Pinnacle PCL vs. SwirlX (Follow up/update)

DARK HORSE

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I posted a thread last week entitled “Pinnacle paint cleansing lotion vs. Swirl X. A little background; I am a NEWBIE just learning and when I first bought my 09 Pony the dealer gave me some samples of things to try. I hate to admit this, and I know better now, but I applied Turtle Wax's "ICE Polish", and immediately went over it with a thick coat of Maguire’s NXT tech wax. I also had some light swirls and micro scratching that showed up in direct sunlight (probably installed by the dealer and myself). I wanted to remove the light swirling as best as I could by hand (No PC yet) and also remove the layers of for mentioned products so that I could start over. I asked the following questions and received the following answers from Mike:

I would like to know what the differences are between Pinnacle paint cleansing lotion and Maguire’s Swirl X.

Mike: Technically speaking the Pinnacle Paint Cleansing Lotion is paint cleaner and the SwirlX is a cleaner/polish. Practically speaking they do they same type of work.


Quote:
Originally Posted by trichard http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...t-cleansing-lotion-vs-swirl-x.html#post257924
Do they both remove previous layers of wax and get the paint ready for new wax?

Mike: Yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by trichard http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...t-cleansing-lotion-vs-swirl-x.html#post257924
Can Swirl X be used and (should it be used on a new car finish in good shape) to remove swirls that are noticeable on the hood in direct sunlight of black paint?

Mike: Yes, but best results come by machine for ANY kind of swirl mark remover because clear coat paints tend to be hard an there's only so much you can do with your fingers pushing down on a wax applicator pad.


If a person isn't good at this then getting pretty good results will be more difficult. Not trying to scare you just keep you grounded in reality. Clear coat paints are hard to work on by hand if the goal is removing fine swirls and creating a flawless finish

Originally Posted by trichard http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...t-cleansing-lotion-vs-swirl-x.html#post257924
Can Pinnacle paint lotion be used after the Swirl X?

Mike: You would only use one, not both as they will do the same job.


Quote:
Originally Posted by trichard http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...t-cleansing-lotion-vs-swirl-x.html#post257924
Would it buy me anything to use both products?

Mike: See above answer.


Mike: The key to success when working by hand is to only work small sections at a time, about a foot squared or so and overlap a little into the previous section. The most important thing you can do, especially if you're new to working on clear coats by hand is a TEST SPOT.

Mike: Gently rubbing the paint out with either product will remove the old wax and should improve the overall finish quality. Keep in mind not to expect show car results after the paint cleaner as it's not the last step. The end-results come after the last step.


Mike: KISS = Keep it Simple Simon

Mike: If you wash the car and then apply either of the two products they will effectively remove both the TW ICE and the NXT Tech Wax and leave you with a clean base to apply the Max Wax.


Summary: Well; I followed Mike’s advice and all I can say is WOW!!!
THANK YOU for the advice Mike!!! AWESOME!!!

I did the follow steps:
  • Washed (two bucket method w/grit guards, DP auto bath shampoo, 1 oz ONR, and GS-50 sheepskin mitt)
  • Dried with leaf blower and Cobra WW guzzlers w/ FK425 QD for lubricant
  • Clay barred entire car
  • Used PPCL on the hood and Swirl X on the rest of the car (I did this to see if I could see a difference between the two products: I could see no difference they both did an excellent job)
  • Applied 2 coats of Max Wax
Here are the results of my work. Thanks Again Mike!!!

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IMG_02052.JPG

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IMG_02081.JPG

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Last edited:
Sorry about the above format! I don't know what happened; When I previewed before posting it looked normal, however that is how it posted????
 
Can you edit your original post?

If you can, put a space between the picture command codes if you can't see the picture command code;

example:

[ img ]blah blah blah[ /img ] (no spaces between the bracket and img)

then click the A/A button on the upper right side.

Then, make sure there is a space between pictures. I usually double space between pictures.....

Get that fixed and it's easier to read the post too!
 
Man... you're making want to buy a black Mustang!

Seriously, thanks for the follow-up post, like I said in one of my replies to your other post on this forum, I didn't want to scare you or anyone from tackling their car by hand I just wanted to make sure everyone reading any thread understands what can and what cannot be done by hand, especially if you're just starting out and double especially when you're working on a new black car.

Good job!

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:
 
I had read through that initial thread, and I'm glad I did because I was thinking of purchasing SwirlX too. I already knew I was going to get the PPCL, but when I read that you would be getting the same results applied by hand, I didn't get SwirlX which is good because I would have been dissatisfied by the results by using just my hands.
 
Nice job! It's a whole different story when you find out the Pinnacle PCL has abrasives when it is not supposed to. I myself might have used it more instead of Dodo juice pre-wax cleaner. Makes you wonder how many other product description pages are wrong.
 
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