PCXP, any tips/tricks for removing heavy oxidation/swirls?

**Big Turkey** · 02-22-2010, 01:48 AM

I have done a few customer cars that seem to have an area of heavy swirls, or just slashes across the entire car and sometimes I have to really just sit there and work in one small area at a time to get them out. I eventually get them out, but I feel that I am being inefficient. There has to be a faster way! Anyone have any tips or tricks to do heavy correction with the XP? Or do I just have to just bite the bullet and get a Flex?

Mike Phillips · 02-22-2010, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Big Turkey

PCXP, any tips/tricks for removing heavy oxidation/swirls?

Just to double check, while modern clear coat will oxidize, more often than not when I see a thread talking about oxidation as it relates to a clear coats it in act ends up being clear coat failure.

Clear coats swirl easily and the swirls are easy for your eyes to see.
Single stage paint oxidize easily AND swirl easily but it's the oxidation that catches your eyes.

So when you talk about removing heavy oxidation could this be clear coat failure? If so, you can't remove it the affected areas need to be re-painted.

See these articles,

The Clearcoat Failure Photo Gallery Archive

Clearcoat Failure - This cannot be fixed by buffing

The practical differences between single stage paints and a clear coat paints

Clear Coat Paints
The problems with clear coat paints is swirls and scratches as they oxidize very slowly. Clear coat paints will oxidize but in the real world the noticeable problem will be swirls and scratches. When you work on your own car or a customer's car your primary goal will be to remove swirls.

Swirls Before

After removing swirls

Single Stage Paints
Single stage paints are susceptible to oxidation and in most cases, oxidation is easy to fix and makes for very dramatic before and after pictures...

Oxidation Before

After removing oxidation

**Big Turkey** · 02-22-2010, 01:36 PM

Mike, thank you for the response you are always so helpful and I learned alot in that thread. It's funny cause I read it once before but it didn't register with me until just now LOL.

Then I must have been mistaken, what I was seeing yesterday when I was doing a 2004 Lexus, were many dark blotches throughout the hood, making it look dull. At first I thought it was holograms but I put a light to it and could not find any defects. I could only see the mild blotches in an overcast and I have to be really looking for them. Any ideas?

Mike Phillips · 02-22-2010, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by Big Turkey

Then I must have been mistaken, what I was seeing yesterday when I was doing a 2004 Lexus, were many dark blotches throughout the hood, making it look dull. At first I thought it was holograms but I put a light to it and could not find any defects. I could only see the mild blotches in an overcast and I have to be really looking for them. Any ideas?

Blotches, or blotchiness or dark and light patches or streaks, these are all words people use to describe excess residue still on the paint.

Recently we had a forum members join and use some of these words to describe swirls so sometimes it's hard to help diagnose a problem is were using words to describe different problems.

LOL

If it is in fact too much wax on the surface or polishing oils then give the surface a gentle wipe with a quick detailer and see if that removes the blotchiness.