WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!! Swirls galore :(

SOREBACK said:
Ok since im a newbie im going to start fresh and wash with dawn. Now if someone can give me a run down on order of product usage along with pad selection and PC speed.
Click to expand...

Read my post about using a tape-line to trouble shoot. Try to use the pads and products you already have to create a clear surface on one side of the tape-line.

You need to get the paint to the point where the side you're buffing on looks clear as compared to the side that you say looks foggy right now.

Try cleaning your pads, then prime your pad and the buff using the M205 again. See my post above.


What other polishes do you have on hand?


:)
 
Ok i willl strip it down with dawn then start back with 205. Which pad do i use during this process? I will make the center of the hood and Post picss through out m process. As far as other products no listed above that i have not listed above are; meguiars nxt, meguiars ultimate comPound, meguiars ultimate wax and thats about it
 
Ok check this out to see if this is acceptable. Going to place my AG order for the following:
LC 5.5 crimson flat pad
LC 5.5 blue flat pad (2)
LC 5.5 tangerine pad
*now i will have 2 of each
Pack of Terry cloths for on fly pad cleaning
Mezerna sf4000
Microfiber towels (unsure which yet)

Now once i achieve the finish i desire, how and what do i do to keep the swirls from coming back? Although my car us parked in garage all the time its always covered with dust theb when wiping it off i get more scratches. My california duster seems to smear more than anything ir leave a pile of dust on the fender edges. That is going to br the make or break for me. I know i can get the finish right with time and practice but keeping it that way is going to be extremly hard. Also where i live has lots of farms and the front of the var gets pelted with bugs no matter what time of day. Then when i get home and go ti wipe the bug guts off. Back come the swirl marks again. It really has me hating this car!!! I need to know what do you guys with black/dark cars do to always have them looking their best? Would an indoor car cover help? If so which do you recommend? Im in desparate need of help and break it down step by step so i can print it out and follow the process to the t until im able to remember it. PLEASE help i feel like im having a nervous break diwn eith this cars finish. I keep missing car shows because i cant get it to the level i feel it should be at.
 
SOREBACK said:
Now once i achieve the finish i desire, how and what do i do to keep the swirls from coming back?

Although my car us parked in garage all the time its always covered with dust then when wiping it off i get more scratches. My california duster seems to smear more than anything ir leave a pile of dust on the fender edges. That is going to br the make or break for me. I know i can get the finish right with time and practice but keeping it that way is going to be extremely hard.
Click to expand...

As the saying goes... black isn't a color, it's a full time job.

(Or dark colors)


Here's the deal SOREBACK,

Roll Call - What's your real first name?


Modern clear coat paints are what is called, scratch-sensitive. What this means is even though they are harder than traditional single stage paints, (The only two types of paint we've had in the "car world"), they still scratch easily.

That's why I'm always telling people to not get caught up into creating a show car finish on a daily driver because keeping the finish on a daily driver is difficult. This is why some people buy a silver metallic car, it's hard to see the swirls so you don't see them and thus you don't go crazy.

I owned a black Honda Pilot when I lived in the high California Desert, which was hot, windy and dusty. The car was garage kept and even then it was hard to keep it clean.


After you get the paint how you like it then anything that touches the paint has to be of the highest quality you can obtain and "you" have to touch it carefully. There's no magic to it.

I tested 4 different coatings on black paint to see if the coatings resisted scratching and from my test the answer is "no". So even coating s won't protect the pant from becoming scratched.


SOREBACK said:
Also where i live has lots of farms and the front of the var gets pelted with bugs no matter what time of day. Then when i get home and go ti wipe the bug guts off. Back come the swirl marks again. It really has me hating this car!!! I need to know what do you guys with black/dark cars do to always have them looking their best?
Click to expand...

Weekend toys? Not daily drivers?


SOREBACK said:
Would an indoor car cover help? If so which do you recommend? Im in desperate need of help and break it down step by step so i can print it out and follow the process to the t until im able to remember it. PLEASE help i feel like im having a nervous break diwn eith this cars finish. I keep missing car shows because i cant get it to the level i feel it should be at.
Click to expand...

All our Customer Sales Staff can help you get the right car cover, just give them a call at,

1-800-869-3011


:)
 
I believe that most car covers will impart fine scratches to paint. I have had the same experience with one from Covercraft (Noah). I read an article a while back that showed a fellow covering his garaged car with flannel sheets that supposedly left no scratches.
 
