2016 VW GTI tornado red

[Pjstockford]

I seriously don't have time to search through a bizillion threads to find what I need. Will you please help?

I have a new car, mentioned in the title, with dealer/delivery swirls that I would like to get rid of. I am an amateur detailer, just doing my own vehicles and an occasional friend's vehicle. I don't have enough confidence to venture out much further than that. I have a Flex XC3401.

I would like to purchase product and pads to use to get the job done. I have Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and Lake & Country beveled edge pads and CCS pads of various densities. Will these work without having to purchase new?

I get so frustrated trying to get the results I want and falling short. It's tough when I don't have time to mess with my toys and learn.

Thanks!

 

[lawrenceSA]

Its going to be next to impossible for anyone to say categorically that polish x run on pad y with machine speed z is going to solve your problem...there are just too many variables at play, not least of which is how deep the below surface defects on YOUR specific paint run...

The best advice I can give you is to perform a test spot with your least aggressive combo and see if it removes sufficient defects - if so, you can stop correcting the paint and move on to the protection step. If there are still below surface defects you want to remove, perform another test spot (not on top of the previous one) with a slightly more aggressive combo.

Keep stepping up the aggressiveness until you are removing enough of the defects (to your satisfaction). The more aggressive your initial step is, the more likely you will need to then follow the first cut up with a 2nd round of polishing, using a very gently combo [essentially to remove any hazing from the first step) to restore clarity to the paint.

I've corrected a lot of VW paint and its generally on the harder side so will require a fairly aggressive combo if there are significant swirls.

Its a massive generalization to say this but mostly my combos are...

Very fine swirls - Menzerna SF4000/white or black pad
Medium swirls - Menzerna PF2300 / white or orange pad
A lot of swirls - Menzerna FG400 / orange or foamed wool pad
Very bad swirls - Menzerna SHC300 / foamed wool pad

Hope this helps

 

[TTQ B4U]

Congrats on the new/newer car. The challenge here sounds like it's going to be to have patience and find the time. Time is easier as you can always just do the car in stages. No need to feel you have to tackle the whole thing at once. I take it you have a heated garage or area to work in?

VW/Audi have very hard clears to cut through and without seeing your car or pics of how the swirls are, it's difficult to say exactly what to do except begin with the least aggressive pad/product combo. That said I will say it won't do any harm to hit it with more aggressive products and just go lighter on the cut. Things should go quite well and fast given you have a great machine in the 3401. I just corrected a fellow S4 owners car and found it was quite easy with the right stuff.

WG TS Remover is good stuff from what I hear. I would combine that with an orange pad and a good 4-6 passes and see what results. From there I'd polish it up with a high quality polish of which there are many to choose. Menzerna, HD, Meg's, Sonnex, Car Pro, etc. What do you have in the way of polishes? How about Last Step Products (LSP's)? Are you looking to wax, seal or coat the vehicle? Personally, given your entry into the hobby, I'd suggest Wolf Gang's coating or McKee's 37 or even Pinnacle's coatings. All are super easy to use and excellent products. I did my Audi with Essence as the base and McKee's coating. I did the same microfiber compound and essence polish on the S4 I just corrected and what I use a lot overall.

Hope the above helps.

 

[Desertnate]

Its going to be next to impossible for anyone to say categorically that polish x run on pad y with machine speed z is going to solve your problem...there are just too many variables at play, not least of which is how deep the below surface defects on YOUR specific paint run...

The best advice I can give you is to perform a test spot with your least aggressive combo and see if it removes sufficient defects - if so, you can stop correcting the paint and move on to the protection step. If there are still below surface defects you want to remove, perform another test spot (not on top of the previous one) with a slightly more aggressive combo.

Keep stepping up the aggressiveness until you are removing enough of the defects (to your satisfaction). The more aggressive your initial step is, the more likely you will need to then follow the first cut up with a 2nd round of polishing, using a very gently combo [essentially to remove any hazing from the first step) to restore clarity to the paint.

I've corrected a lot of VW paint and its generally on the harder side so will require a fairly aggressive combo if there are significant swirls.

Its a massive generalization to say this but mostly my combos are...

