Help with swirls on 2014 Prius

[Goldcaddy]

Hello fellow geekers I need your help and expertise.

Just got back into the detailing hobby after a long hiatus and upgraded from a 7424 to a Rupes Duetto. Car is a new 2014 Prius in classic metallic silver. Pulled out the LED lighting and saw swirls on the hood. Clayed the car with nanoskin fine grade and here's where the fun starts:

First did SF4000 with Rupes yellow pad (primed with Wolfgang pad conditioner and 4 dots of product on pad) Worked it in at 4 speed did about 4-6 passes. Better but still swirls.

Then PF2500 with green pad. Then PG1000 with green. PG1000 with blue. PG1000 with Rupes blue MF pad. Last resort was LC thin foam wool pad and PG1000 (heaviest compound I have).

After wool and PG1000 topped it with PF2500 then SF4000. Swirls are minimized but it's bothering the heck out of me that I can't eliminate them. Don't remember it being this difficult :confused:

Thanks again for any help or advise

[Ckundred]

Just curious, did you keep your 7424 and try to use that? I recently did two Prius', one with a 7424 and the other with a Rupes. I used Meguiars 105 and then 205. I got far better results with the 7424. I couldn't put much pressure on the Rupes and keep it spinning....I blame my technique not the machine, but it was frustrating. Just for fun I'm doing another with a 3401 this week...It is a 2012 in Silver with a few light swirls, my hope is to do a one step with the Menzerna 2500...

[Goldcaddy]

Used the 7424 to clay the car. Plan on applying the wax/sealant with it or terry cloth buff. Just might need to step up to the forced rotation of the 3401 to get the results I want.

Need to do the washer mod on the duetto to see if that'll help but I only worked on the hood which was fairly flat and the machine didn't struggle.

[ulrads1]

Like Ckundred said maybe try a different product such as the megs 105. I've never personally been able to remove all the swirls on my vehicle but I had really good results using a pc 7424 with megs microfiber pads.

[Ckundred]

All machines require good technique but I think it's especially true for the Rupes. Mine (Rupes 15) had the washer mod done, in fact never used one without. It's funny that I never noticed or realized how many lines or curves are on certain cars until I used that polisher. The Prius has a lot of slopes particularly on the hood and you have to be very conscious of keeping the pad flat to the surface. Even on what I thought were flat surfaces I'd notice the pad stop spinning. I was constantly slightly tilting it in different directions trying to get it to spin. Again, I don't blame the machine I blame my inexperience with it. But after doing a couple cars with it, it did make me wonder if I might not be better off with the forced rotation.

I'll be experimenting with the 3401 on a Prius later this week, I'll let you know how it works for me...Granted I'm no expert at all of this but I can give you my impressions after having used three different polishers on the same type car.

[Goldcaddy]

Keep me posted on the FLEX. Might just need to get one for heavier corrections.

The Rupes is a super smooth polisher...just need to figure it out.

[cleanmycorolla]

Toyota paint is super soft. Light polishes and light pads have been great on every Toyota I've ever done.

[Kamakaz1961]

Hello fellow geekers I need your help and expertise.

Just got back into the detailing hobby after a long hiatus and upgraded from a 7424 to a Rupes Duetto. Car is a new 2014 Prius in classic metallic silver. Pulled out the LED lighting and saw swirls on the hood. Clayed the car with nanoskin fine grade and here's where the fun starts:

First did SF4000 with Rupes yellow pad (primed with Wolfgang pad conditioner and 4 dots of product on pad) Worked it in at 4 speed did about 4-6 passes. Better but still swirls.

Then PF2500 with green pad. Then PG1000 with green. PG1000 with blue. PG1000 with Rupes blue MF pad. Last resort was LC thin foam wool pad and PG1000 (heaviest compound I have).

After wool and PG1000 topped it with PF2500 then SF4000. Swirls are minimized but it's bothering the heck out of me that I can't eliminate them. Don't remember it being this difficult :confused:

Thanks again for any help or advise


I am not too familiar with the Rupes or their Pad colors as I have a Flex 3401 and PC 7424XP. You mentioned you started with SF400 1st and then PF2500. I use Menzerna product and I know that PF2500 is more aggressive than SF4000. PF2500 is more of a correction compound and SF400 is more polishing.

I would use PF2500 with an Orange Pad (PC 7424 XP) and then the White Pad with SF4000. That should do the trick. Even better use Menzernas FG400 (Orange Pad). That works wonders and IMO the BEST correction compound out there. Try that and then SF4000 after

If you get a Flex 3401 VRG I know you will never have this problem. The Flex is a beast!