probably gonna sound noobish but here it goes, i tried 3m scratch remover it didnt help much, and i got meguirs color x. The meguirs color x helped a lot more but there is still a lot of swirl marks. i just clay barred the car a few days ago with a new zano clay bar, and put wax on and just bought new micro fiber towels, it seems like when i clay barred the car and re waxed it the swirls stayed from before. any help would be great!

 

use maguires professional wax you can usually get it at orileys or auto zone, it woks wonders, it's in a tan bottle.. it really worked well on mine!!

 

is it bad or anything to mix waxs? like if i have zano on the car right now, and put a coat on of that will it effect anything?

 

seems like you got a black car like me and theres no way around the swirls they will always come back.

 

yeah black is tough.talk to hatrickstu,he seems to know his **** about detailing cars.he has a black cobalt as well.

 

you cant get rid of them because you are using crappy products and doing it by hand. end of story.

 

lol there he is

 

color x is a filler and isnt a permanent solution.

scratch out is a respectable 3m product that does work but takes a few shots and patience. Im assuming you just applied it like wax and wiped it off without working it in.

Try a small spot on your car, apply a small amount and rub it in with some pressure. Do it 3 times pressing down... it will come out. I havent detailed my car since my last how-to and can show how they are still gone.


You can always go the rotary method, however there are pros and cons to that method as well i wont get in to.

 

compound or wet sand and buff...

also careful what clay bar you use and dont press on the bar at all. The clay bar will put those in the car

 

The 3m scratch out work best by machine polishing , you can also use it by had as you have alerady tried, and it will work that way too but it is alot more work, I would suggest getting the 3m perfect-it 3000 series swirl mark remover and buff it with a foam pad. Although I dont recomend buffing with compound if you have never buffed before, so stick to the foam pad and glase.

 

read hatrick's detailing thread. haha i've poated that three times just today. Hatrick you're the man.

why isn't that thread a sticky yet!?!?

 

good product actually tried it on my wife's car(3m perfect-it 3000 series)... great stuff

and he is right that it works better with machine.

 

not sure man, but i appreciate it! rruter arent you the one that swore by hand waxing???

 

if u count removing swirls by hand. yup.

Havent detailed my car since that how-to either and can do another picture session if you want.

I try to avoid heat-activated chemicals after seeing what happened a year later on my black car. Since my wife's paint was neglected long enough, it needed the buffer.

Here is our argument link

https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/show-shine-140/hand-done-swirl-removal-under-10-min-111319/

 

Also, removing the swirls is only one part of the equation. You need to establish some sound washing/drying technique to ensure your not putting the swirls right back into the paint once you remove them.

You'll need to use a two-bucket wash method with a lambswool/sheepskin wash mitt. You'll need to take great care not to be grinding the dirt into the paint during the wash process. But more importantly (and where swirls are most often instilled) is the drying method. Most swirls are put into the paint during the drying method, due to the lack of any lubricity between the drying media and the paint surface.

What I personally do, is first, I wash my car under an EZ-Up tent that covers the entire car. This way, I don't have to worry about the sunlight drying the water on the paint, and leaving unsightly water spots that are difficult to remove. After the car is thoroughly washed and rinsed, I break out the leaf blower. Crazy looks from the neighbours aside, it is an insanely quick way to move the majority of the water off the paint, especially from the cracks and crevices where water likes to hide and drip out of slowly. After I've air blasted the majority of the water off the paint, I then use a waffle weave drying towel, assisted with a quick detailer, to remove the remaining water. If you want to be extra careful, you can use the blot method with the towel, simply dabbing the water off the paint, as opposed to wiping the towel across the surface.

Your never going to be able to prevent swirls 100%, but using this method, you'll be able to keep them to a minimum. Many people like to state that if the paint is swirled, you can simply buff the paint and problem solved. However, you can't just buff the paint every time the wind blows. There is only so much clear coat on the surface of the paint, so every time you use a compound, your wearing it away. If you use buffing the paint as a substitute for proper wash/dry technique, over the years, your going to run down the thickness of clear coat to a thickness where clear coat failure can become a possibility. Now I'm not saying buffing here and there is going to cause this kind of failure, but some people go buffer happy the all of sudden wonder why their paint is beginning to flake.

So I can't stress a proper wash/dry technique enough. Buffing should be your last option. You should be trying to do everything possible to prevent swirls so you only have to buff once, or twice a year.

Happy detailing

 

I would just try and use less wax. Swirls are caused by a deposit of wax or polish depending on what you're using. Usually after polishing my car with a buffer wheel I'll wash it again to a. get all of the dust off and b. wash off swirls. You can literally wipe them off with a damp shammy. If this doesn't work you can go over the car again with a very light compound/polish and it takes them off with ease.

 

Wax causes swirls? Wiping away swirls with a towel? I'm sorry, but I don't know what your talking about. Ask any real detailer, and they'll tell you most swirls are caused by the wash/dry process, not waxing.

I think your insinuating that he is layering enough wax on his paint that somehow he is instilling swirls in a very deep layer of wax. Although this is possible, reducing the amount of wax will have no bearing on reduction of swirls. In fact, it will just reduce the barrier and allow some of those swirls to reach the clear coat finish.

Again, want less swirls, or can't get rid of them, assess your wash/dry technique. Critique it until you see a step in which you might be instilling swirls into the paint, then eliminate it. It could be something as simple as not using a rinse bucket, using a drying towel that has harsh fibres, or not properly releasing the dirt from your wash mitt.

There are many little quirks in the wash process where you can cause swirls. Things you might not even think could cause them. But once you establish a sound wash/dry process, swirls are something you rarely have to worry about.

 

um...I used to do details for shops for a long time guy. I've never gotten swirls from washing my car lol. "real detailer" you talk about it like it's a serious career lol.

 

You talk like you know what you are talking about.

 

wax does not cause swirls. dirt and debri does.

end of story.

why is it, i can hit a car with a wool pad on a buffer at 3k rpms and not swirl it, and some people hand wax a car and make it look like a sit n spin?

simple. the quality of the products you're using. if the swirls are bad enough, you may have to get it wet sanded.

 

you must be nuts.. especially the name ff drift.

 

Yeah....

Like a real career. Yep, you just summed up perfectly the amount of care you probably put into a vehicle your detailing. When I'm working on a customers car, I take it seriously. I'm getting paid for it, and I'm going to put my best effort forth.

But what I do I care? You surely know much more than me, in your lifetime of "details for shops". I'm sorry I ever questioned your unwavering knowledge on the subject

 

SMARTEST MF here

finally. but go ahead and experiment.