Check your paint. Does it look like this:





Do this only once or twice a year. It should not be necessary to remove light scratching any more often. If you repeatedly notice fine scratches, then something is wrong with your washing technique or your towels. Whether you call them cobwebs, spiderwebs, swirls, holograms.... they're all just fine scratches. Here's how you get rid of them:

1. Wash the car.
2. Clay the car to remove "stuck on" dirt, tar, and other contaminants from the paint surface.
3. Wash off any clay residue.
4. Porter Cable 7424 or Ultimate Detailing Machine, setting of 5 to 6, orange pad, Menzerna Intensive Polish.
5. Do only a 2' X 2' section at a time. Move the buffer up/down, then left/right.
6. Move at a speed of about 2" per second.
7. After the polish turns clear, stop the buffer. Do not lift the buffer off the paint until it has stopped.
8. Now wipe off using a clean Microfiber Towel.
9. Inspect the surface. If light scratching still remains, repeat the process with the same product or use a more aggressive yellow pad.
10. When satisfied that the surface is done, change to white pad.
11. White pad, setting 4 to 5, Porter Cable 7424, Menzerna Final Polish II. Use the same technique as in the above steps. However, you'll see that after Menzerna Intensive Polish, there really will not be any major marring of the surface, so I tend to move much more rapidly with the Final Polish II. The purpose of this step is only to shine the surface and remove any tiny marring induced by the more aggressive Intensive Polish
12. Done ! You should have a flawless finish.

Now to lock in that shine, follow up with a wax or sealant.

1. I used Zaino AIO on a gray pad with the PC speed of 2.
2. Spread the product over the paint until its sufficiently covered.
3. Buff off the product with a 100% cotton towel.

Remember: The polisher will do the work for you. There's no need to apply pressure. Pad and product selection is not an exact science. The severity of the imperfections, the cut of the pad, and the aggressiveness of the product all factor into the final results.

GOOD LUCK.

 

That's an amazing difference. I wish I had a buffer that was capable of doing this. My paint is in decent condition but I would like to bring it back to looking like new.

 

I use the free buffer, my elbow, haha. Im not saying the job is anywhere nea the job that a buffer (and someone with lotsa experience) can do, but It's not half bad I dont think. My new jeep is a lot bigger than my old pickup, I ran out of cloths to wipe it down with! Wont let that happen again.

 

Nice concise wrtie up GTJeff. For those who would like to have visual guidance to these instructions go here: http://autogeek.net/dual-action-polisher.html

and watch the videos "light swirl removal" and "intermediate swirl removal."

Having owned only black cars for more years than I care to admit, I've also been using a PC to help them keep looking good. Those of you who are straddling the fence on whether to step up to one because of fear of harming the paint - don't! You'd have to be a gorilla to really screw anything up. Besides w/ the write up here and the video tutorials you're way ahead of the game when applying that first coat of polish or swirl mark remover. Those who can't seem to kick in the $200 or so for polisher and pads...Xmas is just around the corner. Have Santy drop one off w/ the kids toys! (Santy's bringin me a foam gun )

 

Thanks Citizen,

Just trying to get some interest generated back into this section of the forum...

 

Yeah, it really has been lacking for a while now.

 

Now that Winter is hopefully over, some members may need to revisit this topic...

 

I've been driving black Mustangs for a long time, but never got into the care side like I am now. I am going to have to get one of these random orbitals. Swirls are almost impossible to avoid on my daily driver. This regimen can get things back under control!

 

Ridding your car of swirl marks is not an end in itself, perfecting your wash regimen is a means to the end. Use of the 2 bucket method as described in the sticky at the top of this forum is the start down the path of enlightenment. Black is not a color, it's a part time job

 

Try 3M ultrafina 3000 perfect it with a foam pad, then follow up with a high quality paint sealant, then a higher quality Carnuba Wax.

TDS

 

I planning on getting one shortly. Which one of these kits has everything I need for removing light swirl marks on my black cobra and periodic polishing and waxer?
http://www.autogeek.net/po.html

I want to make sure I don't miss anything. I'd hate to be ready to start and realize I don't have the backing plate or correct pads.

 

I think the Menzerna kit is probably your best option among the "kits" they have assembled. I think it would be better to just build your own kit. You can pick out exactly what you want and you probably can do it for just slightly more. That kit should be pretty well set up though. PM me if you need any help, I'd be more than willing to help you decide.

 

+1. 3M Ultrafina 3000 is great. I just picked up some Zaino PC to see how it compares. I will be testing this out tomorrow.

 

Depending on what you're looking for, I don't think ZPC is going to work as well as the 3M. The ZPC might give a little more correction, but I highly doubt it will finish down as well.

 

That's quite the difference. Wow. My paint does look like the above picture.

Here's something we can do. You should come over and buff out the swirl marks on my Mustang while I take pictures and some video. Then you can use those pictures & video for a full write up as opposed to this concise one. Everyone will be happy. No swirl marks for me. The board gets a great write up. And you get to work out and buff another car. Yes?

 

Heck, I would polish your car for ya but you'd have quite the drive getting to my place

 

 

Road trip!

 

Just helped out a friend in need. He purchased a used Lexus. As you can see the paint was in bad condition. He asked if waxing would help? No, the car would need the full treatment as descibed above.

 

Ten hours later, the paint actually appears darker now with all of the fine scratches removed. Buffing and finishing with AIO, brought her back to her former glory... OK, I'm done. My friend can take her home now and hit it with some Z 2 if he so desires.