I have these light swirls/scratches in my car that are driving me crazy. I finally tried out my PC today, but i'm not too sure as if i'm doing it right or wrong. I've been using a orange propel pad with SSR 2.5. I then tried to go over it with a green pad and SSR 1. I removes some stuff, but there are still very light things. Here are my questions:

am i using the right pad and product combo?
how long should it take me to do a 2x2 section?

any help is appreciated.

mike

 

I'll soon be working on the light swirls on my Black finish, but I'm going to try by hand first.

Did you too?

What polish are you using?

 

if you don't now what you are doing, stop and get yourself some Meguiar's ScratchX and use a terry towel and some elbow grease.

i would ask octaneguy for his input on your pad choice.

 

I don't want to cover the swirls, I want to remove them, so scratchx is out of the question. I have read a lot of what to do (hours on autopia) and went to a small detailing clinic where we used the PC for a bit, however, there wasn't much of an effort in trying to remove the light swirls. Rather we just worked on technique a bit and remove more visible swirls. Anyways, I think i'm using a good combo, but I just can't seem to be getting the swirls out.

Well, I think i'm just going to go green with poorboy SSR1 and zaino it up for the day. Maybe I will learn the exactnessof removing swirls some other day.

 

I'm a huge fan of the Sonus products... pads and polishes for the PCDA.

I'd be thinking about the green or blue pad w/ the mid-grade (SFX-2) polish for light swirls.

Sorry, but I don't know much about the pads / polish you are using. OctaneGuy will hopefully come along and save the day (If he has recovered from driving that rental car across the Dragon)! Maybe BradB... he's used alot of different products as well.

 

ScratchX is a mild abrasive. it will remove swirls.

but your swirls sounds more like a scratch in a circle formation...

 

If you really want to get serious about detailing, and get real, solid results, I'd recommend spending the $25 on this DVD: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=68823 .

It will answer all your questions, and then some, and then some more after that.
It helped me go from this



To this:





This was with Megiuars Pad #8006 using their #80 Product (good for removing swirls).
Followed by Meguiars Pad #9006 Finishing Pad with Synthetic Sealant #21
Followed by two coats of NXT Wax with Meguiars Pad #9006 FInishing Pad

All on a Dual Action Polisher.

 

I'm here!! I'm here!!! LOL.

Yeah, just to clear up some confusion, ScratchX is a paint cleaner that uses diminishing abrasives. It's a very effective product when used correctly. Almost EVERYBODY uses ScratchX wrong.

Watch this video clips to see how it's used properly.
http://www.showcargarage.com/vid/60c..._scratchx2.wmv

A PC using with a mild paint cleaner with diminishing abrasives will remove light swirls, as long as the paint isn't too hard. A rotary buffer with a polishing pad and that same mild paint cleaner will do it even better.

The trick to removing swirls is to identify how bad they are so you can apply the right combo of tools and chemicals.

Take some blue painters tape--tape off an area.



Polish out the area next to the tape line. Remove the tape, and see if you've made a difference.



If you've used the right technique, there should be a noticeable difference.
Since you're new to the PC, get this video--it will change your life. Seriously.
Like skitelluride531 said....

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=68823

 

there are very light and sort of scattered swirls and also the paint isn't that bad where the difference would be dramatic. I have to really look hard and focus on the incadescent light to find the swirls. I'll look into the video and try to get some pics of the swirls. I already zaino'ed it up and everything, so I dont know when the next time I will try another polishing session, maybe after the video. I dont want to cut down the clear coat too much. 31 bucks does hurt the pocket though.

thanks for the suggestions.

 

If your car is Jet Black, don't look at it under flourescent light - you'll want to cry. Incandescent is more forgiving when it come to surface scratches than flourescent light (at least with Jet Black).

Ken's right about just using Scratch-X and a little elbow grease. As others have said, Scratch-X is a polish not a filler. If you want to "enjoy the detailing hobby" and spend money on polishers and videos, go crazy.

 

The PC is safe for your clear coat. This is the kind of misconception that the video clears up. Just like whatever you read about ScratchX, you have much to learn.

$31 might seem like a lot of money, but so is spending money on chemicals and tools that aren't used properly. Learn the basics well, and then you might have a chance at restoring your finish to the degree that makes you happy regardless of what products you use to get there.

Richard

 

really, but it seems like common sense that when you remove swirls you are basically removing clear coat to the point of the swirl. the video will definitely be my next investment.

as for getting scratch-x instead of going crazy, I already have everything and do enjoy detailing, so I'm all for the learning process. if only someone was in the chicago area that could show me exactly how to do this all..

btw, my car is PW/B.

 

scratchx = paint clenaer with diminishing abraisives = doesnt work with swirls but only light scratches?

