As Matt has mentioned above, the problem with 95% of the swirl and defect products on the market is that they only temporarily (VERY temporarily in most cases) hide the swirls by filling them in, but they soon reappear. I have never used the Zaino products, but I have used every other thats virtually on the market. I have used many McGuires priducts, the 3M products, the Menzerna and Pinnacle lines etc. I have used all types of pads from the foam to the more aggressive ones and have yet to find one of them even used with the PC that will permanently remove the swirls. Some are better than others but the swirls will come back. Of course, not as bad as they were but in the direct sunlight they can be seen. Need less to say, I am super critical on my own car.
I really think the only way to really do the job is with a circular polisher. The orbital polishers while much better than hand are not aggressive enough to really remove the swirls and not just mask them.
If someone has a proven combination of product and pad that will REMOVE and not just mask swirls with an orbital (dual action) I'd like to know what it is.
Here is your proven combo.
Feel free to ask questions, but this covers all the bases. Proven for years and years...only 2 things get swirls and scratches out...Heat and an Abrasive.
1. Claybar your entire car, you can get claybars at any Auto Zone, Pep Boys, etc...the brand doesn't matter. USE PLENTY OF LUBRICANT! A large spray bottle with some Dawn dishwashing soap works great...Wait until you see the contaminants the claybar pulls off...and "renew" the claybar often, just stretch it, reshape it like Silly Putty...If you drop it on the ground...throw it away...it will pick up small dirt/rocks, and you will scratch your paint's finish.
2. Swirls and Scratches......The easiest way to get rid of them is with a PC 7424 Random Orbital......with the "velcro foam pad adapter. Do NOT use the pads that come with the PC...especially the wool one.
3. To remove fine scratches and swirls, you'll need 6" YELLOW FOAM PADS... from
www.topoftheline.com ...get about three of them. Also, you'll need a bottle of 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound. Put about a quarter sized amount of the 3M on the yellow pad, and at about 4000 rpms, work a 2 ft x 2ft area of your finish...(Tape up any crevices, like the black screens in the hood, this dust gets everywhere)...Keep the buffer moving, but go slow, and press hard enough to compress the YELLOW pad to half it's thickness...and when you think you are going slow enough, go slower...Heat (buffing pad) and abrasive (3M compound) are the only things that will remove swirls/scratches. BE CAREFULL AROUND ANY EDGES... AVOID EDGES...or sharp corners with your Buffer.
4. Once you have removed all of the swirls/scratches out of your clearcoat, you'll need the 6" BLACK FOAM PADS from
www.topoftheline.com ...Also, a bottle of 3M Perfect-It™ III Finishing Glaze...for either DARK cars or for LIGHT cars...they make both...Now do the same as you did with the compound, only at 6000 rpms, again, pressing just hard enough to compress the pad to half it's thickness, which won't be as hard as the yellow pad was. This takes the finest of flaws out, and smooths your clearcoat to near perfection.
5. That should have taken you most of a weekend...if you stayed at it...You cannot mess this up with the Porter Cable...trust me...you could stand on that buffer with the beforementioned foam pads and not hurt your clearcoat...You have three coats of clear from the factory...15 years worth, if you did this every winter...The results will amaze you
6. Now, all you need is to apply many coats of whatever polish/wax you prefer, and when I say many, I mean at least 20...You can use the Porter Cable and WHITE FOAM PADS from
www.topoftheline.com ...These are the softest pads available. Once you get a routine down, applying and removing one coat takes maybe 20 minutes.
7. I Use Zaino And Pinnacle Products. At least 7 coats of Zaino 1st. Then 3 coats of Pinnacle Wax over that....with a complete detailing spray of Pinnacle's Crystal Mist Carnuba spray in between EACH coat of wax/polish.
You can get the Pinnacle Spray from....
www.topoftheline.com or Pinnacle's website.
8. NEVER! Use anything but foam pads, or MicroFiber towels on your finish...The Viper's clearcoat is very soft, and scratches easy...As are the factory clearcoated rims.
9. Dusting...California Duster...Buy a new one every summer, use the old one on your wheels to remove the bulk of the brake dust. Next summer, same deal, buy a new one, old one goes to the wheels, the old old one goes either to the wifeys car or the trash...After each Dusting with the duster...spray Pinnacle and buff with a micro fiber towel. Do the rims too!!! Get a Large one for the Viper's Body, small ones for the rims. And a small one for the interior!
10. Now, you've got several coats of polish/wax and Pinnacle applied...Your Viper is looking pretty sweet...Take a brand new WHITE foam pad and at about 4000 rpms, go over the entire finish...yep...just a dry white finishing pad...Now do this after every Pinnacle application to really make your finish pop...
One other important point is the carefull washing of the rims and Viper. Use 2 pails...a wash/suds pail and a rinse pail. It makes no sense to re-apply dirt/grit from the suds pail. Most swirls are caused by a bad wash and dry job, and rim swirls are caused by applying too much pressure on them...pat them gently with lots of suds. Less is best, when it comes to pressure and washing/drying. Rinse the Viper and the rims off real well before you touch it with suds and a micro fiber towel. Do the side sills and rims last as they are a magnet for lots of dirt, and road tar, etc. Use Micro fiber towels to wash, dry, buff, and detail spray wiping.
Dave
