Scratches aren't being removed.....

[pcw25]

For some reason whenever I use my Porter Cable it'll remove scratches but not swirls. I use an orange pad with total swirl remover and the swirls are still there. Would the problem be my product, pad, technique, car paint, etc?

[TornadoRed]

It's more than likely marring from the pad. You need to do another step with a milder polish (Finishing Glaze if you want to stay in the Wolfgang family) and softer pad (white).

[James K]

Without more info, it is really hard to say. It could be to paint is extremely hard and you are not working it long enough. It could be marring from the pad/product combo on soft paint.

Do the swirls appear to be changing at all? Are they getting less noticeable? Are they just staying the same? How long are you working the product for? What technigue are you using to polish the paint? Have you tried following up with another pad and a lighter polish? What type of car is it and what color? Could you possibly post some 50/50 pics for us? Or some before and after?

etc etc etc

[V3AutoDetailing]

The more information about your method would help. It is hard to say why your still seeing swirls, Posting some pictures can also help anyone out in giving you some advice.

Could you of got any dirt on your pads, You might not be working the product long enough, What is the car, you may be working on some very soft paint. Or even hard and the combo is not strong enough.

[pcw25]

The car is a black Suzuki XL7 in good condition. The swirls are still exactly the same as when I started. And yes I do follow up with a finishing glaze with a white pad. I work the polish in for about 3-5 minutes. I apply the product to the pad and rub it around the paint. There really isn't anything else to clarify.

[Flash Gordon]

The car is a black Suzuki XL7 in good condition. The swirls are still exactly the same as when I started. And yes I do follow up with a finishing glaze with a white pad. I work the polish in for about 3-5 minutes. I apply the product to the pad and rub it around the paint. There really isn't anything else to clarify.

Try applying more force, and work in tighter areas

[TornadoRed]

What's your definition of a scratch and a swirl? To me, a scratch is deeper than a swirl, so i think it's odd that the scratches are being removed and the swirls aren't.

[James K]

There is a lot more to clarify actually. How big of a section are you working? What pattern do you follow in those sections? What is your arm speed? How many passes in each section do you do before you check your work? How many section passes do you make? What pressure are you applying? Is your backplate still rotating? Is it marked so you can tell it is rotating? Is the pad kept flat on the paint? Are you pricing the pad properly? How much product are you using? Do you clean the pad? Etc etc.

[Kurt_s]

Swirls should be much easier to remove than scratches. WG TSR is pretty nice before moving to a finish polish on its own, so I have a hard time thinking that TSR is the issue.

On black paint. Everything shows. Check your MF towels. I like edgeless towels for finish polish and wax removal. Make sure that the edges are soft and not hot wire cut.

I almost always use a white or blue pad to gloss polish after an orange pad for correction. Make sure the pad is clean. If the pad hits the ground, consider it dirty.

If you have left over polish on the paint or on a MF towel, it can look like swirls in the paint. Been there, done that. Try a good clean MF and detail spray like Megs Mirror Glaze to see if you have leftover polish on the paint. I found that I needed to use detail spray to remove residue from a Black Porsche last summer when it got really hot in the garage.

You can use either mineral spirts or IPA to remove any remaining polish residue before adding the LSP. Some prefer a prewax paint cleaner such as the Pinnacle. Others may prefer a glaze to clean and fill any remaining fine swirls before the wax.

I personally have used One Grand, Pinnacle, Four Star and Ultima prewax cleaners over the years. I have used Megs #7, One Grand Omega Glaze and the new CG glaze which I can't remember it's name off hand.

Let us know how you fare.