Swirl Mark Trouble

[sikoticbrown]

I'm sorta new to the detail game and I need some help. I swore by using my old random orbital buffer religiously everytime I waxed my truck and I wax my truck alot... So I began noticing the swirl marks so I tried the meguiars cleaner wax and it seemed like it only covered up my problem. So now I havent used the buffer in a year and no matter how much wax I use I have ALOT of swirls. I thought about using Ultimate Compound, but I was afraid it was too harsh. What do you guys suggest? My truck is a 99 Ford Ranger so it doesnt have the lovely fresh new paint thing going for it anymore. I appreciate all of your help I can get.

Chris

[Tuck91]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

if your doing all the work by hand then Ultimate Compound, Swirl X and Scratch X 2.0 will help solve your problem, but expect it to take a long time to do it by hand . The best thing to do is do some researching on the forum and read up on the new 09 products and how to use them properly. The last thing you wanna do is make maters worse by using the products improperly. Others will chime in

[Murr1525]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

You can certainly start off milder with a product like SwirlX. ScratcHX would be in the middle, then UC.

The regular Cleaner/Wax is very mild when it comes to removing defects.

The next questions of course are where are the swirls coming from. Are you using good quality towels, sponges, etc, 2 buckets to wash, etc?

[sikoticbrown]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

Thanks for the replies.

I know I'm going to sound dumb here but oh well. I use one bucket to wash with, the same blue walmart brush since I was probably 10 (so that makes 11 years), and didn't start drying my truck until recently because I decided to invest in a chamois. I guess I might wanna upgrade my arsenal a little bit after reading some of the posts on here.

[Tuck91]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

the problem may be from the brush and you may have water spots from the past when you didnt dry your truck

[Carfire]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

with all of the above posts.

[sikoticbrown]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

Thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it. I guess I'll waxing all weekend long, but I guess that's what I get for cutting corners

[Tuck91]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

Thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it. I guess I'll waxing all weekend long, but I guess that's what I get for cutting corners

with the right products and right technique it can be corrected, good luck with your truck and post back any setbacks or your finished results

[Murr1525]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

Yeah, where's akimel with his How to Wash your Car Showcar Style link. Dont have it with me at the moment.

Or you can search for it.

[akimel]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

Yeah, where's akimel with his How to Wash your Car Showcar Style link.

You rang?

[sikoticbrown]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

I'm sorry, but I have one more question. If I decide to tackle the UC, the swirlX, and scratchX remedy that Tuck91 is talking about, is there a chance that I could seriously have a horror story in the making? Like mess up the finish? I just want to ask before I attempt it and do anything rash.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

Above all, do a Test Spot...

That way if you run into problems the problems will only be in a small area, not the entire truck.

Before going over the entire car, see if you can make just one small section look good, that is apply the compound, work it in and then wipe it off, then apply the polish, work it in but not as much as the compound because now you're not trying to remove paint, just spread the product out, then immediately wipe it off, then apply the wax and let it fully dry and then wipe it off.

Now inspect our results. Make sure you can make one small section look GREAT before going over then entire car. If you can't make one small section look GREAT you won't be able to make the entire car look GREAT.

Make sense?

It should look like this,




And if you're having any problems, the post back here after the test section and we'll help you tweak your technique to insure you get it right.

Read the threads in the link below,
http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/tags.php?tag=Test-Spot

[Murr1525]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

Well, you likely would not need all 3 products, and SwirlX is a product you would use more regularly. So it wouldnt hurt to start with that, in a small test area, and see how you do.

That said, even if you did not apply UC properly, you would just have more/different swirls to fix. Its not as if the paint would be falling off. But still, trying mild first is good.

1. Give your car a good wash.
2. Clay with the Smooth Surface Clay Kit and an extra bottle of Quick Detailer.
3. Try SwirlX worked in well onto a test area/panel in 1.5x1.5 foot sections. And see what you get.

If you like it great, if not, then move onto something stronger.

[sikoticbrown]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

So Im going to pick up a bottle of SwirlX and the Clay Kit tomorrow. After I get it all washed and prepped, get the SwirlX done, which wax would you guys recommend? I have used Gold Class but I wasn't particularly fond of it. I just never could get it to lay down right, but then again I never clayed it or anything after washing. I was looking at NXT, but I have a hard time trusting wax that sounds like mineral oil in a bottle... But if it is good and lasts Im all for investing in it.

[Tuck91]

Re: Swirl Mark Trouble

So Im going to pick up a bottle of SwirlX and the Clay Kit tomorrow. After I get it all washed and prepped, get the SwirlX done, which wax would you guys recommend? I have used Gold Class but I wasn't particularly fond of it. I just never could get it to lay down right, but then again I never clayed it or anything after washing. I was looking at NXT, but I have a hard time trusting wax that sounds like mineral oil in a bottle... But if it is good and lasts Im all for investing in it.

just to clear things up i didnt mean to suggest to you all 3 products at once but try each in a small test spot is what i shouldve said, sorry about that