fine swirl scratches

[Vipers9500]

i have a black 95 rt and it has all kinds of swirls in the paint. i bought all the griots stuff and others, i just dont have the guts to do it because i hear good things and bad things about every product. anyone in the RI area that has experience with this stuff? i would love to attempt this with someone who has experience.

It seems daunting to think about removing scratches and swirl marks/holograms from dark color cars. Using the Porter Cable buffer is actually a very user friendly machine for the beginner or novice. For most surfaces, 85-90% correction is very attainable with this machine.

You can refer to my earlier thread in this forum titled "Refreshing a '94-RT/10." I have shown many how to use the Porter Cable buffer in the Dallas area over the years.

In addition to setting the machine dial at 5.5 to address these blemishes, your rate of movement across the paint surface will no faster than 1"/second. This combination of product and pads will level the clearcoat while eliminating the depth of the scratch. Moving any faster than this and you are just moving the product around the surface.

 

[Vipers9500]

If you don't really need to clay, don't do it.
MANY have added scratches to the paint incorrectly claying.

Using a clay bar may be an optional step but highly recommended to prepare the paint for surface restoration and last step protection products. If scratches and micro-marring are occurring during this process, it can be a series of different things happening:

Such as applying too much pressure without spraying enough clay lube. This will also happen if the clay bar is slid across a dry surface area. For most applications, a "mild" composition clay bar is adequate to remove surface contaminants.

Dirt particles in the clay bar. The bar should be examined regularly that larger particles are not coming into contact with surface area during use.

Trying to use the bar after dropping it on the ground. It will pick up everything it comes into contact with on the ground. It is just safer to discard that piece and start using a new one.

 

[Dan]

There are also different grades of clay bars. Buy a gentle one and you shouldnt get marring. It also depends on the car you're working on. A car with a soft clear will marr easier then a car with a hard clear.

If you DONT clay the car and it needs it, then when you polish you will just be grinding that dirt into the paint. It can also make the polish act funny.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

I use Zaino products. You can try this.

Z-5 PRO Show Car Polish for Swirl Marks and Fine Scratches: Zaino Store

Thanks, I just ordered the Z 5 and hope it works as they say. Never was too impressed with their regular polish.

 

[Burntrubber]

I just did my 96 GTS with Turtle Wax Liquid CLay Bar ICE and Meguiars NXT wax.

Washed car, washed car, liquid clay bar, washed car, quick wipe down w/ microfiber, NXT wax. Tha wzx doesn't seem thick but has a very good shine to it. The rear end of the car looks rand new and covered up alot of the little rock chips in the front. It rained today so I couldn't get the car out ofor pics but I am happy. In arpil I am going to put on a heavier wax. the liquid clay can get on the trim and it has no effect.

 

[GBS]

If you want to remove swirls and light scratches you need to polish your paint with a polisher, cutting pad and polish. The type of cutting pad and polish required depends on how pad the swirls are. I usually do a test spot to find the right combination of pad and polish. There are good brands on the market. Also there are rotary and random orbital polishers. If you don't have experience with a rotary I would use a random orbital polisher.

 

[01 RT SNAKE]

I'm also a Menzerna user. I did my car this past week and it looks outstanding.

1. Washed the car with original Dawn
2. Clayed the car (those that say claying scratches the paint??? Maybe if you're picking up big chunks of something not clear coat friendly? Never had a problem with that. Keep kneeding it over and over making sure you're going over the paint with a clean portion of clay. I use Griot's paint clay.
3. Menzerna power gloss compound with the yellow pad.
4. Menzerna intensive polish with the orange pad.
5. Menzerna Final Polish II with the white pad.
6. Menzerna Glaze with the black pad.
7. Griot's Best of Show Wax with the red pad.

This is all done with a Porter Cable.