As Mike has said numerous times, WORK CLEAN! Microfiber towels are cheap so change them often. Clean pads at least every single panel and change or clean them completely after every 4th or 5th panel. I opt to change them out as it's speeds up my workflow and I have more then 1 of each pad.

I would step down to 5.5" pads. I have had really good luck with the Hydrotech pads. I have all 3, Cyan, Tangerine and Red pads. Personally, most cars do not see the Cyan pad as it is too aggressive on most of the clears that I have worked on. Tangerine is what I use most when using foam pads. If I need something more agressive for the RIDS, I go with my trusted combo of Megs 101 and Surbuf pads. I find that most of the time, I can get most scratches and swirls off with 1 pass with this combo. But it will leave micromarring, so I am back to using the Tangerine pad to clean up the micromarring that takes place with the Surbuf.

I have also been using the Megs MF system a lot lately and it does make life a whole lot easier. The cutting pad with Megs D300 cutting compound will take most if not all the light swirls off. I still use my trusted Surbuf M101 combo for the heavy RIDS. For the most part the Megs MF will finish down just about LSP ready. At least with 4 cars I have worked on they have.

If I need to do a final polishing (usually on red or black paint) I would reach for Menzerna SF4500 on a black LC pad, as it will give a bit deeper look then M205.

About the only time I one pad for the whole car is when I am applying a LSP as it's only used to apply the product. You are really not working the product in to remove anything. Removal of the LSP usually does take at least 3 to 4 towels since I flip to a new section of the towel very often.
 
Thanks im gonna order a washing mitt, sf4500, 1 tangerine pad 5.5, 2 black 5.5 pads and some gold microfiber towels. Then im gonna study the videos to make sure i have the correct machine and arm speed plus tape off small sections and of course clean my pads after every section. Im going to buy some flannel sheets just to through over the truck, roof and hood. Thank you guys soo much. If anyone has more to add please do.
 
Perhaps it would be beneficial to use something like AutoGlym High Definition wax as your LSP. It has terrific gloss and also has some filling capabilities to help hide some of the light swirls that are clearly driving you nuts. If you are not into spending tons of time polishing and would enjoy more time showing the car, you might consider using something like Mothers Machine Glaze and a 5.5" foam finishing pad. It really does make achieving a stellar look really easy though temporary with the tons of fillers in it.

Edit...Also, the yellow pad in my experience causes more hazing problems than any other pad, especially on dark colors with a DA polisher. I suggest switching it out for an orange pad if correcting dark paint in the future.
 
SOREBACK said:
Then im gonna study the videos to make sure i have the correct machine and arm speed
Click to expand...


I might have a black Camaro here this Thursday that has swirls. Live on camera I will show you how to remove them using a foam pad system since this is a restored car with a custom paint job. (Meguiar's MF system is for factory paint).

I should find out if this black beauty will be this Thursday along with the green Plymouth Coupe.



PaulsCamaro002.jpg



PaulsCamaro001.jpg




1941PlymouthCoupe001.jpg



AutogeekOnline.net = where all the online action is when it comes to detailing discussion forums!


:D
 
tuscarora dave said:
Perhaps it would be beneficial to use something like AutoGlym High Definition wax as your LSP. It has terrific gloss and also has some filling capabilities to help hide some of the light swirls that are clearly driving you nuts.
Click to expand...

Just to note, any wax that works fills.

I'm sure some coat over and fill-in better than others but by definition, if a car wax or synthetic paint sealant is leaving itself behind on the surface then it is coating over and filling-in.


:xyxthumbs:
 
Very informative thread, to put it simply, the size of your pad is a big issue and going aggressive with the M105 first was not the best option. The least aggressive method should be tried first then if that doesnt get the desired look you should go to a more aggressive approach. I had a similar issue when I first got my pads and PC, i tried using an aggressive compound and 7in pads and got awful results, then I tried the 5.5 pads and it worked wonders.
 
There is not much more that can be said, but there are 2 issues that you are dealing with. One is "easy" to take care of. The "other" issue I am afraid will not go away.

1 - the good news is that you can get a fantastic finish with the products you have, maybe even get it PERFECT.

