GJ-Molestor
Banned
- :
- 2011 BMW 528i, 2015 Mazda 6, 1995 Nissan Maxima Manual
Swirl marks can b removed a few different ways. The first and most tedious is by hand. You need a lot of time, a lot of elbow grease and a decent polish. I don't recommend this way at all. Second way is with machine polishing. There are two types of machines, rotary or circular polishers and Dual Action polishers (DA's). Rotary Polishers can be tricky to use correctly and can damage the paint in a hurry is used incorrectly. They just spin on a single axis. If used improperly you can induce more swirls and holograms into the paint. These are holograms:
The preferred method is with a Dual Action polisher that both spins freely and orbits. It's almost impossible to burn the paint with a DA since too much pressure stops the pad from spinning and it just wiggles on the paint. One should always start with the least aggressive polish and pad combo and work their way up until a combination is found that will remove the defects and achieve the desired results. HD Speed is a great all in one polish that will remove most swirl marks and leave behind protection in one step. Meguiars M205 is also a very easy to use light finishing polish that will remove swirl marks. Deep scratches and other paint defect might need a stronger compound like M105 followed by M205 to clear up any haze left by M105. Any time you polish or compound you are remove a little of the clear coat so don't do it all to often. That's the reason that proper wash technique is important, so you don't induce swirls and have to keep polishing.
For interior, a good shop vac is a must. I like to meguiars APC (All Purpose Cleaner D101) dilute to 10:1. If the carpets are really dirty and vacuuming alone doesn't clean them up I will spray APC in the carpets, agitate with a carpet brush and use the shop vac sans filter to suck up the dirty cleaning solution. I use APC in seats, dash, steering wheel, pretty much anywhere. The trick is to do the least amount of work to get it clean. Don't use a high dilution like 4:1 when 10:1 will do the trick. Follow the APC cleaning with a decent protectant like 303 aerospace protectant. Be sure to have plenty of microfibers on hand. I've bought 3 different color microfibers for different uses on the car. One color only sees exterior paint, one for interiors and another cheaper quality for door jabs, wheels and engine cleaning.
As far as claying baring the car goes, there is no harm in claying the car too often other then wasting time. A good way to tell if the car needs to be clayed is to do the baggie swipe test. Put your hand in a sandwhich bag and run it along the paint, if it feels rough or gritty then it's time to clay bar. the Clay lifts those bonded contaminates off the surface. Another good thing to do is to decontaminate the car with something like IronX. Iron X will dissolve any iron that has bonded to the paint and remove it so your clay doesn't get as dirty and you'll have less chances of inducing scratches and swirls.
- is polishing something that can be learned on your own with the right tools? Im worried about messing something up, cant decide if I should get my cars detailed at a shop or try it myself. My friend does have a polishing tool so I will probably try with him.
- I tried pressure washing all the carpets in the car recently, and it did a very good job of getting all the dirt out! I highly recommend trying this because its easier, less work involved and the carpets looked brand new afterwards. So satisfying.
- for clay barring, do you need to wash the car first and then clay it, or the other way around? No problems clay barring a car thats already covered in wax, correct?
Thank you
