Remove swirls by hand

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SixZee

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Hello folks,

NYC apartment dweller here, currently under lock down, planning for working on the cars once things improve a bit.

Last year, with help from folks on the board, for the first time, I detailed my cars using Klasse twins and it turned out way better than I expected. It gave me protection over road salt assault during the winter. The winter wasn't that bad so it saw less salt than it would have otherwise, but the protection looks like wearing off now.

I am planning to work on the swirls of my older car. There is no way I will be able to fix it completely with very limited resources (like no access to running water or electricity in the apt parking lot), still I would like to give it a go to see how well/if I can improve anything at all.

I searched the board and most threads assume that you would be using a DA polisher. I can't (no electricity), so what products I can use to do this job?

Extra credit - A part of the bumper paint has started to oxidize. The car is blue in color so oxidized paint is an eye soar. Is there any product or combination of products (compound+polish) that I can use to fix oxidized paint as well as to remove the swirls.

Thanks in advance.
 
Honestly polishing by hand is very very hard and time consuming. Is a Flex cordless polisher an option for you? I know they are pricy but they are great tools.
 
No, Flex polisher is not an option. I am not even close to an amateur or own any fancy cars so such investment does not make sense at the moment.

I checked some YouTube videos that claimed to good to be true results so before going down that road, I thought I should check with the professionals, if such option exists.
 
A cleaner wax may be a better option.
Doing a light polish might be okay by hand but anything with more cut may lead to a bunch of holograms and circles on the paint.
Getting even, consistent pressure by hand is something only Zen masters may be able to accomplish.
Are you a certified Ninja??
 
In that case I would agree with Spazzz. A good quality cleaner wax will improve the paint a lot working by hand. It’s not going to be perfect but you will see a noticeable difference if you take you time.

2 products that work great by hand in the All in one category are:

3D Speed: 3D HD Speed


Blackfire One Step: BLACKFIRE One Step 16 oz.


These may also dolce the bumper oxidation issue or at least improve if.
 
Hey SixZee, apartment dweller here too!

By hand is terrible haha, recently did my Miata with DP All-In-One Polish and Seal, with good results. Keep in mind you’re gonna need a few hours on the paint cleaning/polishing step and a big meal before. Be sure to plan for the time it’ll take and aim to get it all done at once, if you stop it may be hard to get going again because it is quite strenuous and takes some will power to continue.

I recommend using some microfiber pads(round or square doesn’t matter) since they will give a bit more polishing power over foam pads and either an AIO Polish or Megs Ultimate Polish and protection product of your choice. I didn’t get a ton of swirls out and I was working on 30 year old paint, some soft, some repaint base/clear, single stage cleaned up a lot better than base/clear.

Just know the paint won’t be perfect, you’ll probably get about 25% correction if you’re dealing with only fine swirls, but plus side is, the paint will be greatly enhanced with more depth and gloss!
 
I’m not sure what kind of bumper you gave but perhaps you can replace a panel. I had rust on my truck bumper and I polished it out. The rust came back a few days later. I ended up buying a new panel from Amazon and the problem was solved.

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41e347ec2534f7d0189c5658badd3959.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
"work on the swirls of my older car"
"A part of the bumper has started to oxidize."

Just for clarity, how old is your older car? Base coat, clear coat or single stage? Make of car?

Not trying to be nosy. It matters if your starting to have clear coat failure. You don't want to polish if you are. Just paint cleaner and sealant would be best (Klasse twins).
 
ducksfan said:
"work on the swirls of my older car"
"A part of the bumper has started to oxidize."

Just for clarity, how old is your older car? Base coat, clear coat or single stage? Make of car?
Click to expand...


This is my question too, need just a tick more information.

My guess? Probably a modern car with basecoat/clearcoat paint and the paint on the bumper isn't oxidized it has failed, or as we say, the paint has clearcoat failure.

Most frond and rear bumper covers are urethane, a flexible plastic, and the paint on these areas, especially the horizontal surfaces, don't hold up well over time. So they get clearcoat failure.


Now if it was in fact and "old car" with single stage lacquer or enamel paint, THEN it would be oxidation and EASILY fixed by just about anything.


:)
 
SixZee said:
I searched the board and most threads assume that you would be using a DA polisher. I can't (no electricity), so what products I can use to do this job?
Click to expand...


Simple.

Get a quality AIO normally called a cleaner/wax. Get a few MICROFIBER applicator pads.

Work SMALL sections at a time, like the size of a 16" x 16" microfiber towel.

Use the product HEAVY or WET - this means use a LOT of product, like a QUARTER size drop or even a 50 cent coin size drop of product.

Spread out using an overlapping circular motion.

After you spread the product out - work it over the section in a back-n-forth motion usually in the direct of the length of the panel or the direction the wind would travel over the car if you were driving.

Allow the product to dry then wipe-off.

Repeat to a new section and OVERLAP into the previous section.

The BEST way to do this is to only tackle one or two panels at a time as your arm and hand are going to get tired and then you'll stop doing a good job of rubbing the product over the surface.


By using a one-step product you'll only have to go around the car ONE time. If you do this once or twice a year, each time you do it - and do a GREAT job - the paint will look better and better.

