So i keep getting more and more swirls and its driving me crazy.
They dont appear from a wash(i do the 2 bucket method) and i am sure they are coming from my poor waxing abilities.
I do not wax in sunlight and i make sure my car is clean before i begin so i dont understand why i am getting such horrible swirls?
I have come too 2 conclusions... Could it be because i am using the meguairs pad and this is what is causing it? A freind told me to use some terry cloths from walmart... Does that sound good?
Or i am thinking that i just press down to hard when i am doing it. Could this be it?
From you experience guys help me out!
And now i want to remove these ugly swirls . I cannot afford a buffer ($100+).
So are there any chemicals from over the counter or from obsessive detail that would remove these swirls for me? If not what is another alternative?
They are just very light swirls only clearcoat deep but i want them gone!
Hard to tell Adam. I'd say its from washing personally. It could be your applicator pad is dirty. I wouldnt use terry cloth on my paint for any reason whatsoever. Not that i'm saying all terry cloth is bad, I just have so many m/f cloths I dont even consider it now. There are some nice terry cloths out there but they're kinda pricey. I've found my favorite wash mitt at Target. Its a nice soft and plush m/f mitt. I really like these.
You could be pressing down to hard. I think almost everyone is guilty of that.
You could try some Poorboys SSR1 by hand or Poliseal by hand. Meguiars scratchX is a pretty decent product. Good thing is you're wanting to get rid of them and not just cover them up. Cover them up and they'll come out and bear their ugly heads before you know it.
It will take you along time but work in small sections at a time with each of them. Work it in and take it off and see what you've got. A good set of halogen lights will help you see if what your doing is working. You can get a single halogen at Walmart for about $10.
Plan on taking a while to do this. It will be worth it in the end.
I believe Ryan used scratchx on his car with excellent results.
Team MF Member #420 Posts: 14532
Joined: 7/24/2003 Status: offline
Adam, cooter recommended a halogen light so you can see your work well...
With the halogens, you'll find yourself trying to work to perfection. LOL I can't tell you how many marks I was able to see with halogens on a Camry I did, I was driving myself crazy trying to get everything I saw with the halogens out.
I gave up and just finished the car, pulled it out into the sun and it took a good minute of leaning over trying to get the perfect angle in the sun to find the spots. Doing it by hand and turning on a halogen that'll show every imperfection will probably drive you insane and discourage you by the looks of your paint.
My Cobra originally looked fine in the sun, but doing the whole looking at the car in funny angles, you could find all kinds of ugly stuff. Once I turned on the halogens I was ready to get a gas can, dump it all over my car and set it on fire.
So my recommendations would be to get a light polish you can use by hand, some pads and an understanding that you won't get the finish you want unless you have about 72 hours of free time, but you will atleast improve what you can by hand.
I think you should pinch your pennies for a while and see if you can buy a PC. You can get one at a local Lowes or Home Depot and get the right pads from Justin@obsessivedetail.... I know you said you don't have the money, but seriously, the finish you'll acheive with a PC will require you to wear a drool cup everytime you look at your car. It'll look absolutely amazing.
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a few things to remember: the pad will become caked with wax and it will dry in the pad. this will make swirls if used.
you don't need to apply any pressure with the pad. thin, THIN coats. it may be in the towels you're using to remove the wax.
another thing about your car is the "new" paint. often when a car is repainted the clear will be "soft" in the new areas, thus making it easier to instill swirls.
Posts: 2415
Joined: 10/4/2004 From: Westville, IL Status: offline
Scratch X does work good but it does more filling than fixing. My Light Polish will work great by hand and it will correct, it doesn't have any fillers.
Dan, I'm not really sure. I think after a couple of washes, they'd start showing up agian, depending on your LSP.
One thing I think we might be over looking is drying the car. Its something I wonder about when drying my car. I'm bad about throwing my large mf towel on the hood and then pulling it. I need to start blotting the car dry. It might not be much but it all adds up to decreasing your chance in marring up your car.
Scratch X does work good but it does more filling than fixing. My Light Polish will work great by hand and it will correct, it doesn't have any fillers.
The center of my hood is black and is prone to scratches. I use the polish from Justin and it does work well. Smells like grapes too.
Hmm i think im just going to take it to a body shop today and see if they can buff my hood for me. Its just really bad on my hood and i dont know why....
I'm bad about throwing my large mf towel on the hood and then pulling it. I need to start blotting the car dry. It might not be much but it all adds up to decreasing your chance in marring up your car.
Same here. I've heard that it shouldn't be a problem if you're towel is clean though.
Posts: 301
Joined: 11/18/2005 From: Marietta, GA Status: offline
One thing you can do Adam to help you determine WHERE the swirls are coming from (washing or Waxing) Is to always wash 1 direction (say UP/DOWN) and wax on/off at 90 degrees to that... (SIDE->SIDE)
SO, if the swirls are say UP/DOWN then it's washing causing it and SIDE->SIDE IT's waxing causing it
ONCE you've found (if it's waxing)... THEN WAX ON = UP/DOWN WAX OFF = SIDE->SIDE
Gonna take some time to figure it out... GOOD LUCK!
dont use terry cloth because theyre way too coarse imo, i use microfiber towels ( best deal is you can get them at costco, 15 dollars for 30 of them.)
when you use anything that comes in contact with your paint make sure to check it for any particles like dirt, grass, or leaves. i also rip the tags off of the microfibers.
to dry i use a pva towel, (its like a rubbery towel) you can get them at any autozone they leave no scratches at all in my experience.
i wash with a microfiber sponge i got from lowes thats also nice since theres no chance of scratching really. as for waxing, you might wanna look at this "eagle 1" stuff that comes in a clear spray bottle, its a liquid not a paste. theres no hazing process and gives a really deep shine. . my friend uses it on his black car and it looks really nice, no swirls at all
also if you ever drop your sponge, drying towel, microfiber towels or applicators on the ground, throw them out right away.
sorry for any repeats of what someone else said
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I keep putting swirls on my paint! HELP - 
. I cannot afford a buffer ($100+). 
