Originally Posted by FromZto5

haha Roger that, Ron...

A lot of misconception in the post above, that detailing is only for "professionals" and that "it takes too much time". Reading comprehension, and a desire to learn and a sincere effort in caring for a vehicle is all one needs to keep it looking 90% or better than other cars on the road.

Once it's swirl-free, just keep it swirl-free.... that's my favorite saying

Originally Posted by DarrenGT

indeed. My stang is swirl free but then again it is only a few months old and never seen a wash brush!
.

Originally Posted by FromZto5

Time of ownership is not a guarantee of being swirl free, as is use of a wash brush. Swirls can already be there from the dealer, or from your regular washing with a mitt bucket. Reasons can all stem from improper washing, drying, or detailing techniques.

Best to check under proper lighting to verify if surface is swirl free.... If it is, great!!! If not, polish time! Easy....

Originally Posted by CCTking

Everytime i ask my dealer not to wash my car after service checkups they always do and it ends being a swirly mess of dirt.... I seriously wanna grab the water gun and chammy from the porters hands and throw em in the trash sometimes

Originally Posted by CCTking

Everytime i ask my dealer not to wash my car after service checkups they always do and it ends being a swirly mess of dirt.... I seriously wanna grab the water gun and chammy from the porters hands and throw em in the trash sometimes

Originally Posted by Glenn

now that is just sad. You should have pointed out the ****ty wash job to someone and the dealership

Originally Posted by mikeship911

Ok. After watching autogeek it looks like I need a power tool to get the swirls out. My Stang is an '06. Paint is "ok" with lots is swirls.

1. How many times can you unswirl your paint?

2. Can I get a recommendation on a "kit" that will have all I need?

3. There is a spot of super swirls on my paint I'm worried about. It's lighter than the rest of the car.

Picture of spot attached.

Thanks for any help/recommendations.

Originally Posted by ColSaulTigh

Hi Mike,

I'll take a stab at answering your questions:

1) This really depends on several things, including how thick your clear coat is to start, how deep the swirls/scratches are you are trying to remove, and how aggressive you are in removing them in the first place. The key is to do it properly ONCE, then maintain the paint over time. I'd like a pro to chime in and give you an idea of how thick your car's clear coat was to start - my '14 is somewhere in the 120-160mil range (if I recall correctly). Fairly thick compared to some other cars.

2) Kits are never a great idea, as they tend to be the "meh" of most products. Instead, piece together the proper tools. For instance, a great starter Random-Orbit Polisher is the Porter Cable XP7424xp. Street price should be around $120 give or take. If you're on a budget Harbor Freight has one that gets decent (but not great) reviews for about $60 on sale (less if you have one of their 20% off coupons). Flex is another well-respected brand, but it tends to be more expensive.

With the polisher you will need a few things - pads and a backing plate. For beginners, you should invest in a 5" backing plate and 5 1/2" pads as they are easier to work with. The pads themselves come in various materials: foam, microfiber, wool. Each has it's intended purpose. I chose to use foam as it's the most popular for swirl removal, others may have other opinions. The foam pads come in different colors - these determine how much 'cut' they have. For a VERY BADLY scratched/swirled car, you should work with either Yellow (VERY AGGRESSIVE) or Orange (AGGRESSIVE) pads. You work you way up to less and less aggressive pads as you fix your paint.

On the pads, you will need polish. There are MANY manufacturers of polish out there and about just as many suggestions as to which one is "best". Fact of the matter is, it's easier to list which products to stay away from. Many users on the forums will recommend Meguiars m105 and m205, others (like me) prefer Chemical Guys V32 - v38, while still others prefer Menzerna products. Pick one (or one of the other quality brands) and go with it. There are plenty of tutorials here to teach you the technique. I recommend watching Junkman's video - he's a wealth of knowledge for the beginner.

3) As for the lighter spot - that's most likely light reflecting through a severly scuffed clear coat. It could also be wax or soap caked in the swirls. Take some Isopropyl Alcohol (91%, diluted 1:3 with water) and wipe the area down and see if that helps. Once you're done correcting the paint, it'll most likely go away. It may require more effort than other parts of the car.

Some final thoughts:

I am NOT a professional, nor do I claim to be any kind of expert. In fact, I just bought my car 2 months ago after driving a beater pickup truck for 12 years. I DO do my homework though and I spent HOURS researching, reading, and watching videos to learn how to do this properly.

One of the most common denominators is that "technique trumps product". Don't get as hung up on WHAT BRAND to buy as WHAT TYPE OF PRODUCT you need to get the job done. Coca Cola and Pepsi taste different, but both are multi-billion dollar companies. It's not because one is better than the other - it's that each appeals to a different audience. Some of the product 'hype' out there is exactly that - marketing ($800 Carnauba Wax, for example). Some of it is product quality vs. cheaper products. Some of it is using the RIGHT product for it's intended purpose (Lexol is NOT the right leather care product for your car's interior).

Another thought is this - take your time! If you are in a rush, you CANNOT do a proper job. There are threads here where folks have taken DAYS to de-swirl a vehicle. If you're getting tired/if your equipment is overheating...STOP. Take a break. Grab your favorite refreshing beverage and relax for a bit. You should ENJOY your time with your vehicle. Inspect your progress. Go back and re-do an area if you're not happy with the results.

Final thought - once you've corrected your paint, learn proper car washing techniques to prevent them from coming back. Watch Video Link: http://youtu.be/w09r6m6sRCA to get an idea of the proper way to clean your car without putting more swirls in it.

I've taken up more than enough time here - I'll let others chime in. Hopefully this helps. Good luck - you'll do fine!

Originally Posted by mikeship911

Thanks for your help.

Griots has a swirl kit with orbital, two polishes. Three pads and some microfiber a for $225

Autogeek has the one you recommended with the 3" adapter plus 3"pads plus pad cleaners for the same price.

I'm just worried the paint is damaged with the bad place and maybe all the clear is gone. I don't want to ruin it.

Originally Posted by mikeship911

Ok. After watching autogeek it looks like I need a power tool to get the swirls out. My Stang is an '06. Paint is "ok" with lots is swirls.

1. How many times can you unswirl your paint?

2. Can I get a recommendation on a "kit" that will have all I need?

3. There is a spot of super swirls on my paint I'm worried about. It's lighter than the rest of the car.

Picture of spot attached.

Thanks for any help/recommendations.

Originally Posted by MarcHarris

From the pic, it looks like everything shown is fixable. Where about do you live?

Originally Posted by Mustang Freak

Without going through this thread what product(s) do you guys recommend for the interiors? I have the cloth Recaros and interior with Alcantra steering wheel. Was never much of an Armoral fan it left a greasy film. :-)

Originally Posted by StangMahn

The Col had it mostly right. I do want to point out that you should always do a test panel, and go with the least aggressive method to get the swirls out. Think of it being like sand paper - on your test panel, you want to start with say a 4500, if it doesn't work, then try 3500, 2500, etc until you get the desired results. Then when you figure out what works, on the rest of the car, working 2x2 sections, start with the 2500 (if that's what it took), then the 3500, then the 4500.


This video (and several from /driveclean, and AMMONYCdotcom) is excellent for instructional purposes. The AMMONYC channel also has a video where he works on the Alcantara from a Bugatti to show you how to clean that as well.



Paint Correction on 1958 Porsche Speedster - /DRIVE CLEAN - YouTube