Still have swirls/water spots...help!

[stealth]

Hey all,
Today I spent 5 hours detailing my car. I still however, have swirls and water spots... whats up?? I washed, clayed, used XMT 3 with LC orange, then XMT 2 with LC white, and finished with Wolfgang DGPS on LC grey. I thought all of this would take out my paint issues no prob.... but I guess not. I drive a black mazda 3, only about 8 months old. Is there any pad/polish combo that you guys think would work better? I've heard may good things about poorboys and optimum, would those produce better results?? Thanks for your help.

[Harv]

If you aren't getting the results you want then move up to something more aggressive. Perhaps try the yellow pad with the same compound? The orange pad isn't particularly aggressive, at least not when used with a PC. If that doesn't do it then move up to the XMT-4 compound.

[trhland]

make sure your working in the polish for at least 5 minutes! very inportant.

[THENIZZZEIL]

make sure your working in the polish for at least 5 minutes! very inportant.

I've detailed many cars, and black is just a hard color to maintain. I will say that alot of people really don't work in the polish as long as they should. THe more aggressive the ssr (like SSR3) the longer you want to work it in. 3 - 5 minutes is optimal. Keep the pad moving though. You dont want to add more problems.

[A1monky]

The same thing happen to me on my EVO the first time I polished it. I was pissed it didnt work. I found out I was not applying enough pressure, and I was moving too fast. Your problem might be diffrent. I started detailing other vehicles before I took a crack at my own car again. The experience I gained was priceless. Step away from your own car, and go detail every car you can get your hands on. Once you are alittle more secure, you will get those swirls out easy.:D
Dont get frustrated, you will beat the swirls!

[pirex]

Pressure, move slow back and forward, up and down and take your time!

[Nica]

Just wondering what machine are you using? PC or rotary? I'm assuming PC but there isn't much more I can add for advise as everyone one that has posted has given good advise, just take your time and it will work out for you.

Post pictures of the resutls once you give it another go, I'd be very interested to see how you make out.

[pricha00]

I am having the same issue with my black 06 Rav4. Just started polishing it last night with my new UDM and some Optimum compound and polish. It did a great job after a few passes on my rear bumper cover that had a lot of scratches due to items like strollers being dragged in and out of the back. The rest looked pretty good in the shade of the gargage but once out in direct sunlight the swirls returned to the majority of the vehicle. Maybe I should have ordered the yellow CCS pad but I thought the orange would be plenty with a compound. How do I know how long to work the polish? Is 5 or 6 an okay speed on the UDM or am I going to fast? Also much of my vehicle is not flat, how do I polsh areas like the rear hatch? Can I just go over the emblems to get to the paint in the centre or should I just ignore that area altogther? Here are a couple of pics of my rear bumper cover.

BEFORE
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x6/pricha00/rav-scratch1.jpg

AFTER
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x6/pricha00/rav-scratch2.jpg

[Truls]

Some pressure, but not so much that it stops spinning right, move slow, and remember if the scratch is so deep that you can feel it with you nails you cant remove it.

Use good lights when detailing, and make sure you get the right combo by trying it on a test spot on the car first, work as said above for ca 5 min and then inspect the spot, not good? try it again, still not good? try a compound with more cut. Not any fun detailing the whole car, taking it out in the sun the day after, and see that it didnt remove all of the swirls.

Tip:
use feks painters tape on a area, then test the comb, remove the tape a see how much swirls you removed, gives you a pretty good ide what suits you paint best

[SweetJazz]

I feel your pain. I think all of us have gone through this at one time or another. Without pictures of what you have it's nearly impossible to tell what situation you are dealing with.

You probably did not perform a "Test Spot". If not, I can not stress the importance of performing a test spot before continuing with the entire car. If the test spot is not the way you like it then STOP and reevaluate your product and technique choices. Always start with the least abrasive product and go from there. Once your test spot is the way you like it then apply the product/technique to the rest of the car. This will make your polishing experience fun instead of a waste of your time.

Pinnacle makes excellent products so I would not worry about another Mfg. I would take a look at your technique and detaining "game plan" first. Just because a product says swirl remover does not mean it will remove your swirls.

Post some pictures of what your paint looks like now and list your plan of attack. There are plenty of pros on this forum to help you.

[antennahead]

If you aren't getting the results you want then move up to something more aggressive. Perhaps try the yellow pad with the same compound? The orange pad isn't particularly aggressive, at least not when used with a PC. If that doesn't do it then move up to the XMT-4 compound.

Stealth, I have the same issue as you. My '06 350Z apparantly sat outside on the lot and has severe acid rain/water spot etchings in the clearcoat. The orange pad and XMT # 3 with the Porter cable did not remove them. I just ordered a yellow cut CCS pad and the XMT # 4. I was advised by the Autogeek rep to try the # 4 with a white pad first, as #4 is quite abrasive. Also to try the # 3 again, this time with the yellow pad..... to do this first before stepping up to the # 4. So I am going to yellow and #3, and if that doesn't remove them, go to white and #4. If that doesn't work, then I guess it will be #4 and progressively harder pads after the white....... orange and yellow.

John