The best swirl remover?

[32ValveRom]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and to detailing as well. I recently purchased a PC kit which included several orange and white pads as well as a couple of blue ones. I also got some Meguiar's products including a Machine glaze, cleaner wax, and a Dual Action cleaner/polish #83. I went and detailed the car (in cold weather because I couldn't wait) and was happy with the results except for one thing. When I get a good look at the car with sunlight I can still see the swirls that have accumulated in the paint of my 99 Cobra from 10 years of not being kept in a garage. So I was hoping to find a good swirl remover to help me return my cars paint back to the smooth finish it once had when it was brand new. Sorry, I still don't have any pics to upload. I'm workin on it.

[Rsurfer]

Meg's 105/205 combo or for lighter correction and longer work time..get the Wolfgang twins.

[zinc02gt]

I don't know about the SN95's but my clearcoat is pretty hard. The Meguiar's 105/205 combo helped tremendously. They're the only polishes that could tackle my rear bumper and spoiler. Glazes and cleaners contain fillers that will only mask the problems for a little while.

[32ValveRom]

Cool, Thanx guys for the quick replies. It's also good to see I'm not the only Mustang owner here.


Meg's 105/205 combo or for lighter correction and longer work time..get the Wolfgang twins.

I was just wondering how the Wolfgang twins results a longer work time. More product?

[Rsurfer]

Cool, Thanx guys for the quick replies. It's also good to see I'm not the only Mustang owner here.



I was just wondering how the Wolfgang twins results a longer work time. More product?
More oils.

[zadjali]

Menzerna Super intensive polish/ 106FA combo is pretty good and leaves a good finish.

[Wax Gorilla]

Swirls did not accumulate from being in the Garage they were put there by poor washing practices and or improper buffing !

[dublifecrisis]

The 'best swirl remover' is the person doing the work and the process used to do it. There are plenty of good products to do the trick but it's 90% process and 10% product.

[Mike Phillips]

and a Dual Action cleaner/polish #83.






M83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish is a capable product for removing swirls, if M83 isn't' working for you then you'll definitely want a compound.

M105 or the Consumer version Ultimate Compound both work great with a DA Polisher.


One thing I would point out, if you're new to machine polishing, your technique for working ANY SMR, (Swirl Mark Remover) is really the key factor.

I wrote on article on the tips and techniques for correctly using a Dual Action Polisher on Meguiar's Online, you can find it on the forum homepage.

I also re-wrote it here and made it more detailed and thorough, maybe give it a read and make sure you're not making the most common mistakes.

Tips and Techniques for using the PC 7424XP Dual Action Polisher to remove Below Surface Defects (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/expert-tips/20021-tips-techniques-using-porter-cable-7424xp.html)


Here's a list of the most common problems

Trying to work too large of an area at one time.
Move the polisher too fast over the surface.
Too low of speed setting for removing swirls.
Too little pressure on the head of the unit.
Too much pressure on the head of the unit so the pad quits rotating.
Not keeping the pad flat while working your product.
Too much product, too little product.
Not cleaning the pad often enough.



No matter what compound or swirl mark remover you use, you'll still have to use good technique or the product won't work.

:)

[sullysdetailing]

Meg's 105/205 combo or for lighter correction and longer work time..get the Wolfgang twins.
Agree 100%

[Matt S.]

Meg's 105/205 combo or for lighter correction and longer work time..get the Wolfgang twins.

This is my exact recommendation. You'll be able to tackle nearly any job with those 4 polishes. Just make sure you get plenty of extra pads, especially for use with M105 as it cakes up pads very quickly (on an average sized car, I'll saturate about 6-7 pads with M105...2-3 cutting pads won't "cut" it, unless you clean your pads as you go).

If you get 105/205 and the WG twins (Total Swirl Remover and Finishing Glaze), try out TSR first as it's much less aggressive than M105.

Also, make sure you post pictures! We'd love to see your Cobra!

[32ValveRom]

Cool, thanks guys. I appreciate it.

[Kurt_s]

I'm not a professional detailer, so take my comments on a swirl remover with grain of salt.

I think that the best swirl remover may be a combination of paint, product and technique, not just a best chemical. My 99 BMW is supposed to have a very hard clearcoat, so one product may be bettter for one vehicle versus another. I understand that the newer BMW clearcoats like the one on my wife's 2008 535Xi may be softer, so another product may work better.

About a year ago, I got lazy and used an airport detail service for a wash and wax while on a business trip, and it looked like they used sandpaper to wash and wax the car. I still fume just thinking about it.

I just spent the last four days washing, engine compartment cleaning, claying, taping off and learning to use a PCXP to remove swirls in the paint of my white 99 BMW 528iT (while dealing with issues with my backyard drain system due to the heavy rains, visits to various hardware stores and taking various phone calls ).

While I get a lot of compliments on the car using manual methods, I was only able to get the paint so far without a DA or rotary buffer. Meguire's Scratch X and Swirl Remover 2.0 didn't do it manually for me. I needed to get the spiderwebs out of the paint, as a glaze only helped hide them temporarily.