 

Light swirls aren't very deep. We're talking about microscopic levels here. You can't feel them with your fingernail, yet you can see them. A PC, abrades the surface using paint cleaners that feel soft to the skin, yet actually contain microscopic diminishing abrasives in it. Remember, anytime you rub your paint surface, even by hand, you are abrading it. Use ScratchX by hand? Sure, that'll remove some clearcoat as well. Point being, different tools and techniques remove more or less clearcoat, and it's not necessarily true that a PC will thin the clear just by using it.

Your logic is applied more frequently to scratch removal where in order to remove a gouge or a scratch, the surrounding clear coat needs to be leveled. To do that, you need a rotary buffer, and that will compromise your paint over time.

Richard

 

ScratchX is effective on swirls and light scratches. It all depends on the technique. If you aren't sweating and grimacing in pain that your fingers are about to fall off, then you aren't using ScratchX properly. Most people apply it with a pad, let it dry, then try to buff it off, cussing that it doesn't come off easily, the cussing more that it still looks the same.

That's because you need to work it in and let the physical abrasives work against the swirls and scratches. Once it's broken down, you can wipe it off, and perform it again, up to 5 times. Remember, the only chemical that you let dry is a wax. Polishes/paint cleaners are applied, used, then wiped off while still wet.

Richard

 

There was a home-done study a few years ago by a guy who does tests on waxes/sealants. He measured the paint thickness using an electronic meter on a discarded car hood, polished it every day for a month using a PCDA and paint polish and re-measured. There was no measurable decrease in paint thickness.

 

hmm, i wonder why that i've never heard this before, definitely important information. I guess i've been out of the "scene" for a while, been about a year since I last visited the forums.

anyways, considering all this, it seems that there is no danger in the PC at all anymore and no real way to screw anything up. true?

 

I'm not sure if it was the same study, but there was a similar one done on Meguiarsonline.com awhile back and they came to the same conclusion.

I wouldn't go that far. Sure you can screw things up using a PC. Put an aggressive pad with an aggressive chemical. Or drop the PC on your finish. Or use the included handle, tilt the PC on an edge, and gouge the paint with the handle. You can also use the PC very ineffectively by not using it properly. Use too much chemical, or work it in too long until it becomes a dry buff, etc. There are lots of ways to use it wrong.

 

well, i mean besides things like hitting the actual PC on the car.

but in terms of aggressive chemicals and aggressive pad or working it to dry, as long as there aren't MORE scratches, you're good?

 

Oh you could also use a dirty pad--dirty meaning--dropping a pad on the floor, getting stuff stuck to it, then buffing your paint with it.

How you use any tool, is all about technique. Have good technique and whatever tool you use will be fine. Achieving good technique is done by practice and lots of it and/or by instruction from someone more knowledgeable.

Richard

 

This is a great thread! I just ordered the DVD, as my black convertible that is 6 years old needs some TLC. I'll post some pics after I try, and we'll see how a total novice can do after studying the video

 

I saw a TV commercial today for the first time for The Scratch Doctor which is an abrasive polish from the Nu-Finish people...wipe on and then wipe off and the scratch is gone...sounds so good that you might say it is too good to be true.....seems like Nu-Finish's version of Scratch-X

 

That's not possible to wipe something off then wipe it off in one pass to remove a scratch. It's like saying, I've got some 60 grit sand paper here, I'll use that to remove a scratch. Uhm no. Just the same. I've got some 2500 grit paper, one wipe and the scratch is gone. Uhm no again.

The point I'm making is that you can't physically remove a scratch in a wipe on/wipe off manner regardless of whether you're using a very abrasive or minimally abrasive product. However I would believe that it's masking the scratch by filling it in.

Regardless of what the product is, in order to remove a scratch, you're going to have to remove some paint around the scratch.

Richard

Thanks for ordering the DVD. Any questions on it should be pointed to our forum at www.ShowCarGarage.com since that's where Mike and I hang out most of the time, and are ready to answer any questions from the DVD.

 

Obviously!!! .....but it was a very entertaining commercial....definitely falls nito the 'too good to be true' category, but has anyone else seen this commercial?

 

Get the DVD. It will change your life!

No but seriously, if you are serious about detailing your car and keeping it at tip top shape, that video is fantastic for showing how to use the PC. Mike does make it look easy because the paint he is polishing is a soft black single stage but the technique is key and he is extremely skilled. Proper technique yields perfect results.

With most clear coat finishes you may need to make more than one pass with your product and pad. Ideally, you should do a test spot first in a small area so you can gauge your process before spending 6 hours polishing and finishing where you started. It is all explained in the DVD.

I'm also over at www.showcargarage.com however am not affiliated with it as Richard and Mike are. Great, great site.