Very fine swirls - Menzerna SF4000/white or black pad
Medium swirls - Menzerna PF2300 / white or orange pad
A lot of swirls - Menzerna FG400 / orange or foamed wool pad
Very bad swirls - Menzerna SHC300 / foamed wool pad

Hope this helps

Great advice and matches my experience. My GTI is black, but I go a similar path as Lawrence describes here.

I've never let my car get really swirled out, and the dealership damage wasn't that bad when I took delivery three years ago. Instead of using Menzerna, I'm using the Blackfire SRC "duo". SRC Polish is very similar in cut/performance to 4000 (or is it 3500 these days?) and SRC Compound, which is a very mild compound, is probably only a little more aggressive than 2300.

In addition to the combinations Lawrence mentions, Dave at Lake Country has also recommended the Blackfire SRC polish on a orange flat pad. I found using the polish on an orange pad to perform almost the same as the more aggressive compound/swirl remover on a white pad. Both finished out the same, but I found the more aggressive combination did the work with fewer passes.

 

[KirkH]

Your last paragraph gives me pause. Time and patience are required in this game. In your case, there's no big rush it sounds like. Its your car, not a customer's.

Start with a section on your trunk lid and proceed carefully and conservatively.

Check the Autogeek polish comparison chart and start with something in the 2 range. Try a white pad first. If you dont get the results you want, add a little pressure. If you still dont get it, add a couple more passes. If not good enough, move to orange pad. Then maybe step up your polish to 4-5 range if still not good enough. Keep track of your pad, pressure, polish with notes or pictures. Once you find the right combination, you're rolling!


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[JKDesign]

To the OP, everyone who has chimed in has given excellent advice and feedback based on your post. Do a couple test spots to figure out what gives you the best results with the products/tools you already have and then use those results to complete the vehicle a section at a time starting from top to bottom. If you need some immediate help/advice along the way don't hesitate to reach out, I am fairly close to your area.

 

[Pjstockford]

Congrats on the new/newer car. The challenge here sounds like it's going to be to have patience and find the time. Time is easier as you can always just do the car in stages. No need to feel you have to tackle the whole thing at once. I take it you have a heated garage or area to work in?

VW/Audi have very hard clears to cut through and without seeing your car or pics of how the swirls are, it's difficult to say exactly what to do except begin with the least aggressive pad/product combo. That said I will say it won't do any harm to hit it with more aggressive products and just go lighter on the cut. Things should go quite well and fast given you have a great machine in the 3401. I just corrected a fellow S4 owners car and found it was quite easy with the right stuff.

WG TS Remover is good stuff from what I hear. I would combine that with an orange pad and a good 4-6 passes and see what results. From there I'd polish it up with a high quality polish of which there are many to choose. Menzerna, HD, Meg's, Sonnex, Car Pro, etc. What do you have in the way of polishes? How about Last Step Products (LSP's)? Are you looking to wax, seal or coat the vehicle? Personally, given your entry into the hobby, I'd suggest Wolf Gang's coating or McKee's 37 or even Pinnacle's coatings. All are super easy to use and excellent products. I did my Audi with Essence as the base and McKee's coating. I did the same microfiber compound and essence polish on the S4 I just corrected and what I use a lot overall.

Hope the above helps.

I have Klasse sealer I was going to use to get through the winter. Thoughts?

 

[Pjstockford]

To the OP, everyone who has chimed in has given excellent advice and feedback based on your post. Do a couple test spots to figure out what gives you the best results with the products/tools you already have and then use those results to complete the vehicle a section at a time starting from top to bottom. If you need some immediate help/advice along the way don't hesitate to reach out, I am fairly close to your area.

Portland! Great. I'm down there tomorrow getting the windows tinted at Sun Stoppers.

 

[Desertnate]

I have Klasse sealer I was going to use to get through the winter. Thoughts?

Is it the Klasse AIO or the Klasse Sealant Glaze? The AIO may not last very long. I've honestly only used AIO as surface prep for the SG. SG on the other hand should easily last 5~6 months depending on how well it was applied and your climate.

 

[Pjstockford]

This is over the entire car. I think I've got my work cut out for me.


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[Pjstockford]

Is it the Klasse AIO or the Klasse Sealant Glaze? The AIO may not last very long. I've honestly only used AIO as surface prep for the SG. SG on the other hand should easily last 5~6 months depending on how well it was applied and your climate.