The paint absolutely glows after using WG TSR 3.O and WG FG. I also finally got the panel below the driver's door clean and shiny after years of trying various remedies. I will use the WG sealant tomorrow as I couldn't remember if I could apply the WG sealant in temps below 50F, so I stopped for the night. I plan to use one coat and perhaps add a coat of carnuba over the weekend. Added protection from the birds.

I didn't remove all defects/scratchs in the paint, but I chose to go a bit conservative since this was my first try with a PC and didn't want to burn the paint. (I also ran out of energy to do much more. How do professional detailers keep this up?). I initially tried to use a white pad with the TSR 3.0 with some success, but switched to the orange pad after suffering for about an hour and multiple passes.

I found that the orange pad with a 5 speed setting (PCXP) and slow overlapping patterns took out the swirls and most of the scratchs (at least 3-4 passes to break down the abrasives and tried to use an estimated 20lb pressure). Often a second treatment was necessary to get the scratch marks out, perhaps because I didn't have a yellow pad to try (but no burn throughs either). The paint looked great with the orange paint without using the Finishing Glaze; however the glaze seems to add a bit more depth and the paint is slick.

I also used a 4" Excel orange (TSR 3.0) and white (FG) pads to polish certain areas on the car that were difficult to polish with the 6.5" CCS pads such as the rear hatchback, rails above the door along the roof rack, front bumper, etc. I dropped the speed to 4 with the orange pads with good success, although I noticed some residual scratchs on the rear hatchback after using the finishing glaze (bummer). The Excel orange pads worked fine, but seem to cut differently than the CCS pads probably due to my technique. They really came in handy and arrived as a last minute suggestion.

I think that I used too much product when removing swirls. I also taped edges and high spots which I ended up removing, as I was left with swirls in the high areas that I initially taped. I learned a lot about taping off with this project. The blue "delicate" painters tape at Home Depot was easier to use than standard blue 3M painter's tape. :doh:

I bought a 1000 watt halogen lamp set yesterday afternoon and found that I didnt get all the scratch marks out of the roof. It was late, I was tired and I couldn't see the remaining scratchs the other evening with 2 75W flood lamps plus the garage track lights. This afternoon, I pushed my semi-clean 6.5" orange pad into the garage door guides before going back over the roof. I was just not willing to use a dirty pad to clean up the roof (and my body hurt) and I can deal with it after trying the WF Sealant when it is time to reseal or wax.

I tried to remember to work clean so I wouldn't scratch my paint. Sometimes I swore that I put a fresh scratch in the paint with a MF towel, despite shaking them out and using fresh over time. I cleaned the pad between each 2'x2' section using both the terry towel and pad brush methods (thanks MikeP and others for posting the lessons and recos). The orange pad did load up with paint and TSR product pretty quickly. The pad brush really helped remove hardening and shiny white buildup when the towel couldn't get it completely clean. The XMI pad cleaner worked great when I didn't trust the the pad any longer.

I cleaned the pads several times during the process, so I used the equivalent of 3-4 6.5" orange cutting pads and 2 4" orange pads for a car the size of a 1999 BMW 528i Sports Wagon depending on how often you clean the pads. I was able to use one white 6.5" pad, plus the 1 Excel 4" pad for the WF FG. After cleaning the pads, I squeezed out water between a clean microfiber towel and spun the pad using the PC to speed up the drying process.

A good light to see defects will be very helpful if you are getting started and trying to see the swirls. I paid $39 for a 1000 watt Cooper halogen at ACE hardware, but I saw a $29 dual halogen worklight set at Home Depot if you're on a budget. The Cooper light seems to have a good design. The halogen lights also helped raise the temp in my garage while working. Anyone find a better light without buying something specialized like the Brinkman?

Dwayne at Autogeek recommended the WG products, and I also previously read so many of the forum's posts before ordering the PC and WG products. So far, so good. Once I get the Sealant on the car (and it stops raining in Los Angeles), I hope to take a few pictures. Sorry, no before and after pics as I was trying to beat the rain and lost.

Thanks Dwayne for the reco and Mike P for showing me how to use my new PCXP and the various products with your videos. Meghan, I am now officially off the please post list?

Good luck in your search for the best swirl remover. At least you know how the WG Twins worked on my white 1999 BMW when using the described technique.

[turbos17]

^ Holly hell that is a novel. Nice post!

[Kurt_s]

By the way, I put the Wolfgang Sealant on the car yesterday. The finish is stunning, which I primarily owe to the swirl removal and finishing glaze. This stuff went on so easily and just wiped off leaving a very slick finish. Now I know why I was told that I would love a good sealant over using carnuba. It doesn't quite have the wet glow of a carnuba, but it is does have a glow going on.

I thought that One Grand Blitz wax was easy on and easy off, after using various Meguires wax products over the years. I hope it stands up to the storms hitting California this week.

Here are some pictures before and after braving the SoCal storms. Yes, it rains in California!