Removing mild swirls!

[JLTSX07]

Hey guys,

Need some advice. I'm going to detail a buddy's 2004 Acura TSX - carbon gray pearl - same as mine.

Anyway, he has some VERY VERY mild swirls. They actually appear more like little scratches when the sun hits it just right. Otherwise, the paint looks pretty flawless.

Here's my question. He has used the new Swirl-X on the ENTIRE car twice by hand with a Meg's Foam Applicator. He told me that he couldn't remove these very subtle swirl/marring by hand. If I take my G-100 with a W8006 soft buff 1.0 pad, will I be able to polish the remaining swirl marks out with Swirl-X, or will I most likely need to bump up to Ultimate Compound?

Also, if I do need to use Ultimate Compound, how many passes do I want to make, and will I need to follow up with Swirl-X afterwards, or will the paint be LSP ready?

As far as the Swirl-X goes, how many passes would I want to make with that?

Lastly, I have crappy lighting in my garage, and I don't own one of those halogen light stands that most detailers have, so sometimes it's hard to see if I really removed the swirls or not. Is there an easy way to tell without the light stand? I plan on picking one up, but if there's a good way to tell in interim, that would be great!

Thanks guys!

Jeff

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Removing mild swirls!

Your plan sounds good
Start with Swirl-X and see how it works
Always start with the least aggressive method
Here's some links to help you out
What it means to remove a scratch out of anything...
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[JLTSX07]

Re: Removing mild swirls!

Sounds good!

Would my best bet be to use Swirl-X, or should I use something like M205?

Also, can someone provide me with the link that show's the products from most aggressive, to least aggressive?

Lastly, will I get better results using Swirl-X with the G-100, or M80 with the G-100? I can remember which one is more aggressive.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Removing mild swirls!

If I take my G-100 with a W8006 soft buff 1.0 pad, will I be able to polish the remaining swirl marks out with Swirl-X, or will I most likely need to bump up to Ultimate Compound?

You'll need one or the other so take them both.

Seriously, you don't know what you can do until you try

All detailing projects should start with a Test Spot, the results from your first test spot will either give you a green light to go ahead or you'll need to do another Test Spot.

You dial-in a process that works GREAT to one small area and then duplicate this over the rest of the car but you won't know what you can do until you bring that foam polishing pad down onto the paint with the SwirlX first and after buffing 4-6 passes over a small section, wiping the residue off and inspecting the results.

Also, if I do need to use Ultimate Compound, how many passes do I want to make, and will I need to follow up with Swirl-X afterwards, or will the paint be LSP ready?

After you do your first test spot you'll know if SwirlX is removing the defects and leaving a LSP-ready finish, if not then you'll try UC. After trying UC if it goes this far, inspect teh quality of the finish left by the UC and if it's acceptable to you then go ahead and seal the paint. If it doesn't then do a test spot using the SwirlX and make sure that it's removing any thing left by the compounding step and if it does then you can seal the paint. It's all about doing a test spot at the very beginning and this will guide you at to what you need to do to reach your goal.

As far as the Swirl-X goes, how many passes would I want to make with that?

4-6 over an area about 20" square or so...

Lastly, I have crappy lighting in my garage, and I don't own one of those halogen light stands that most detailers have, so sometimes it's hard to see if I really removed the swirls or not. Is there an easy way to tell without the light stand? I plan on picking one up, but if there's a good way to tell in interim, that would be great!

Thanks guys!

Jeff

Invest in a Brinkman Xenon Light, great investment, you'll really love this flashlight.

Last time I was in Pep Boys the had the exact Brinkman Flashlight you want to get for around $30.00

Here's what you're looking for...




Be wary... the Xenon Flashlight aka The Swirl Finder... is a Cruel Master

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Removing mild swirls!

Would my best bet be to use Swirl-X, or should I use something like M205?

Your best bet is to test SwirlX first.

Also, can someone provide me with the link that show's the products from most aggressive, to least aggressive?

Ask and you shall recieve...

Aggressiveness Order for New Consumer Products - This will surprise you!

Lastly, will I get better results using Swirl-X with the G-100, or M80 with the G-100? I can remember which one is more aggressive.

Different paint systems react differently so there is no concrete yes or now answer. You need to test a product, pad and process to a paint system you're unfamiliar with and see what works best.

[JLTSX07]

Re: Removing mild swirls!

Thanks so much, Mike!

Also, Mike, do you know if you can get the Brinkman flash light at Menards or AutoZone? I will definitely be picking one of these up!

Thanks again!

[03TL_TypeS]

Re: Removing mild swirls!

I need to get some swirls out of my car too thanks for this