2 - maintaining black paint, that is the bad news. Every time you wipe your car, you will mar that paint. I prepped a brand new Roush flat black Mustang and took 30 hours to correct. Never would I offer my services to wash it. Let alone spot wipe it.

I'd just focus on getting rid of the haziness and use a slick LSP so that when you wash your car stuff comes off easier. And stop wiping your car. Wash it instead. Good luck.
 
I use a Toro leaf blower to dry my cars...works like a champ and no chance of swrils.
 
Ok should i purchase the Super Finish PO 106 FA or Menzerna Finish Polish PO85RD?
How do i know if my paint is ceramic? All i lnow is that its 2012 Lava Red Metallic
Im going to step fown to 5.5" pads and buy a gray/black with some quality microfiber towels (many of them)
Can i use a 5.5" pad on a 6.5" hook and loop base or will o need to purchase a smaller base as well?
Found out my washing mitt is a chinelle (sp?) microfiber that was purchased at Staples for $1.00. I thonk om gonna go with some sheep mitt. What do you guys think?
Im going to purchase a roll of flannel fabric 100% cotton 108" wide and 21' long and use it as a car cover. Its a lot chraper than a custom made flannel cover, dont have to sew together old flannel bed sheets. I only need it to drape over car to keep dust off. What fo you guys think about that idea? Or should i do a stretch cotton knit fabric 90% cotton 10% spandex which is 110" wide and 21' long? I basically want a light weight scratch resistant dust cover.
Let me know your thoughts :)
 
PLEASE HELP ASAP so I can order my stuff

Ok should i purchase the Super Finish PO 106 FA or Menzerna Finish Polish PO85RD?

How do i know if my paint is ceramic? All i lnow is that its 2012 Lava Red Metallic


Can i use a 5.5" pad on a 6.5" hook and loop base or will o need to purchase a smaller base as well?

Found out my washing mitt is a chinelle (sp?) microfiber that was purchased at Staples for $1.00. I think I'm gonna go with some sheep mitt. What do you guys think?

Im going to purchase a roll of flannel fabric 100% cotton 108" wide and 21' long and use it as a car cover. Its a lot cheaper than a custom made flannel cover, dont have to sew together old flannel bed sheets. I only need it to drape over car to keep dust off. What fo you guys think about that idea? Or should i do a stretch cotton knit fabric 90% cotton 10% spandex which is 110" wide and 21' long? I basically want a light weight scratch resistant dust cover.

Let me know your thoughts
 
  • Adding fresh product to spent product and removed paint adulterates the fresh product, it also dilutes it.
  • Buffing with a dirty pad will be more difficult.
  • The product will cake-up on the face of the pad.
  • The product will become gummy on the paint and hard to wipe off.
This was exactly my expierience this weekend using the Griots BOS, a pure pain in the you know where to remove. But now I know! next time will be better. I only used 1 red 1 orange that came with the Griots DA. I am waiting for my 5" backing plate and multiple pads I have on order(first order from AG!!) Should be here tomorrow.
 
SOREBACK said:
PLEASE HELP ASAP so I can order my stuff

Ok should i purchase the Super Finish PO 106 FA or Menzerna Finish Polish PO85RD?
Click to expand...

If you're only going to purchase one product get the SF 4000 as it will offer more cut than the SF 4500 and you might need a little cutting power.



SOREBACK said:
How do i know if my paint is ceramic? All i lnow is that its 2012 Lava Red Metallic
Click to expand...

Treat all paint the same, use the least aggressive product to get the job done.


SOREBACK said:
Can i use a 5.5" pad on a 6.5" hook and loop base or will o need to purchase a smaller base as well?
Click to expand...

No. You need a 5" backing plate to use 5.5" pads. I have an article on this here and you can find it in my list of articles.

5" and 6" Backing Plates on 6.5" pads (Pictures to show safety margin)


SOREBACK said:
Found out my washing mitt is a chinelle (sp?) microfiber that was purchased at Staples for $1.00. I think I'm gonna go with some sheep mitt. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I personally like brand new sheepskin mitts for show car finished but only for a few washes, as soon as they begin to look tatty then stop using them...

More important is to not SCRUB the paint when you wash, you only need to move a wash mitt over the surface for a few passes and then stop. I cover this in my how-to book under washing your car and I think I also addressed it in a recent live broadcast video.


:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top