Got swirls? How to rid of em?

[sc_slite]

What's a good easy to apply polish to remove swirl marks on darker colored cars? I have a Carbon Black and 3M for instance has "swirl remover", "imperial hand glaze", "perfect-it swirl mark remover" etc. to name a few. Jeez! All i need is one that will really do the job. Any Carbon Black owners with success please testify. Thx.

[///Arman]

It all depends on the swirl marks, if they're very light you can use a regular swirl mark remover applied by hand, there are a number of products out there that will do the job.

But to *really*remove swirls marks, you have to use a orbital buffer and 3M swirl mark remover.

I found this link to be awesome for first timers using orbital buffers:

http://bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=93886

[C///M]

That's a thread on the movie Identity :dunno

[Rahul325]

hahaha, i think he meant to copy/paste this http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/detailing/forum.php?postid=1430487&page=1

later....

[LTrain]

Couple coats of Zaino, using their swirl remover.

Larry

[cS]

ive got swirl marks out my ass. black cars suck unless they are brand new. :(

[ClintonM3]

I use 3M SMR for dark cars on my Estoril M3. I use it with a orbital buffer and by hand as well. Seems I don't have much luck with it. Anyone tried 3M Rubbing Compound?

[GKGreen]

Try DACP from Megs. with a yellow compounding pad.

[Kyle K.]

Originally posted by fuuukaiai
ive got swirl marks out my ass. black cars suck unless they are brand new. :(

That's not true. Black cars suck unless they are brand new or have a detailing junkie for an owner. Greg and I both have black cars, do you hear us whining? NO!:rolleyes: :D

Just playin man. Black cars are a pain in the ass sometimes. ;)

And yeah, I use DACP with the yellow CMA pad like Greg recommended. It works quite nicely I must say.

[///Arman]

Originally posted by C///M
That's a thread on the movie Identity :dunno

Yea sorry, wrong thread.

Rahul325 posted the right URL, I'm going to use a orbital buffer on mine soon and I'll post results.

[GKGreen]

Kyle- I think we are a rare breed. Seriously, do you ever just dream about polishing because I do.

BTW: Post some pics of your black ride.

[Kyle K.]

Ok, I'm going to yank this thread way off topic. I'm a jerk, I know. Here's a couple of pics Greg.

This one was taken to show my poor roof after the hail storm, but it also shows the shinyness of it :cool: Poor roof :(

[Kyle K.]

And here's one I took after a quick waxing a few days ago.

The light isn't so great, but it was getting dark fast so I got what I could. I lost the battery charger for my digicam so these are both kinda old pics.

Oh, and yeah, I dream about detailing my car all the time. It's ridiculous. Sometimes I have nightmares too, like I'll be somewhere and walk outside and see egg all over my car, or I'm driving in the middle of nowhere and a bird craps on my car so I pull over and start freaking out because my bottle of QD is empty..... so yeah, you're not alone. :devillook :D

[GKGreen]

Nice, I'm diggin the Mini. Too bad about the hail- damn the weather.

[sc_slite]

Cool. Lots of good suggestions. Thanks all..:) It's time to do some detailing:buttrock

[IslandS62]

I could not get rid of my swirl marks by hand. IMO a GOOD random orbital like the Porter Cable is a MUST, Hand applications either hide the swirls temporarily or do nothing. Get a PC, and use 3M Finesse It II with a CMA yellow pad. Work it in and repeat until you get them all out and then follow up the FI II with 3M SMR Dark with a CMA white pad or Imperial Hand Glaze and Wax. Don't be surprised if it takes a few sessions to get them all out.

[Icecream ///Man]

The missing link is using an wool pad on an orbital with 3M SMR. Wool pad increases the bite, a cotton pad is useless with SMR. The difference in effectiveness with a wool pad is night & day. If swirls remain after you use a wool pad & SMR you need to use Perfect It II Rubbing Compound w/a wool pad then SMR with a different (clean) wool pad.

Use a wool pad & SMR you will be VERY happy with the results.

[Icecream ///Man]

By the way, it goes without saying that applying SMR by hand is a complete waste of time.

[Icecream ///Man]

Originally posted by GKGreen
Kyle- I think we are a rare breed. Seriously, do you ever just dream about polishing because I do.


TRUE.:orangesle

[IslandS62]

Whoa, do some research before you use a wool pad on black or any color. Wool is VERY aggressive and will create swirls in my experience. I think that foam pads are much safer to use. YMMV or course, just advising caution.

[Icecream ///Man]

Originally posted by IslandS52
Whoa, do some research before you use a wool pad on black or any color. Wool is VERY aggressive and will create swirls in my experience. I think that foam pads are much safer to use. YMMV or course, just advising caution.

That is not my experience, however it is an important point that you cannot easily add paint back on so you should use the least aggresive method which produces favorable results. Try the foam pad before you use the wool, if it works then wool is certainly unnecessary and will remove more paint than foam. Just be aware that you have very powerful tools at your disposal if necessary. You DEFINITELY can remove the swirl marks from your black finish even if it is not new, just be careful, methodical, and as always use the right tools for the job.

