Swirls & Scratches

[Harleydude]

I have a 2000 Z28 that needs some TLC. Therer are swirls,scratches all over. I think whoever owned it last liked the car wash. I have a Black & Decker 6" random orbit polisher 4400 opm, what would you recommend I use to get rid of these swirls? I know that I may not get rid of all of them, but I'd like it to look better in the sun.
Thanks,
Darrell

[Shawn T.]

Re: Swirls & Scratches

I recommend picking up some Swirlx and Ultimate Compound. Do a test spot with Swirlx first (as it is the least aggressive) and see if it works and make sure to try it by hand and your orbital. The orbitals will sometimes work but sometimes fail to generate the necessary power to remove the swirls. Your hands can be more effective tools.

If Swirlx leaves a nice finish then continue to use the same process (either via orbital or human hand power) on the rest of the car. If Swirlx fails to remove any of the swirls then try some Ultimate Compound via hands and orbital with test spots. It could take 3-4 applications of either product to successfully remove a majority of the swirls. For my CooperS it takes a minimum of 4 well-worked applications of Swirlx to remove most of the swirling. I also found that using the "palm technique" works better than using your fingertips when working by hand.

Palm Technique- Center your palm on the foam applicator and move in horizaontal and vertical motions instead of circles. Going in circles never allowed me to generate enough "passion" to remove the swirls. Additionally, when I use this method, the foam applicator is almost pancaked against the paint. I am not worried though because I know that the pressure is distributed among the entire 4.5" diameter pad giving me about 15 in^2 of surface area working against the paint. Using your fingertipds and similar pressure yields only 4 ovals that actually work increasing the risk of adding swirls. You could also pick up a hand pad which ultimately does the same thing as the "palm technique."

After this cleaning step, you can move to a wax of your choice. I am partial to Gold Class wax as it is the first product I ever bought from Meguiars and IT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The wax wil also hide any of the faint swirls remaining in the finish so that they are invisible even in the sunlight. Remember, 2 thin coats work best and one thick coat is simply not good and wastes product.

GOOD LUCK!

[Harleydude]

Re: Swirls & Scratches

Thanks for the info. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.
Darrell