The glaze. I want to buff and put a few coats of the Klasse SG to get through the winter. The car has nothing on it now. The dealer fixed a couple of paint spots that needed repairs, so I have to wait a bit. I may go ahead and do everything but the newly painted areas, which in the grand scheme aren't real big. The swirls are driving me insane!!!!


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[HockeyCrazi]

I feel your pain, I have those on my car as well. Just have patience, I'm doing my car in sections, front end/hood, then the top, working on the doors this weekend (drivers side, then passenger side), then finally the trunk area. It helps me break it out into different weekends as the process can take a long time, especially for weekend warriors/amateur detailers like us. Good luck! Post your after pictures here as well so we can see the transformation!

 

[Desertnate]

The glaze. I want to buff and put a few coats of the Klasse SG to get through the winter. The car has nothing on it now. The dealer fixed a couple of paint spots that needed repairs, so I have to wait a bit. I may go ahead and do everything but the newly painted areas, which in the grand scheme aren't real big. The swirls are driving me insane!!!!


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SG will work just fine as an LSP.

If I was in your shoes, I'd wait until Spring to bother with any real correction work. The best bet may be just to hit it with the SG and wait for warmer weather. First, cold weather will make most detailing products problematic to work. I found Klasse SG difficult to work with in temps below 50*. Second, winter conditions are brutal on paint and you'll probably need to do a good correction again by the time Spring rolls around. Ice, snow, salt, snow brushes, car washes, and everything else needed to operate a car in the winter are not kind to your cars paint.

 

[Pjstockford]

SG will work just fine as an LSP.

If I was in your shoes, I'd wait until Spring to bother with any real correction work. The best bet may be just to hit it with the SG and wait for warmer weather. First, cold weather will make most detailing products problematic to work. I found Klasse SG difficult to work with in temps below 50*. Second, winter conditions are brutal on paint and you'll probably need to do a good correction again by the time Spring rolls around. Ice, snow, salt, snow brushes, car washes, and everything else needed to operate a car in the winter are not kind to your cars paint.

I will be working in a heated garage, but I get what you're saying ... waiting until spring may be the best bet. It will be a difficult feat to stave off my OCD, however! I may dabble a bit with the mirror caps and see if I can find a good combo so I'll be ready in the spring.


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[lawrenceSA]

I will be working in a heated garage, but I get what you're saying ... waiting until spring may be the best bet. It will be a difficult feat to stave off my OCD, however! I may dabble a bit with the mirror caps and see if I can find a good combo so I'll be ready in the spring.


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I personally wouldn't be doing my 'dabbling/testing/ on the mirror caps - they are plastic and won't quite behave the way the paint on the rest of the car does, and the risk of a strike-through on these is higher. The area is also very small and won't allow you to perform a proper test spot in a decent sized section.

 

[Pjstockford]

I personally wouldn't be doing my 'dabbling/testing/ on the mirror caps - they are plastic and won't quite behave the way the paint on the rest of the car does, and the risk of a strike-through on these is higher. The area is also very small and won't allow you to perform a proper test spot in a decent sized section.

Oh. Good to know. Thanks!


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[Pjstockford]

FINISHED!!!

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[Aaryn NZ]

Nice! icture:

You must be real happy with that? Looks fantastic, although I do have a thing for the mighty GTi, so I may be a bit biased. Seriously though - it does look pretty nice. I don't like that white stuff in the picture though! I'd be moving but thats just me. What did you go with for your LSP? I take it WG TSR was the go to for the polishing?

Great work, stunning car! :dblthumb2:

Aaryn NZ.

 

[Pjstockford]

Nice! icture:

You must be real happy with that? Looks fantastic, although I do have a thing for the mighty GTi, so I may be a bit biased. Seriously though - it does look pretty nice. I don't like that white stuff in the picture though! I'd be moving but thats just me. What did you go with for your LSP? I take it WG TSR was the go to for the polishing?

Great work, stunning car! :dblthumb2:

Aaryn NZ.

Thank you .... and for the help.

Ended up using the Ultima. Wasn't sure I could get the garage warm enough to apply, but it got there and I went for it. Very pleased with the look and super easy to apply. And, yes, WG TSR with a LC orange flat pad.

I love the white stuff to play in. Don't like it when I've just spent two days cleaning up the car. But Autogeek takes all my extra money so I can't buy a winter beater to drive around!


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