sell it in a kit of products, too, and it then comes with a great video.
If you use their swirl remover and then wax it, I suspect it will look fine.
I can do both in under an hour on a Corvette.

[Dick W.]

Re: swirl marks

3M Finesse-It II Glaze, part #05928, works very well to remove swirl marks.

[Alan S.]

Re: swirl marks

Hi Joe,
The company named GRIOT'S GARAGE sells a large assortment of detailing products that are geared toward NOT getting the 'shade tree' detailer into trouble. They sell a polisher kit that's very similar to what Patrick noted, but you can find it for a few $$ cheaper other places than what theirs costs.
They do have a DVD that they were giving away that showed how to use THEIR products but would be very informative to you no matter what brand products you decide to use. I follow their methods and hints, but use 3M and Meguiars materials that I can buy locally.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

[Joseph P.]

Re: swirl marks

Thank you gentlemen for all of the great advice. It was very informative and along with all of the other info I received decided to purchase the pc7424 xp kit this morining. When it arrives the fun begins. I'm looking forward to cleaning up the finish on the cars I think it will make a big difference. Thanks again to everyone. Joe

[Chuck S.]

Re: swirl marks

I bought a polisher kit that used a Porter Cable 7424 and several pads for cutting, polishing, finishing and so on. Does an excellent job and, since it is DA, you'd have to work at it to burn through your paint. Been very happy with the whole kit. Several places sell them. I think I paid $160 or $170 for it...

Porter Cable 7424...That's the ticket! Accept no substitutes...especially if you have no idea what you're doing. Edit: The new generation Porter Cable is the 7424XP; it's supposed to have more power and be faster. I never get above about "3" setting on the one I have.

Search the tool outlet sites on the internet for the best deal on just the Porter Cable (PC) polisher. You'll also want a counter weight kit for larger 6.5" foam pads and a velcro faced backing plate. If you can find those three items in a kit, that will be you're best approach. Some 7424 kits will include a small PC foam pad; discard or keep for other jobs. Buy a velcro faced backing plate. Buy your pads from a detail specialty place.

Pads...Use only foam pads; especially for swirl removal. Lake Country is the brand I prefer for quality; other brands may provide better value. There are different grades of foam pads for each task: cutting, polishing, waxing. Educate yourself on the different grades of pads and cheapest sources. Wool pads are ONLY for heavy cutting to recover from severe deterioation...I don't use them period. I also don't bother using the PC for waxing...just apply wax by hand.

For swirl removal, you want the mildest abrasive that will get the job done. (No one told you?...To fix this guy's screwup, you will have to remove paint from your car. ). I would start with a swirl remover, or a glaze, which is a very, very fine polish...3M makes excellent products, as does Meguiars, and others. Some people like Menzerna, but I tried it and have already used better products.

Here are a few links to you get started:

http://www.autogeek.net/ (Enter "corvette forum" for discount)

http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

http://www.wolfgangcarcare.com/vcpad.html

http://www.properautocare.com/basporcab74p.html

[Gary V.]

Re: swirl marks

All recommendations are spot on, you won't go wrong with them. Another site where amateur and pro detailers hang out and also has a lot of data is autopia.org.

Viz

[Dick W.]

Re: swirl marks

If you use a power buffer, you need to use a slow speed, 1800 rpm or so, to keep from burning your paint.

[Gary C.]

Re: swirl marks

Joseph, about ten years or more ago Gilbert Scrivner's black '56 had swirl marks at it's first inside Regional. The swirl marks weren't visible outside, but sure were inside. All kinds of "hand rubbed" products that were available from a local Waco auto parts store were tried. What worked best and got the swirls out was a product named "Dry Wash". It took the swirls out. Gary....

[Alan D.]

Re: swirl marks

Also try autopia-carcare.com - bet its related to the .org site mentioned above.

Do the reading first.

The idea is to remove the marks slowly with different compounds and pads, normally at that level its hard to see any paint being removed (using Proper Equipment) And yes the swirl removers will appear to make them go away however its just filling them which is a valid option and a lot lot less work.
(PS - in most cases I just do the fill)

If you're planning to show the car expect point loss for an over stored car. These are standard deductions.