Paint Correction Question

[ThunderGun10]

I have been lurking on the forum since I bought my truck a few months ago and figured it was time to make an account. I know there are a lot of posts about removing swirls but after reading a lot of them I wanted to ask some questions about my specific situation.


I bought a slightly used 2017 F150 with only 5k miles about 2 months ago. The color of the truck is Lithium Grey and is more of a flat color. I bought it on a cloudy/rainy day from a local dealership. I did my best to look at the paint and didn't see any dents and only a couple minor surface scratches. Fast forward 2 months and a couple of car washes later and I started noticing a lot of light swirl marks and more light scratches then I noticed on the day I bought it. I'm not sure if these are from the previous owner or if they are what you guys call DISO. I have little to no experience with detailing cars, although I always keep my cars clean. The swirl marks are only really noticeable in direct light at the right angle. I traded in a red 2014 Ford Explorer and never noticed swirl marks on that like I have on my truck.


Anyway, I have been reading a lot online and keep going back and forth about whether or not I should buy a DA polisher and try it myself or take it to a detailer. Since I don't have any experience I am worried I might make things worse or damage my paint, but I also have a hard time trusting a random detailer to work on my car.


I found a local detailer with great online reviews and stopped by there last night. He said he would use Meguiars D300 to remove the swirls and then finish with D301. I wasn't familiar with those products but after reading about them I am wondering if D300 is a bit too aggressive. When considering if I would do it myself I figured I would use a very light cutting polish to remvoe the swirls, but again, I have no experience. The products I was considering based on a little research were #83 or m205.


I am curious what you guys think and if this sound like the right thing to be doing. I am worried about doing more damage to the clear coat or making it look even worse than it does now. I plan on having this truck for a very long time so I don't want to wear down the clear coat too much and cause issues several years from now. Does D300 sound like the right product to be using? Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.


I have included a couple pictures of the swirls and scratches. Sorry for the water and salt spots, it is impossible to keep a clean car in Wisconsin this time of year.

[bowlerr]

Re: Paint Correction Question

Welcome to the group. I am by no means an expert, but I can tell you I got an MT300 a couple years back and absolutely love using it. And best of all, while any machine can do damage to a car, it is tough to do when using a DA with any hint of knowledge. Also consider going one step up or down on the pads. Because of the really soft paint on my car I use a black finishing pad with M205 because it's all my car needs. As far as the products, I have never used D300 or 301, but I can say M205 is an amazing product and M210 is supposed to be even better. Best recommendation would probably be what others here will tell you and that is to do a test spot after properly prepping the surface (wash, clay) and see which one gives you the results you want. And make sure to not do it in the sun because all the polishes are a pain to deal with in direct sunlight (I know, living at an apartment in New Mexico; many nights spent after the sun went down working on mine). Good luck with whatever route you go with.

[The Guz]

Re: Paint Correction Question

It sounds like the dealer applied a glaze and it washed off and you are now seeing the true paint.

You will be fine with a dual action polisher but you will have to decide if you want learn and do it on your own or have someone do it. Learning how to do this is not hard at all and it takes practice to get better just like anything else.

Looking at these photos, it does look like it needs to be compounded. But to be safe a test spot with a polish and polishing pad will tell you what is really needed.

D300 is a fine compound and works well with the microfiber cutting pads it was designed for. Slightly more aggressive than ultimate compound for the consumer. D301 is a cleaner wax/All In One type product.

First off you will need a dual action polisher and pads. You have a few options if you wish to pursue this yourself in terms of products.

You can use a cleaner wax/ AIO type product. For example the new 3 in 1 wax which cleans, polishes and protects. This contains light abrasives which will remove light to moderate defects.

You can use a polish such as M205 with a polishing pad to remove light to moderate defects and follow up with the protection of your choice.

Or you can use a compound and polish to do a full correction. This will take out the heavier defects. It is also the most time consuming. You can use something like ultimate compound or the new M110 compound on a cutting pad followed by M205 on a polishing pad followed by the protection of your choice.