I cause swirls when polishing with DA, what am I doing wrong?

[Haloruler64]

Hey guys, new here. And very very frustrated!

I have a 2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder, various parts of it had been professionally repainted over the years so the paint is in quite good condition. Nonetheless, I decided to detail it fully. I bought a Porter Cable 7424XP, Meguiar's pads (2x foam polishing, 2x foam finishing, both 6") Meguiar's Ultimate Compound/Polish/Finishing Polish, clay, wax, and all the good bits. Also a Chemical Guys 6" backing plate and CG microfiber towels. I figured it would be plenty for a noobie.

I watched a lot of videos and did a ton of research before starting this, as I do with all my projects. I washed the car and fully clayed it by hand, it felt like glass. And before polishing each panel, I'd wash it individually to prevent any dirt on there. So when polishing, I used a fresh clean foam pad, prepped it (covered in polish entirely), then used Ultimate Polish on the paint. I did small areas on speed 5 with little pressure. Did overlapping passes, usually around 6, then wiped off the polish with a clean microfiber towel. This is the result.



Now, I really don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've tried different speeds, I've tried different levels of pressure (letting the weight of the polisher do the work, and putting moderate pressure), I go slow but not too slow (same speed as the videos by AutoGeek), same passes. I just don't get what's going wrong.

First question, is my Porter Cable DA defective? Is this noise normal? Videos don't really show as much gear noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzKjrjmevsQ

It also has the included pad and and the backing plate both wobble when spun. It likes to "walk" around the paint, my neighbor's 7424 doesn't do this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYghI0p3WjU

Second, how do you guys recommend wiping off the Ultimate Polish? When it's dry, or when it's still wet? Just wipe off with a clean microfiber towel?

Third, is polishing in the sun really a big deal? Yes, I polished in sunlight. I have no choice, my garage is barely wide enough to walk by the car on one side, not wide enough to walk around both without sliding by sideways. I can't even polish one side no matter how I park. Could direct sunlight cause such defects?

Considering the amount of time and money I've invested so far, I'm frustrated. I'm the kind of guy that picks anything up and just gets it immediately, so it's extra frustrating that I suck at this! Hope you guys can offer some advice. Feel free to laugh at me if I'm making some stupid mistake!

[Don M]

#1 Yes the PC IS that noisy and it's normal

#2 If you think that wiping the UP off dry could be causing swirls, *I* use Megs Gold Class Quik Detailer and MIST the area with the dried polish and remove it that way.

#3 Yes. The sun will cause polishes and compounds to dry too quickly and cause you to 'dry buff' which isn't a good thing, it causes swirls and such. I recommend doing smaller areas so the polish doesn't completely dry out while you're using it AND using the QD to help remove the polish.


Could you possibly park under a tree? My wife has our? garage filled with HER stuff, so I have to do the 'shade tree' routine.

[2011 Kona Blue]

Hey guys, new here. And very very frustrated!

I have a 2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder, various parts of it had been professionally repainted over the years so the paint is in quite good condition. Nonetheless, I decided to detail it fully. I bought a Porter Cable 7424XP, Meguiar's pads (2x foam polishing, 2x foam finishing, both 6") Meguiar's Ultimate Compound/Polish/Finishing Polish, clay, wax, and all the good bits. Also a Chemical Guys 6" backing plate and CG microfiber towels. I figured it would be plenty for a noobie.

I watched a lot of videos and did a ton of research before starting this, as I do with all my projects. I washed the car and fully clayed it by hand, it felt like glass. And before polishing each panel, I'd wash it individually to prevent any dirt on there. So when polishing, I used a fresh clean foam pad, prepped it (covered in polish entirely), then used Ultimate Polish on the paint. I did small areas on speed 5 with little pressure. Did overlapping passes, usually around 6, then wiped off the polish with a clean microfiber towel. This is the result.



Now, I really don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've tried different speeds, I've tried different levels of pressure (letting the weight of the polisher do the work, and putting moderate pressure), I go slow but not too slow (same speed as the videos by AutoGeek), same passes. I just don't get what's going wrong.

First question, is my Porter Cable DA defective? Is this noise normal? Videos don't really show as much gear noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzKjrjmevsQ

It also has the included pad and and the backing plate both wobble when spun. It likes to "walk" around the paint, my neighbor's 7424 doesn't do this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYghI0p3WjU

Second, how do you guys recommend wiping off the Ultimate Polish? When it's dry, or when it's still wet? Just wipe off with a clean microfiber towel?

Third, is polishing in the sun really a big deal? Yes, I polished in sunlight. I have no choice, my garage is barely wide enough to walk by the car on one side, not wide enough to walk around both without sliding by sideways. I can't even polish one side no matter how I park. Could direct sunlight cause such defects?

Considering the amount of time and money I've invested so far, I'm frustrated. I'm the kind of guy that picks anything up and just gets it immediately, so it's extra frustrating that I suck at this! Hope you guys can offer some advice. Feel free to laugh at me if I'm making some stupid mistake!

Maybe its the pads! I only been using Lake County brand pads. I have been using Ultimate compound for years now and never had a swirl marks put in.

[GSKR]

That's caused by something you are drying the car with , nothing to do with your polishing method.check your microfiber cloths something is marring the finish as you are wiping.

[Don M]

That's caused by something you are drying the car with , nothing to do with your polishing method.check your microfiber cloths something is marring the finish as you are wiping.

He's right, if it was your buffing practices, there would be little "Curly-Qs" all over the area.

[GSKR]

When wiping off the polish there should be very little residual left.polishing in the sun is always not recommend but I do it everyday.sometimg is marring the finish as you are wiping.what kind of micros do you have how muc pressure is applied when wiping.Did you wash the micro before working on car.

[TTQ B4U]

Agree on the micro cloths. When I picked my Audi the first thing I noticed is that the clear was VERY Suseptable to marring from the cheap Autozone'ish microfiber rags in a bag. Upgrade them and I bet you'll be fine. Practice blotting technique when drying, use a lube like a drying aid or Rinseless solution and upgrade your drying towels too.

Sounds crazy anal retentive but that is where I bet your issues are from.

[Eldorado2k]

Wipe off the Ultimate Polish immediately after you're done buffing the section, yes with a plain clean microfiber towel, turning to a clean side for the final wipe. Don't allow it to dry on the paint.
On your day off, @6-7am there's no sun.
There's a possibility that the paint on that car is scratch sensitive to a buffer.. That seems to be the case when it comes to my 2014 Kia, can't put a buffer with finishing polish on it without instilling a bunch of swirls.. Go figure.

[Eldorado2k]

...I'm pretty sure he's specifically referring to scratches that are on the paint after polishing and wiping the polish off. Not from washing & drying.

[Mike Phillips]

IF the pads or compounds or polishes are causing the problem you would see micro-marring. I doubt this is the problem.

It's vitally important to clean your pads often, I have an article or two on this topic.

I didn't watch the video yet but are you perhaps seeing RIDS after removing all the shallow swirls and scratches?