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Mike
2001 RT/10

 

[Canyon707]

BLACK--that's what we get... ...price one pays for having BLACK once again~LOL~and yeah, we keep ours cleaned up, but swirl marks? They are there...tried everything to get them out, they are THERE!! The way it goes for having BLACK...only WE notice tho, most car people do not. ~juli

Hey Juli, I took some risk here last week and went after my fine scratches and swirls and everyone of them is GONE. Took my time over a day just to do the hood but, its perfect. I was deciding to paint it if I failed with my learning experience. First I had purchased a porter cable 7424 then I bought some foam pads Lake county and Meguires foam pads. I then purchased some Pinacle swirl remover kit. I thought there support was fairly poor in comparsion to Meguires support. I actually started out with a clean surface and lots of overhead lighting ligts reflecting on the hood showed it all every shiny swirl and light scratches. First I used a Lake County Light cutting pad with Mequires light cutting #2. This was a little bit agressive but cut nicely but no shine and still some swirls and scratches. The finish was rather dull. ( I was freaking out) After a discussion with Meguires they had said that I was a bit agressive with that pad and to change the cutting material to M80 which is ever more agressive but to use only a polishing pad. So I went and ordered some of this and then started in on this process thinking now I had nothing to lose. To make this long story short I worked it a section at a time and to my amazement the shine was beautiful and the swirls and scratches were gone 100% Amazing how many were there. The more you looked the more you found. It looks better now even with no wax then before with wax. I still had some minor scratches and again called back to Meguires and was told just to go over it again. I did and I honestly can't beieive that it came out as good as it did.Going to try some different waxes on it today and decide which I like best. I have Pinacle, Zomol, and Meguires nx going to go side by side and have a good look. My girlfriend never looked so good, felt so good, and never said ouch from the polisher. any questions? Just ask.
Chris
04 Vert
[email protected]

 

[Canyon707]

Hey Juli, I took some risk here last week and went after my fine scratches and swirls and everyone of them is GONE. Took my time over a day just to do the hood but, its perfect. I was deciding to paint it if I failed with my learning experience. First I had purchased a porter cable 7424 then I bought some foam pads Lake county and Meguires foam pads. I then purchased some Pinacle swirl remover kit. I thought there support was fairly poor in comparsion to Meguires support. I actually started out with a clean surface and lots of overhead lighting ligts reflecting on the hood showed it all every shiny swirl and light scratches. First I used a Lake County Light cutting pad with Mequires light cutting #2. This was a little bit agressive but cut nicely but no shine and still some swirls and scratches. The finish was rather dull. ( I was freaking out) After a discussion with Meguires they had said that I was a bit agressive with that pad and to change the cutting material to M80 which is ever more agressive but to use only a polishing pad. So I went and ordered some of this and then started in on this process thinking now I had nothing to lose. To make this long story short I worked it a section at a time and to my amazement the shine was beautiful and the swirls and scratches were gone 100% Amazing how many were there. The more you looked the more you found. It looks better now even with no wax then before with wax. I still had some minor scratches and again called back to Meguires and was told just to go over it again. I did and I honestly can't beieive that it came out as good as it did.Going to try some different waxes on it today and decide which I like best. I have Pinacle, Zomol, and Meguires nx going to go side by side and have a good look. My girlfriend never looked so good, felt so good, and never said ouch from the polisher. any questions? Just ask.
Chris
04 Vert
[email protected]

Well I finally finished this project.Waxed and it never looked so good. Swirls, scratches, under halogen light ...GONE. this took days to do but, being a non professional finsh guy I took my time one scratch at a time.

 

[mike & juli]

Well I finally finished this project.Waxed and it never looked so good. Swirls, scratches, under halogen light ...GONE. this took days to do but, being a non professional finsh guy I took my time one scratch at a time.

Wowwww...that's a lot of work, Chris!!! GOOD for you, glad it all worked out well. VERY funny about the 'girlfriend' never saying 'ouch'...lol!!! You are SO appreciated here!!!
Your humor and your descriptions...priceless!! ~juli

 

[Canyon707]

It was a lot of work but, so worth it.
Even the Calif Hy Patrol that stopped me said it looked good. He could have given me a ticket but let me off. That was Saturday So Sunday I obeyed every law. I didn't pass, never drove over 55 ( payback) He was pretty cool he could have really had his way with me. I never realized that the radar if also forward looking. He was coming at me at 55 and still could check my speed. He whipped around and caught me. Told me I was doing 82 I told him I was just passing a car and he then told me not to argue so I didn't (wise move) He told me that 55 is the limit and not to go over it. I said Ok and that I was a safe driver and I understand his position. He then told me about an accident with a Z06 where the guy flipped and was thrown from the car and killed. What could I say..... I told him I would be careful shook his hand and he left...

 

[mike & juli]

Yeah, good thinking...what CAN one say to a cop when they tell you about someone who has died in a car wreck? You agree that you'll slow down! GOOD job on your car!!! ~juli

 

[jojogts]

Use 3m 3 stage swirl remover best results with a variable speed buffer, it will work!!!