Unable to find a combination that will remove swirls

[z51l9889]

I am in the process of doing the first detail on my wife's 2019 Mazda 3. The paint has a lot of swirl marks in it for a 9 month old car (thanks to the dealer) but I've seen and corrected much worse in the past. However, I have run into quite a bit of difficulty trying to correct this particular finish.

The paint was cleaned with iron remover and clayed prior to starting correction. I had to do several test spots on the hood before I found a combo that had any effect at all on the swirls. I typically use Adam's products and have had very good results with them up to now on cars with much worse damage. I tried their compound with several different pads but even the most aggressive pad I have (Lake Country Hybrid Force Grey Pad) gave little to no reduction in the swirls. I ended up trying an older bottle (3-4 years old) of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound I had left over with the Grey Lake Country pad on a Flex XC 3401 VRG and finally saw some improvement. I needed 6 passes per section with the speed between 4 and 5 to remove most of the swirls in the test spot. I did the hood and front fenders and got most of the swirls out but I did need to do several sections twice.

I started out today on another panel with the same technique but it now has almost no effect on the swirls. I have tried smaller sections, slower hand speeds, more pressure on the buffer, and higher buffer speed, but nothing seems to work. The weather is hot and humid (Central Florida), but it was the same yesterday when I did the hood and fenders.

I'm pretty much out of ideas as to how to proceed. Right now, I can think of 3 potential causes for my issues:

1) Expired product (my bottle of Ultimate Compound is at least 4 years old). I'm planning on buying a fresh bottle tomorrow and see if that helps.

2) The car has a paint sealant or coating that was not taken off by the iron remover. I have not applied anything previously, and to my knowledge the dealer did not either. The only possibility I can think of is a paint protectant from an automatic car wash that got applied without my knowledge.

3) This car was built with the hardest paint on the planet.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I really don't know what to try next.

Thanks in advance!

Todd

[Rsurfer]

Never heard that Mazda's have super hard paint. You need better abrasive technology like with Meg's 101, Menzerna 400, 3D compound and many others. BTW what color is your wife's car?

[z51l9889]

I didn't think Mazda's had hard paint either. Our older Mazda 3 corrected pretty easily and was in far worse shape.

Her car is Soul Red Crystal Metallic. It is a gorgeous color.

[Dr Oldz]

Are you sure you are not seeing Micro marring left behind from the compounds you used? Have you tried a finishing polish and softer pad?

I’m not one to usually say brand “x” has hard or soft paint but Mazda typically has medium to soft paint IME. Did you start your process by trying the least aggressive method first? The LC force Hybrid grey pads are very stiff and corse. Even if used on super hard paint they will neeed a follow up polish.

I believe what is happening is that you may be removing swirls while adding them right back giving the illusion that nothing is happening. Try over with a finishing polish and softer less aggressive pad. Then adjust from there.

[z51l9889]

I started my test spots with the least aggressive method (finishing polish and white pad) first. I then tried several different combinations (white/orange/grey foam and microfiber) with a mild compound in their own separate test spots before going to the grey pad and Meg's UC. That was the only combo that really took the swirls away. I do have micro marring in the areas where I could get rid of the swirls, but I was planning to polish anyway because of that.

I was very surprised that I needed a grey pad on this car.

I'll try again with the less aggressive pads and polish.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[WillSports3]

I would suggest that the issue isn't that its' not working but rather that Meg UC is too aggressive for what you are doing. I would actually suggest an orange pad with a less aggressive polish. Mazda paint is soft but it reacts well to an orange pad with a medium polish. My other suggestion, I use the mckees rinseless wash to spritz the pad once to prevent any dusting and help with any marring. That should finish down LSP ready. Also to be honest with the Flex, you gotta make suure you're not pressing down too hard.

[TTQ B4U]

I am in the process of doing the first detail on my wife's 2019 Mazda 3. The paint has a lot of swirl marks in it for a 9 month old car (thanks to the dealer) but I've seen and corrected much worse in the past. However, I have run into quite a bit of difficulty trying to correct this particular finish.

The paint was cleaned with iron remover and clayed prior to starting correction. I had to do several test spots on the hood before I found a combo that had any effect at all on the swirls. I typically use Adam's products and have had very good results with them up to now on cars with much worse damage. I tried their compound with several different pads but even the most aggressive pad I have (Lake Country Hybrid Force Grey Pad) gave little to no reduction in the swirls. I ended up trying an older bottle (3-4 years old) of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound I had left over with the Grey Lake Country pad on a Flex XC 3401 VRG and finally saw some improvement. I needed 6 passes per section with the speed between 4 and 5 to remove most of the swirls in the test spot. I did the hood and front fenders and got most of the swirls out but I did need to do several sections twice.

I started out today on another panel with the same technique but it now has almost no effect on the swirls. I have tried smaller sections, slower hand speeds, more pressure on the buffer, and higher buffer speed, but nothing seems to work. The weather is hot and humid (Central Florida), but it was the same yesterday when I did the hood and fenders.

I'm pretty much out of ideas as to how to proceed. Right now, I can think of 3 potential causes for my issues:

1) Expired product (my bottle of Ultimate Compound is at least 4 years old). I'm planning on buying a fresh bottle tomorrow and see if that helps.

2) The car has a paint sealant or coating that was not taken off by the iron remover. I have not applied anything previously, and to my knowledge the dealer did not either. The only possibility I can think of is a paint protectant from an automatic car wash that got applied without my knowledge.

3) This car was built with the hardest paint on the planet.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I really don't know what to try next.

Thanks in advance!

Todd

Mazda paint is medium but easy to correct. If you're using a Flex, I would go with a light cutting pad like the Orange HexLogic or Orange Hybrid Force. You won't need more than a polish. Compound with a Grey pad is way to much. I don't like their grey pads at all honestly. No need to dial down the speed either. Full speed, polish at 1" per second arm movement and you'll be done pretty easily.

Keep in mind newer Mazda paint is super thin too. Among the thinnest new cars I've ever measured and worked on.

[JTS]

Consider purchasing a rotary.

[WaxMaster1]

Central Florida is pretty big, but I'm near Leesburg. If you need a hand and are kinda close, I might be able to help. Message me if you're interested.

[z51l9889]

Central Florida is pretty big, but I'm near Leesburg. If you need a hand and are kinda close, I might be able to help. Message me if you're interested.

I'm on the coast (Rockledge), but Leesburg is close enough to be doable. I really appreciate the offer. I'm going to try some of the suggestions I've received so far and see what happens. If I continue to have issues, I may take you up on your offer.