[GKGreen]

Wool is more useful for scratches and leveling than for swirls.

[ClintonM3]

So how many sessions with SMR does it usually take to rid swirls? I did 2 with terry cloth bonnets. Swirls are significantly less, but I think the rest could be spider webbing instead of swirls. I m thinking about using 3M medium cut rubbing compound, or stick with SMR but with wool pad. Any suggestions?

I know you guys also suggested yellow pads. But the automotive stores near me dont carry them and I dont like to buy things online, thats why i've been using terry cloth ones.

[Icecream ///Man]

Sears carries orbital buffers & accessories including pads. So does Wal-Mart. One way or another you need foam and wool pads. You will be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much happier with the results. By the way you need to remove all wax before you start buffing, wash with a dilluted degreaser like 20:1 Simple Green. To answer the how many times question it goes like this: Pick an panel with a lot of swirls (hood is usually a good candidate). Pick a 2' by 2' area. Keep in mind that you need enough SMR on the pad to keep it damp, not wet, but not dry. The SMR on the paint should stay damp as well so it can be easily removed. Obviously the panel should be cool to the touch to make this possible. Buff that area with light pressure using the foam pad & SMR for about 10 seconds, trying to make as clear an edge of buffing area as possible. Immediately wipe off tacky SMR with a clean terry cloth towel. Now look at the edge of the buffing area. Do you see a difference between the buffed & unbuffed sides of the edge? You will likely see less number of swirls rather than less intensity as swirls look similar but come in all different depths. I would continue to repeat this technique as many times as necessary for each 2x2 section. Take your time as this is a (somewhat) paint removing activity and if you do it correctly and maintain your paint afterwards it will be a long time (like a year or more) before you need to do it again. When you stop seeing scratches diminish then you have reached the point where the scratches left are deeper than SMR can handle. You can grab the Perfect It II rubbing compound and a different pad if you aren't satisfied or leave some extra paint on for the next time you buff. My car had some DEEP scratches as if the stupid previous owner had used a scouring pad on the car:eek: The Perfect It II on a wool pad removed 80% of them in about 30 sec before I was satisfied and getting nervous about removing too much paint.

Once you see the results you will be a paint freak too! Look at my bag of tricks.

[Icecream ///Man]

Note hood bling. BLING!

[///M3ryder NY]

Well, first and foremost fellas, 3M SMR will never get rid of your swirl marks. It will round off some edges, and make them less noticeable in certain light and from certain angles....and it will fill them in nicely with it's assortment of fillers and oils, but it will NEVER truely remove the swirl marks from ANY car....mine included. That said, 3M SMR with a PC and a yellow pad (not a wool pad, way too aggressive) is a fine treatment every few months, to maintain what would appear to be a swirl free finish.

But if you truely want to remove swirl marks from the paint, you need to step up in terms of aggressiveness of the product.... 3M FI-II Machine Polish will do the trick....as will Menzerna's 2 stage set of polishes....Intensive and Final, I believe they are called.

Swirl mark removal or swirl mark cover-up, whatever you wish to call it, is only really accomplished by use of a PC. Working with SMR by hand is just wasting good product, b/c the results are nowhere near what you can get with a PC.

[ClintonM3]

Thanks for the advice. I think I am going to step up the scale and get me some 3M rubbing compound medium cut or machine polish, any comparison on both?

I don't have a PC, but I do have a orbital buffer (waxmaster, didn't want to spend that much, but i guess I should have) what kind of bonnets should I use? Do they make yellow bonnets?

M3ryder, did you ever get those SSR GT3, let me know if you want to see them in person.

[///M3ryder NY]

Originally posted by ClintonM3
Thanks for the advice. I think I am going to step up the scale and get me some 3M rubbing compound medium cut or machine polish, any comparison on both?

I don't have a PC, but I do have a orbital buffer (waxmaster, didn't want to spend that much, but i guess I should have) what kind of bonnets should I use? Do they make yellow bonnets?

M3ryder, did you ever get those SSR GT3, let me know if you want to see them in person.

Clinton, be careful with a medium cut compound...I would first try FI-II, then if need be move to a fine cut compound. You always want to gradually move up the scale of aggressiveness. Jumping from SMR to Medium cut is too drastic, and eliminates lots of middle ground there!

I'm not familiar with what bonnets would fit on a waxmaster, but in general you want what is referred to as a "cutting pad". They're more abrasive and utilize a cutting action to break down imperfections in your clear coat. For serious imperfections, like scratches and the like, you can always use a wool pad, but be forewarned, a wool pad is as aggressive as you can get for the weekend detailer. If you're not familiar with their limits, they can do more harm than good.

I never did get the GT3s....still debating. Seeing them might help for sure. Not sure where/when is good for you. Shoot me a PM and we can discuss.

thx

[shragon]

about a month ago, i used 3M SMR with a new PC and CMA orange pad. it got out some swirls, but not all of them.

i'll have to give 3M FI-II a try.

i think what you got to do is just keep working to get rid of the swirls.

i know, black cars are a PITA and frustrating at times.