Ultimate Compound or SwirlX

[jarrodp]

Hello all,

I'm new to the sight and curious on what type of compound (Ultimate Compund or SwirlX) to use to remove swirl marks from a black truck. The truck has swirls all over but they are fine. What steps would any of you guys use to get the black in the truck to shine again? What order would be used Ultimate Compound, Deep Crystal Polish, NXT 2.0 Wax (Just an example)? Also would foam pads be the best to use to apply these with a random orbital buffer. What about microfiber pads? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Shawn T.]

Re: Ultimate Compound or SwirlX

I would buy both Ultimate Compound and Swirlx. You may not need Ultimate Compound but it is good to have for nasty scratches or deeper swirls.

Order of cleaning, polishing and then waxing:
1) Ultimate Compound or Swirlx
1a) Follow up with Swirlx if Ultimate Compound was needed and left a little haze
2) Polish with Deep Crystal Polish, M07 Show Car Glaze or M05 New Car Glaze
3) Wax of your choice. Use 2 thin coats. By thin, we mean thin.

A thin coat:



I would use foam applicators for each step. You can purchase a donzen for $10: http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/x-3070-6.html. They are machine washable and last a long time.

I wouldn't use the random orbital. I think you will get better correction by hand. The random orbitals from Wal-Mart, Autozone, etc. do not have the power needed to remove defects. They make great wax spreaders though so you can use it for that step if you wish.

So, your whole process should look like this:
1) Wash with a quality car wash: Gold Class, NXT, Deep Crystal
2) Dry with microfiber towels. You can even use the microfiber drying towels from places like Wal-Mart or Autozone.
3) Clay with Smooth Surface Clay Kit. This is a necessary step to achieve the best possible shine.
4) Ultimate Compound or Swirlx. Do a test spot for both and see which one looks better to you.
4a) Follow Ultimate Compound with Swirlx to remove any hazing (hairline scratches) left by Ultimate Compound.
5) Deep Crystal Polish
6) Two thin coats of wax


If you do this by hand you should break it up over about two weeks or so. Do one panel a day and no more. Paint correction by hand is hard and it takes some passion to remove those swirls. Your arms should be tired afterwards. Do the full process on each panel, each day you choose. Do a panel every other day or so. Foam applicators will be better than microfiber IMHO.

[Big Ed5150]

Re: Ultimate Compound or SwirlX

i too would be interested in this. I have a black charger

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Ultimate Compound or SwirlX

Whether you need Ultimate Compound, SwirlX or anything else is totally dependent on the paint, the level of defect, your application process (hand or D/A) and what your expectations are.

Jarrod has a black truck, BigEd has a black Charger. The only common thing here is both are painted black. The paint on these two vehicles could be as different as the vehicles themselves so what works beautifully on Jarrod's truck may or may not work as well on the Charger. If the finish on either has just very light swirls, nothing really all that heavy, and you're working with a D/A, start with SwirlX on a W8207 yellow polishing pad at speed 5 with moderate pressure. If the swirls are really heavy and you've also got some random deeper scratches, start with UC on the same pad and speed settings.

If you're working exclusively by hand, stick with the UC.

In all cases, do a test spot first and re-evaluate the finish in good light after doing so. If you have delicate paint then you may find an aggressive applicator (terry cloth) or an aggressive liquid causing some light hazing in the paint. If you find you need the more aggressive approach to remove the defects but are lightly hazing the paint in the process, don't sweat it. You can easily remove the light hazing with a less aggressive product like SwirlX, ColorX, Cleaner Wax, etc. But odds are you won't see any hazing at all - it's not all that common. We only bring it up because if it does happen and you aren't prepared for it, it can throw you at first. As a matter of fact, sometimes hazing is so very, very light that can barely see it and a simple coat of wax takes care of it. So don't read too much into this, just keep it in the back of your mind.