So I have some swirl marks on the hood, on the trunk, and on the roof. First off I want to know where do they come from? Second I want to know how do I get rid of them? I've tried the Turtle Wax Liquid Clay Bar and Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Polish, and they are still there. I want to try a regular clay bar, but I heard if not done right you can really screw up the car. So is there a company that makes something to get rid of the swirls? Any positive help welcome... Thank you

 

clay wont fix swirls

you will need a machine polish atleast

maybe even a compounding


find a friend or someone to hook you up

 

wow i was hoping that more then one person would know about swirl marks

 

As stated above, clay won't remove all of them, but it will greatly help. I have a sport red Cobalt. I washed, dried, clayed, and then waxed my hood yesterday. I could definitely tell a difference. I got the Mother's kit from Wal-Mart that comes with a clay bar, quick detail, and bottle of wax. Try that...you'll see some improvements.

 

Wash,Clay Bar It, Use Meguiars Scratch/Swirl Remover and then wax it...It should look alot better and most swirl marks should be gone

 

A clay bar won't remove any swirl marks in your paint. a wax will only cover up a little bit of the swirl marks but will not get rid of them. To get rid of swirl marks you need a buffer and a cleaning compound which you should be trained on how to use. and then use a polish which will fill in the minor scratchs that the compound makes. the cleaning compound will take off a fine fine fine layer of clear coat which all swirl marks are, are fine fine scratchs in the clear coat usually from washing a car or drying. then the final step is to wax it to protect the paint and it puts a little more shine. clay bar is only used on a car with small particals on the paint that you can feel with your hand when the paint is clean. clay bar will make the paint feel smoother but wont take swirls out. good luck!!

 

i dont know if you already found your answer or not but i have been a detailer for years and now sell detail supplies to dealerships and give them short training courses....

you most likely have swirl marks all over the car but you are only seeing the ones on the horisontal surfaces... the ones on the doors and sides of the car are usually not as vizable so there will be no need to try to get rid of them


only do this if you have deep swirls and or scratches!!!!
first step is get a light grade buffing compound and a high speed buffer... run the buffer on a medium to lower speed since your probably not trained or anyting in this... cuz if you mess it up you can wreck your paint for good!

if you dont have a buffer or dont want to use it get a rougher compound and do it by hand. work small areas and rub in a circular motions

onces that is all done you will have the marks in the car taken care of but the compound will have left its own marks
^^^only do those above steps if you have deep swirls or scatches!

NEXT you will want to get a really good swirl remover and a foam pad on a high speed buffer. run at a higher speed on the buffer... just above medium if your not real good with the buffer. work small areas at a time and work to polish wit ha swirl free finish.... dont hold the buffer in one spot... keep it moving or you will burn up your paint.

after you have done this be sure and get a good coat of wax on your car

 

almost....polish doesnt "fill-in" swirls it removes them.


yes but i dont recommend compound by hand....it is a long hard procedure

 

I've got alot of swirling and what seems like very slight oxidation. Even the sides look like a kaleidoscope after washing. Wax with Paint cleaner doesn't help very much after it washes off. I just picked up a 7" variable speed (~300-3000RPM range) buffer/polisher.

I know some basics: Such as use the tool at a slight angle to the surface (not dead flat, but not riding on the vary edge), avoid sharp angles on the body, and avoid "focusing" around or stoping on one spot. But not much more, since I've never actually performed the task.

I'm guessing the swirl remover with foam pad is less agressive? I might like to start with that first to be sure my technique is ok. Any suggestion on a good swirl remover product?

What are the uses of wool vs foam pads, and are they ever used by themself or do you always want to use some sort of lubricant/compound? This all is where I'm the most clueless.

From what I have gathered; clay bar is used after washing to get small contaminants off before buffing/polishing so they don't get caught up in the pad and re-swirl the clearcoat again.

 

for a swirl remover use turbowax's or optimum polish maybe even optimum compound

you never want to use a foam/wool pad with out a product on it...it is even recommended to spritz it with water before buffing to ensure the whole pad is slightly lubricated

 

****, you can find many stores that sell swirl remover.

We sell like five or six different brands at my work.

 

Less aggressive as far as getting fine scratches out yes...but foam pad heats it up a lot quicker and is easier to burn through the paint..also depends if you're buffing metal panels or plastic like your bumpers...on plastic the heat created usually concentrates in a very small spot unlike metal where it expands out, so its a little easier to burn through on bumpers

 

Get a porter cable, only real way to get rid of the swirls

 

At one time or another we all have been victims of those swirl marks, swirl marks are creatures that will target our beloved paint surface, however on their defense they don’t discriminate you. All they do is prefer black paint.

Getting rid of them is time consuming and takes hard work, with the correct tools, products and procedures you can indeed remove them. In some extreme cases, extreme effort and procedures are needed.

One day we can go deep into the subject, but rather than discuss the “How” to remove them, What I like to talk about is the “How” to avoid them, very often no one talks about ways to prevent them, the most frequent ones are

1- Automatic Car washes
2- Wrong type of Microfiber towel
3- Wrong type of wax
4- Wrong type of pads
5- Wrong type of machine
6- Harsh polishing compounds
7- Not keeping your wash mitt or sponge properly rinsed.
8- Wiping down a dusty or dirty car with a dry towel.
9- Towels and applicators containing polyester threads.
10- A dirty chamois or a chamois that has not been properly maintained
11- Using a car cover when the car or the cover is not clean.
12-Wrong type of shampoo

New automotive paint finishes are harder and far more durable than the paint finishes of just a few years ago. As a result, new cars look good much longer and resist road damage. The bad news is that the hard paint makes repairs more difficult. Even fine swirl marks can be a challenge to remove.


Turbo Wax Swirl Remover works like a fine polish when used with a fine foam pad and works like a light rubbing compound when used with a more aggressive foam pad.

How does it work ?

The abrasives gradually shrink in size under the friction of the pad until they completely disappear. Selecting the correct polishing pad helps determine how quickly the abrasive break down into fine polish. This diminishing abrasive action allows the paint to "buff out" to full gloss without hazing. This product contains millions of tiny white abrasives that gradually disappear under the friction of the pad. The abrasives gently wear down the sharp edges of the scratch or swirl until light no longer catches on them and they become level with the surrounding paint. Because swirls are very shallow scratches, it only takes a little blending to level the swirl with the surrounding paint. As this occurs, the abrasives gradually vanish. Within seconds, the abrasives melt into the lubricants and your paint is left swirl-free.

Swirl Remover works best when applied with a polisher. Polish with a light cutting pad on your Porter Cable 7424 dual action polisher. Start at a speed of 5 and use moderate pressure to go over a 2 x 2 sq. ft. area. Work up and down, then side to side to ensure optimum coverage. Buff using a Turbo Wax super Flush Microfiber Towel.

I hope this helps .