swirls and streaks

Upon reading this thread I began to think back to before I found these forums. I tried the 10 inch "wax spreader" orbital polishers and then went to the 5 or 6 inch unit. They run about $20 - $30 at Advance Auto Parts + the cost of a few extra microfiber bonnets to fit over the supplied synthetic wool pad that comes with the unit. The smaller orbital will work better for you.

I wouldn't expect any deep correction of RIDS but for just getting a swirl free finish on your Scion, the little orbital will surely save on the pain you feel by rubbing by hand. I really recommend that you bite the bullet and get at least a Porter Cable 7424 kit but if you absolutely can't afford to do so the little $30 orbital will be better than by hand.

Sometimes I find used DA polishers such as the PC or Meguiars G110V2 on craigslist for about half the cost of new. You may want to take a look there before spending half the cost of a PC on less than half the correcting ability with the cheap orbital because once you do get a PC you'll see that the money spent on the orbital was basically wasted money because you'll never pick it back up again.

Just a few of my thoughts/opinions...take it for what it's worth.
 
That's why i have not picked up an orbital yet. I DO plan on getting a DA within the next few months. Since my car is new/used I am sure some of the swirl and scratches started why before I purchased my car but I am only starting to notice them since we have finally started to have nice sunny days in Atlanta. It was rain and or overcast for the last month. I really do not mind doing it by hand for now. I would rather save up money and get the right DA. I know it's going to be a night and day difference.

I have been using my fingers to guide and not my palms. I will try to that too. I am going to pick up some Griot's blue pads today at the Advanced Auto Parts around the corner from me. That seems to be the only good pads they have. I have generic terry pads and very thin yellow pads but neither are removing the defects.

I think I am going to try Meguiar's Ultimate Polish on top of Ultimate Compound or Scratch X . If it works well I will top it off with NTX. I am also going to pick up some more MF towels . I think that is the man source of the problem. Right now it's smudges and streaks I am seeing. It's a haze over almost like I removed no wax. What do you guys think ?

What is good long lasting tire shine? I have Meguiar's Endurance spray. I like it but I am thinking a gel is the way to go.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions .
 
Im not sure how well the GG blue pads are going to work for removing defects, as they are pretty soft foam. I've used them in the past to apply tire dressing.
 
What is good long lasting tire shine? I have Meguiar's Endurance spray. I like it but I am thinking a gel is the way to go.

I have the following in my arsenal:

DP Gloss Tire Gel (gallon)
Wolfgang Black Diamond (gallon)
Meguiar's Endurance Gel (16oz OTC bottle)
Poorboy's Bold N Bright (sample size)

Never liked the Meguairs Product, way to much shine for my taste and didn't last all that long. As it turns out none of them really do.

The DP & Wolfgang products are good, with DP being my favorite of the two and least expensive. Wolfgang is very expensive at like $70/Half Gallon.

I got the PB's product last fall as a sample and absolutely loved it. Sprays on and spreads really nice (in to the ridges) and dries almost instantly once it has been spread. All the others you had to 'play' with it a bit to get good coverage.

The price is reasonable also ($40/gallon or $18/32oz bottle) and since your spraying directly on the tire I think you use a bit less product then the others (just my thought).

Mark
 
chetsteadman said:
Im not sure how well the GG blue pads are going to work for removing defects, as they are pretty soft foam. I've used them in the past to apply tire dressing.
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I second that. They are dsigned more for applying tire and plastic dressings. Those thin yellow ones would likely be better. The Griots orange pads are better for hand or machine polishing.

You might also want to try a glaze. They are dsigned to fill the defects and hide them. They wont remove swirls. The swirls will come back with time and washings, but, it may help you a little.

AS others said, try to find a used PC. Even a first generation (non "XP"). I have one, but, no interest in selling. I still use it. I would even post a new thread on here asking if anyone wants to sell one. Every once in a while I see people saying they are going to get a Flex or GG and sell their PC. Keep in mind the cost of the PC will not be the end of it. You will have to buy pads.
 
I am going to go ahead and get an orbital for now. This who thing is driving me nuts. It's not going to happen by hand obviously. I need to be able to produce enough fast rotation to get these marks out. My hand can't . I have tried everything. I think the swirls that I am seeing might be from when the dealership "waxed" the car. Hopefully the orbital will take of the basic ones for now. will report back .
 
I "think" the orbital did the job. I used it mainly to spread the product evenly and quickly. I do want to get DA but it's not in the budget right now. We are now under overcast skies but I could tell the paint was much cleaner than before. Hopefully under direct light it will be okay. It looks like the streaks and smudges are gone. I used the wool polish cover to do a final buff after removing each product by hand. I used, UC, UP and NXT. So far much better results. It's about what I expected not great but not bad either. My 2005 Scion XB has a very nice deep high gloss shine to it. It's better than when i bought it a month ago.

I am looking to get some foam applicator that are recommended for removing scratches by hand. There was on article on here I read. It looks like most stores do not carry these type of higher end foam applicator pads.

Does anyone know if you get these type of pads any place in Atlanta? I would expect such a place would be detail specific shop. I have looked on a few websites but have not found anything. I have no problems with ordering here but thought I would ask about local stores first.
 
Hi,

I'm pretty new to detailing but having listened to Mike for about 12 hours (videos), I can tell you that removing swirls and streaks on a recent vehicle is a big task (even with a polisher).

Trying that by hand is not the most recommended way. You may not get the results you want. I highly suggest that you watch the videos in which Mike explain how to remove swirls and marks.

My brother has a 2005 Mazda 3 (indigo) and the paint is full of swirls (surface). I tried a spot test by hand, nothing too good got out of it. Got pissed and got a Meguiars DA polisher, easy to use, great job! :xyxthumbs:

Any good polisher will help you a lot with the good pads and "the good technique". As Mike would say "you may have the best products, the best polisher, the best MF, without technique, you may not get perfect results".
 
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