Well, I've had my car for 16 months now and have pampered it from day 1! My finish has been the envy of all those who know me! Until recently, I had no fine scratches or swirl marks, just the inevitable rock chips on my front end. After a recent car washing, I noticed an abundance of swirl marks all over the car. Obviously, I'm to blame...whether it be from drying the car or previous wax removal. However, I always use 100% cotton towels. Anyway, I'm looking for some advice on removing swirl marks(products/processes) and bringing my finish back to life! I think it's time to change something I've been doing!

Appreciate all your help!

Chris

 

3M Hand Glaze followed by a few coats of Mequires Gold Class wax...

 

It depends if it's a lot of swirl marks and over the whole car... If it's just swirls in one area, maybe you could do it yourself, but if it's kinda extensive, just let someone compound it by machine, but bring it to a reputable shop. Sometimes hand jobs just don't cut it. You need the real deal...

 

When you wash your car use long straight motions, and rinse your wash cloth out frequently in a seperate bucket than your soap one. hth?

 

I have found that 3M hand glaze dosen't do **** for swirl marks and neither will a couple coats of wax.

I use 3M swirl mark remover with an orbital buffer and have had great results removing swirls. It does take a couple applications over one area to remove all the swirls depending on how bad they are.

 

Meguiars and Mothers both make swirl mark removers - all are mild polishes.

Use a random orbital buffer for application and removal.

Finish with a hand coat of carnauba wax.

 

go to the how to section of http://www.carcareonline.com!!!

damn, i get tires of answering the same questions all the time!

 

..."Sometimes hand job don't cut it. You need the real deal...."

man if that ain't the truth.

 

I've found the 3M Hand Glaze to work great - and the wax wasn't to remove the swirls...

 

I highly recommend Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover (tan bottle). This is a cleaner and a polish in one bottle and it does a very good job of removing swirl marks, blemishes and light oxidation. Another one that I have used is Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze. This is a pure polish and it is very good for adds a lot depth to dark colors. You can go to http://www.meguiars.com to read more about these and other Meguiar's polish products.



[Modified by BSQ, 4:37 PM 11/13/2001]

 

if you want shine/gloss use Zaino!
I just detailed my mom's black '93 LS400 that was full of swirl marx. This car has seen 7 yrs of the automated car washed as was full of swirl marks which made the paint look dull. I've tried several different types of polishes and waxes for the past 1.5yrs. Everything from Mother's, Meguiar's, Turtle Wax, Formula 2000, 3M, etc. Two weeks ago I purchased Zaino #1 and Zaino #5. After just one coat of each, it just blew away I've tried anything so far. The car is a deep glossy black again and mom's friends thought she bought a new car

yoshi - who will put on Zaino on #234 s00n

 

After hearing vaporsi's little speech (more like a lecture actually) on zaino products, i'm going to give it a try.

 

i saw the results myself. I am in shock! I will use the Zaino when I get a chance to clay it.

-Aoib0t, who cannot wait for 1 zaino app!

 

Where can I pick up this Zaino?

 

in the LA area from Ira http://www.lazaino.com He's super nice and will answer any questions.

yoshi - who thought Ira was Larry David at first

 

Guys, while 3M Intermediate Hand Glaze (IHG) can temoparily hide swirls by way of lots of oils/fillers, it unfortunately does not last very long and does not remove the swirls. To remove the swirls, you need an abrasive product. I've use Meguiars #9 and it really is not very potent. 3M makes the best abrasives IMO, and they include Swirl Mark Remover and Perfect-It Fine Cut Rubbing Compound. You can find these at your local auto parts store for about $10 a bottle. I would start with the swirl mark remover since it is less aggressive than the Fine Cut stuff. Both are safe to apply by hand and will actually remove the swirls.

If you would prefer to HIDE the swirls, I recommend you consider a polymer product, such as Zaino z5, since it lasts much much longer than 3M IHG. An example of what Zaino did to the swirls on my mom's TL can be found at http://www.geocities.com/yell00itr/TL3

To avoid future swirls, try and do the following:
1. Avoid any automatic car wash or wash where your car is towel dried by attendants.
2. Try and use 2 buckets when washing your car...1 with your soap solution and one with plain water. After washing a panel, dip your mit in the plain water and wring out. Now you can go back into your soapy solution and continue. This helps to reduce the amount of dirt on your mitt.
3. Do not use a sponge or brush on your car. Try to use a 100% cotton chenille mitt or towel.
4. Dry using a 200mph leaf blower (electric). If you must use a towel, make sure it is 100% cotton. Be leary of cheap towels that have very little nap that claim to be 100% cotton.


[Modified by Yell00ITR, 5:29 PM 11/13/2001]