So frustrated-- SwirlX putting more swirls on paint than taking off

[Jeep_Guy]

I have a 2011 black Jeep Wrangler. Last week I washed it using the two bucket method and then wanted to put a coat of SwirlX on the paint to remove what little swirls it had. I did a small test section on the hood using a Meguiars yellow foam applicator pad and it only put more swirls on the paint. The paint look good before I applied the SwirlX, but now that test section has micro swirls all over.

I then tried Ultimate Polish on the section so I could take the SwirlX off, and the UP made it even worse. Not only did it leave micro swirls but left a hazy, cloudy finish too. Luckily, after several coats of Meguairs ColorX and liquid wax I was able to get it looking halfway decent.

Now on to the funny part....we had a huge storm blow through my area last Friday and it dumped golfball size hail on my Jeep and dented the hood all up. My insurance is having the hood replaced. Now that I will have a new hood with a fresh coat of paint, I want to be able to use the correct products in order to keep the swirls away.

Why was SwirlX and UP causing swirls, when they are supposed to do the exact opposite? Any insight is much appreciated.

[davey g-force]

Re: So frustrated-- SwirlX putting more swirls on paint than taking off

It could be that you had very soft paint and you needed to only use a very mild product like ColorX to start with.

Please be aware though, that after the hood is re-painted it will behave differently to before, as you will now be dealing with OEM paint as opposed to factory paint. As always, a test spot would be in order.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: So frustrated-- SwirlX putting more swirls on paint than taking off

How much pressure were you using when applying the product?

How long was your work cycle (on average)? Did the product fully dry before removal, or did you remove it when still somewhat wet?

Have you ever used any other polishes or compounds on this vehicle in the past? If so, what were they and how did they perform?

[davey g-force]

Re: So frustrated-- SwirlX putting more swirls on paint than taking off

I must say, I'm surprised that UP marred your paint, since it is such a mild product. Were you working with a clean pad / microfibers?

Your philosophy of "putting on" and "taking off" coats of SwirlX interests me. SwirlX (and UP for that matter) is essentially not like a wax or sealant where a layer of product remains on the paint.* You work it in to the paint to remove the defects, then remove the product while it is still wet. Is that how you used it?

* Yes I know some polishing oils etc may be left behind but that's not the main intent of SwirlX.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: So frustrated-- SwirlX putting more swirls on paint than taking off

Very delicate paint can be extremely frustrating, and often times it's actually harder to work on by hand than with a machine. That's because it's very easy to produce pressure points with your fingers, even when using a proper foam wax applicator pad. These pressure points then easily create overly aggressive spots, even with a fairly non aggressive liquid and pad, and you end up with some very unappealing marks in the paint.

Have a read through The Challenge of Delicate Paint for some pointers on dealing with this type of paint. Picking up the hand pad and some 4" buffing pads might be a huge help for you here.

Of course, that issue with the pending respray on the hood is going to change things, at least on that panel. The aftermarket paint is going to be quite a bit different from the factory paint and most likely it won't be as delicate as what you have now. That's great for the hood, but you're still going to have this delicate factory paint on the rest of the car, which means you may well have two quite different processes needed to get a uniform appearance on the entire vehicle. On a side note, you're the only person we've ever heard refer to extensive hail damage as the funny part of the story. That's either an indication of a great sense of humor about life in general, or you really were extremely frustrated by this paint!

[ffboy]

Re: So frustrated-- SwirlX putting more swirls on paint than taking off

Was it applied like a wax or worked in sections and removed while wet? Megs polishes/cleaners have to be removed while wet. Ideally, you have to work in square foot areas, work the product in until it turns into a bit clear then remove while wet. If some swirls still remain, you have to re-do or reapply the product until it becomes mostly swirl free.

After that, you can finish up with color X to refine the results even more, then on to wax/sealant

[davey g-force]

Re: So frustrated-- SwirlX putting more swirls on paint than taking off

...you will now be dealing with OEM paint as opposed to factory paint...

Apologies, I meant to say: you will now be dealing with aftermarket paint as opposed to factory paint.

[Jeep_Guy]

Re: So frustrated-- SwirlX putting more swirls on paint than taking off

Very delicate paint can be extremely frustrating, and often times it's actually harder to work on by hand than with a machine. That's because it's very easy to produce pressure points with your fingers, even when using a proper foam wax applicator pad. These pressure points then easily create overly aggressive spots, even with a fairly non aggressive liquid and pad, and you end up with some very unappealing marks in the paint.

Have a read through The Challenge of Delicate Paint for some pointers on dealing with this type of paint. Picking up the hand pad and some 4" buffing pads might be a huge help for you here.

Of course, that issue with the pending respray on the hood is going to change things, at least on that panel. The aftermarket paint is going to be quite a bit different from the factory paint and most likely it won't be as delicate as what you have now. That's great for the hood, but you're still going to have this delicate factory paint on the rest of the car, which means you may well have two quite different processes needed to get a uniform appearance on the entire vehicle. On a side note, you're the only person we've ever heard refer to extensive hail damage as the funny part of the story. That's either an indication of a great sense of humor about life in general, or you really were extremely frustrated by this paint!

That's just a reflection of my sense of humor. I just found it ironic that I spend so much time washing, waxing, and caring for my Jeep only to have all that hard work wiped out in a 5 minute hail storm. No worries though, the insurance will take care of the repairs and I am getting an aftermarket heat reduction hood made by AEV as a replacement.

At the other guys: I worked the SwirlX in with 4-6 circular passes with medium pressure and wiped off wet, although I made the mistake of applying the UP in the sun and it dried up pretty quick on me and I had to wipe it off dry. I was using clean pads and microfibers. I always wash them after each use and store in a plastic bag to keep dust and debris off them.