Help with swirl marks!!!

Not to preach or lecture to you, but as the saying goes. Use the right tool(s) for the job.
 
Well, yes. I also believe in buying good once. So if the Rupes is better than the GG then that's what I'll get. Now, I assume there's a billion opinions on the 15 vs the 21. Dare I ask, any suggestions? My two cars are my wife's Honday Odyssey, a 2014 that's in need of a major detailing, and my Vette.
 
I've got the flex 3401 it's great. Started out on a PC. I'd recommend both

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flyboylr45 said:
Well, yes. I also believe in buying good once. So if the Rupes is better than the GG then that's what I'll get. Now, I assume there's a billion opinions on the 15 vs the 21. Dare I ask, any suggestions? My two cars are my wife's Honday Odyssey, a 2014 that's in need of a major detailing, and my Vette.
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Don't forget there is also the Griot's Boss 15 and 21 long throw polishers which come with a lifetime warranty. Also, you'll still need something to polish the tight areas--a standard 8mm throw DA with a 3" or 4" pad does the trick-- like the GG6.

I find the 15 a bit more useful for those of us not doing this professionally--easier to get in close to protruding objects and handles better on the curved areas.

Something you might want to consider--the Griots Garage 6 equipped with a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads can handle anything you throw at it without constant bogging down. And you can change the backing plate to handle 3" or 4" pads for the tight spots. You could always start out with the GG6 and then move up to a long throw polisher later if you feel the need then relegate the GG6 for small pads.

On another note: With HD polishes "less is more" They recommend priming the pad with 5-6 pea sized drops toward the outer edge for the first section, then 3-4 pea sized drops for each additional section--using a little more with more aggressive pads and cleaning on the fly after each section. And, they do not recommend spraying the pad with QD or pad conditioner.
 
So just for my sake of knowing, you guys don't think the Festool will remove these swirl marks? I'm using LC CCS pads with it. Should I even try it? When I did this on the Mustang, I used the Makita polisher. I'm just a little "chicken" on doing it with the Vette.
 
flyboylr45 said:
So just for my sake of knowing, you guys don't think the Festool will remove these swirl marks? I'm using LC CCS pads with it. Should I even try it? When I did this on the Mustang, I used the Makita polisher. I'm just a little "chicken" on doing it with the Vette.
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I believe (but could be wrong) that most sanding orbitals have a 3-5 mm orbit and that is probably why it is having problems removing swirls on hard clear coat. A standard DA used for automotive finishes has an 8mm orbit (GG6, PC, Megs) and the long throw polishers (Griots Boss, Rupes, etc) have either 15mm or 21mm orbits so there is allot more surface area of the polishing pad moving over the finish.
 
Well, I pulled the trigger. Bought a Rupes 15 MK2. Already sold my Makita 9227C and have the Festool up for sale. Those 2 will pay for the Rupes. Going to detail the car next week when I get back from a business trip. I'll post some pics of before/after. Thanks guys for your help.
 
So, today I've been trying to get the swirl marks out with the Rupes 15 and HD Adapt. I started using the green pad and the Adapt. At one point I was kind of satisfied with the results, but it wasn't perfect. Then, the green pad disintegrated. Now I'm stuck using the blue pad, and been getting the same results. I'm stuck and this is driving me crazy. I washed, Iron X and clayed the car this morning. Any ideas?
 
flyboylr45 said:
So, today I've been trying to get the swirl marks out with the Rupes 15 and HD Adapt. I started using the green pad and the Adapt. At one point I was kind of satisfied with the results, but it wasn't perfect. Then, the green pad disintegrated. Now I'm stuck using the blue pad, and been getting the same results. I'm stuck and this is driving me crazy. I washed, Iron X and clayed the car this morning. Any ideas?
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I'm not a Rupes users/owner as I love my Flex 3401 but I believe with their system it's recommended you use their pads and polishes. I only follow it at a glance but I've seen issues come up several times on this board.

I can say a 3401 and an orange pad or the light blue hybrid pad and adapt would present you with a 110% satisfaction.
 
You also can't use one car for an entire vehicle that could be why it disintegrated


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flyboylr45 said:
So, today I've been trying to get the swirl marks out with the Rupes 15 and HD Adapt. I started using the green pad and the Adapt. At one point I was kind of satisfied with the results, but it wasn't perfect. Then, the green pad disintegrated. Now I'm stuck using the blue pad, and been getting the same results. I'm stuck and this is driving me crazy. I washed, Iron X and clayed the car this morning. Any ideas?
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What brand pads did you pick up?
 
Initially they were Rupes pads. I'm glad to say that I went to a local distributor and he took a look at the car and suggested the UHS combo. It worked awesome. I'll take some pics tomorrow as its raining right now. I really like the UHS with the gray pad. ;-).
 
flyboylr45 said:
Initially they were Rupes pads. I'm glad to say that I went to a local distributor and he took a look at the car and suggested the UHS combo. It worked awesome. I'll take some pics tomorrow as its raining right now. I really like the UHS with the gray pad. ;-).
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I got a bottle of UHS from a guy here locally, but I haven't picked up the grey pads yet. He was using it with the yellow foam pads, and loved it.
 
I was really happy with the results I guess I should've just used all Rupes products from the beginning. I did polish the car with HD Poxy and a white Rupes pad and it turned out great. Super easy to remove the Poxy after letting it sit for about an hour.
 
I also just ordered an iBrid nano long neck. This detailing thing is a slippery road, pretty much like my other hobbies. ;-).
 
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