Detailing my first black car tommorow.... help! ( pics inside )

[Lynx131]

Hey guys, well i have to detail my aunts 99 Grand Prix for her. The car is black with an aftermarket hood. Im just intimidated i dont know how to go about doing this? Do i apply products in small circles or go in straight lines?

There is a bunch of swirl marks in the paint. The pictures dont really show how many there are. THere are alot. They seem to be very fine, so swirl remover should remove them.

Should i apply the swirl removier with my orbital buffer or by hand? I have a number of meguiars products in my cabinet, polishes almost every wax cleaners.. etc.. What do you guys think i should do? What products should i use? How should i apply it?

Thanks guys, im just intimidated because the car is black, lol, id like to get it where the black is like perfect, with a crisp clear reflection... if thats possible... Let me know what you think, here are the pics...

Thanks for you help guys!!!

http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/users/41b736d7ze38e6419/92e7/__sr_/a75e.jpg?phTyhUCBgcpJD8tS

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Lynx131,

I don't seem to be able to pull up any of the photos?

A couple of things, if you want to remove swirls out of any type of paint, then you have to remove a little bit of paint in order to level or flatten out the surface as best you can.

If you want to do this by hand, then you need to use a product like ScratchX See the below link,

Before


After ScratchX, Deep Crystal Polish and one application of NXT Tech Wax Paste



The power of ScratchX by Hand!

If you want to do this by machine then you can try your orbital buffer, but if it looks similar to one of these,



Then how effective you will be will be determined by how hard the paint is because these type of polishers are not very effective at removing small particles of paint. In fact, you with your hand pushing a foam applicator with some ScratchX against the finish will be more effective in almost every case.

When you reference a swirl remover, do you mean, M09 Swirl Remover 2.0?

If so, this is a very, very gentle cleaner/polish and in most cases if you want to remove swirls with this product, (remove paint), best results are had when applied with a rotary buffer and either a polishing pad or a finishing pad.

If this car is a daily driver, and after you polish it out it is going to be run through a car wash, (Does your grandma wash her own car? or take it through a car wash?), the reality is, all of the swirls are going to return if the car is not properly maintained after your best efforts.

I'm not saying to not try, just be aware of how the car is going to be treated after your work. It's hard to maintain a swirl free finish on a black finish for someone dedicated to the job.

If you're mostly interested in doing this for the experience, then go for it!

"You never know what you can do until you try"

As far as which direction to move your hand goes, Meguiar's teaches that if the products you're using are non-abrasive, that is they are not instilling scratches, then it doesn't matter which direction you move your hand while applying products. If the products you are applying are instilling scratches, then it's not a matter of moving your hand in a certain direction, but to stop using those products and re-evaluate your process.

Mike

[RDVT4ME]

Don't let the black paint intimidate you. Follow Mike's info and you should be OK.

Try a small section and see how that works before you dig into the entire car. Trying a small section and seeing success will build your confidence! Just take your time and check your work as you go.

You should be doing this in a shaded area. After you do some work, take it into the sun and see how it looks.

Best of luck!