kinda new to detailing

[stirb]

Well the last couple of months ive been getting into detailing my car, 08 Eclipse Sunset pearl, and since ive been neglectful for almost a car with my car like going to automatic car washes and using a sponge lol, ive added tons of swirl marks to my car, pretty much every part, now ive been trying many different products to get rid of them but im stuck on a question here, ive used swirl x with no result, used scratch x 2.0 with some result but takes TONS AND TONS of passion over and over and over in just one spot to get something, so ive read that Ultimate Compound is next? Is that to rough for my car, ive used a turtle wax compound before and it messed up my car so im a lil hesitant. The swirl marks are only noticable if your standing 2-3 feet from it and the sun is hitting where your looking.

Heres what i do and use
Washx2- Meguiars Deep crystal
scratch X 2.0
Turtle wax Ice

not much but was wondering about adding clay bar, would it help with removing swirls?

[tlsole]

Re: kinda new to detailing

Are you applying this by hand? If so, i would recommend purchasing a DA. Also, clay bar does not help remove swirls at all, if anything, i think it brings them out more.

[Murr1525]

Re: kinda new to detailing

Washing and clay would be good prep though.

Then Ultimate Compound is a good option, but how are you applying the swirl removal products?

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How To Remove a Bird Dropping Etching by Hand using M105 Ultra Cut Compound

How to correctly apply ScratchX to remove swirls and scratches

[Michael Stoops]

Re: kinda new to detailing

Welcome to MOL!

That Sunset Pearl is a beautiful color and when done up right it really glows. Let's see if we can help you get to that point.

First off, as has been stated claying won't remove any swirls but if you've been neglecting the car a bit as you say then claying is probably still a great idea. Odds are your car has a good bit of bonded surface contaminants; the stuff that makes your paint feel rough to the touch even after you've washed and dried. Actually, you'll want to do this before you jump in and try to get rid of those swirls as any paint cleaner will work better with all this crud out of the way.

Ultimate Compound sounds like the product choice for you here, whether you're working by hand or you decide to step up to a D/A polisher like our G110v2 in the near future. When working by hand it's best to use a foam applicator pad like Meguiar's X3070:



Stay away from a terry cloth applicator as that material tends to have some bite to it and can haze the paint when used aggressively. You've had a negative experience with an old school rubbing compound in the past, but Ultimate Compound is a very different product. The abrasive technology is highly specialized and it simply can't scratch your paint - your applicator can, however, which is why we recommend the X3070 noted above.

How you use this combination is also important. Straight lines or circular makes no difference, just work in very small areas at a time. You should restrict your work area to no more than about 18" x 18" in order to concentrate the energy/work and pull out those swirls. Should you purchase a G110v2 later on you can expand this work area a bit to about 24" x 24" but no more. We use this product/pad combination in our Saturday Detailing 101 classes and if you look through a few of those recent threads (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...splay.php?f=36) you'll see how effective this can be. We tape off sections for demonstration purposes - you would not have to do that when working on your own car. But back to the process...... work that small area for a couple of minutes using moderate pressure. Don't work so long that the product dries out, but just until it either starts to look very thin on the surface or you feel the applicator start to drag a bit. That's usually an indication that the product is beginning to dry and that you should stop and wipe the area clean with a fresh microfiber towel. At this point pull the car out into direct sunlight and evaluate your results. If you still see some swirls or other fine defects you may need a second application, or you may simply not be working the product long enough or aggressively enough. But checking this initial test spot now will potentially save you from going over the whole car only to find your results aren't quite what you expected. That is really frustrating.

Assuming you're getting the desired result, or you've tweaked your process a bit to get the desired result, you can now move onto an adjacent 18" square area and repeat the process. Go around the car in sections until you're done. Of course doing all this by hand is going to be a lot of work, but there's no reason why you can't split the work over several days, if not several weekends. Just make sure to apply a coat of wax to the areas treated with Ultimate Compound, and to wash the car before subsequent areas are worked on, or at least wipe it down with some Quik Detailer and a microfiber towel to remove any light surface dust.

[stirb]

Re: kinda new to detailing

I am applying it by hand, the DA is bit expensive for me, but thanks for the great tips, my car does feel rough in some places so I think ill pick up a Clay bar soon and try to Ultimate compound with those app pads.

[felixtibs]

Re: kinda new to detailing

so at the 101 classes on saturday you show us how to use a g110v2? I thought that was only for the advanced class?

[Murr1525]

Re: kinda new to detailing

The G110 (dont know which version, doesnt really matter) will be shown in regular classes. Rotary use is in the more advanced class.