IF you want to do a BETTER job and don't mind going around the car twice - start with a dedicated compound like Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and follow with either a cleaner/wax, (now you're using it like a polish and wax), or follow with a dedicated non-cleaning finishing wax or sealant. More work - better results - but more tired arms.


And there you go.....




:)
 
Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate all the comments.

Apologies for not providing all info in advance. The car that I am trying to work on is 2006 Sentra. We have another 2015 Forester which is in far better shape. If I have to work on Forester, hopefully I will have learned from my mistakes on older Sentra experiments.

Replacing bumper will cost more than what the car is worth. If I can improve something that is failing without too much of trouble, I will like it, hence thought of fixing the oxidization.

I usually work on small areas because I can't stand sun as much due to the meds I take regularly. So the area I can work on is limited by the shadow available to work on the car. It took me almost 2 weeks to prep and apply Klasse twins to this car last year.

Mike Phillips said:
By using a one-step product you'll only have to go around the car ONE time. If you do this once or twice a year, each time you do it - and do a GREAT job - the paint will look better and better.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the comment.
@Dr Oldz suggested either 3D HD Speed or Blackfire One Step. Do you have any other suggestion?

Mike Phillips said:
IF you want to do a BETTER job and don't mind going around the car twice - start with a dedicated compound like Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and follow with either a cleaner/wax, (now you're using it like a polish and wax), or follow with a dedicated non-cleaning finishing wax or sealant. More work - better results - but more tired arms.
Click to expand...
Do you have any specific suggestions on a cleaner/wax and sealant? I have Klasse twins, will they both fit here?
 
Mike Phillips said:
The the Klass AIO is NON-abrasive. It will only clean the surface, not remove any defects.

Get either the 3D Speed, or the BL One Step.

Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax in the maroon bottle could be used too.


:)
Click to expand...

Thank you, Mike.

Before I buy the material, just wanted to show what I am trying to fix. (Apologies for the delay in getting the pictures)

Oxidation.png


Swirl1.png


Swirl2.png


And in what sequence should I use these products?

Cleaner wax, then BF One step / 3D Speed and then Klasse AIO/Twins?

Thanks a lot, in advance.
 
SixZee said:
And in what sequence should I use these products?

Cleaner wax, then BF One step / 3D Speed and then Klasse AIO/Twins?

Thanks a lot, in advance.
Click to expand...

The BLACKFIRE One Step and the 3D Speed are the same type of product, so pick one. Both work great. In most cases, both must be ordred online.

The only one-step cleaner/wax that I know of at a retail store that can be used "effectively" by hand would be maybe ColorX by Meguiar's but I don't know if they even make this. My recent experience is the BF One Step and the 3D Speed are currently still the top performing one-steps on the market.

If working by hand - you need EVERYTHING working for you. So pick one and go with it.

As for the Klasse products? If you use either the BF One Step or the 3D Speed you won't need the Klasse AIO. These three products are the same type of product it's just the BF One Step and the 3D Speed will actually remove swirls whereas the Klasse AIO will not. It would be redundant to use Klasse AIO after either of the other two products.

After using either of the two one-steps, then you could apply the Klasse Sealant Glaze. I would either skip this step and just reapply whichever cleaner/wax you choose to the horizontal surfaces on a regular basis, like 2-3 times a year. (each time you do this by hand you will remove the swirls and improve the paint), or get the BLACKFIRE BlackIce Sealant to top the BF One Step or the 3D Poxy to top the 3D Speed.


:)
 
Mike Phillips said:
The BLACKFIRE One Step and the 3D Speed are the same type of product, so pick one. Both work great. In most cases, both must be ordred online.

The only one-step cleaner/wax that I know of at a retail store that can be used "effectively" by hand would be maybe ColorX by Meguiar's but I don't know if they even make this. My recent experience is the BF One Step and the 3D Speed are currently still the top performing one-steps on the market.

If working by hand - you need EVERYTHING working for you. So pick one and go with it.

As for the Klasse products? If you use either the BF One Step or the 3D Speed you won't need the Klasse AIO. These three products are the same type of product it's just the BF One Step and the 3D Speed will actually remove swirls whereas the Klasse AIO will not. It would be redundant to use Klasse AIO after either of the other two products.

After using either of the two one-steps, then you could apply the Klasse Sealant Glaze. I would either skip this step and just reapply whichever cleaner/wax you choose to the horizontal surfaces on a regular basis, like 2-3 times a year. (each time you do this by hand you will remove the swirls and improve the paint), or get the BLACKFIRE BlackIce Sealant to top the BF One Step or the 3D Poxy to top the 3D Speed.


:)
Click to expand...
Thank you, Mike.

I will give a try.
 
Can I suggest a different approach?

You're obviously passionate about the appearance of your car, and are learning how to take care of it, and that is admirable. But your resources are limited - You don't have the location to do the job as well as you'd like, and you don't have the tools. For a fraction of the cost of getting tools that would allow you to do the job well, you might seek out a professional who can satisfy your desire to make your car top notch.

I applaud your desire to do it yourself. But reality might not allow you to do so, at least to the level you want. Seeking out someone who can do it for you might be an option.

In any case, best of luck to you!
 
@mk9750,

Thank you. The idea behind detailing is not only to keep your car in the best possible condition but for me, it is something to take my mind off regular stuff in life. That is the only reason why I am trying to overcome so many procedural hurdles.
 
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