From light swirls to now deep looking scratches

[Silver-Aurion]

Alright thanks for all the help davo and djkor. I seriously appreciate it heaps!! :)

[Tash]

As a 'lurker' on this topic I appreciate the advice offered here too - it is very helpful for beginners :) Will definitely be applying Ultimate Compound and Swirl X by hand next weekend.

[Silver-Aurion]

I've been looking heaps over the internet, where can I get a rotary pad that has a velcro backing for using my swirlx?

[Silver-Aurion]

Well I give up. Today I busted out the pads, buffer, to rotary to rid of swirls that you can see in the correct light and angle.

And nothing got rid of them...

FFS. SWIRLX SUCKS.

I applied 6 layers of it with a half hour wait in between. In each process I tried a different way of applying it and nothing worked.

It only reduced it by a little.

Should I try ultimate compound or something with my rotary?

Edited June 8, 2010 by unique

[DJKOR]

Well I give up. Today I busted out the pads, buffer, to rotary to rid of swirls that you can see in the correct light and angle.

And nothing got rid of them...

FFS. SWIRLX SUCKS.

I applied 6 layers of it with a half hour wait in between. In each process I tried a different way of applying it and nothing worked.

It only reduced it by a little.

Should I try ultimate compound or something with my rotary?

I've had great success with Swirl-X and Swirl Remover 2.0.... both with machine and by hand. I still prefer doing it by hand though for precise control.

I wouldn't be blaming a product when the effectiveness of it relies on you own technique.

[-DAvo]

i agree with daryl, ive had great success with swirlx, i can get mine totally mark free with it... so unfortunately it may be coming from your technique... i would suggest you pt the rotary down for the time being and get to it by hand... as the wax attack will not have the poweer to do it, and the rotary will probably have too much power for you at this time...

without seeing how your doing it... i would suggest you go back and watch the youtube videos over and over...

good luck mate! :)

edit:

one thing i dont remember asking is what size of work area are you using? ie i find the most effective way is to divide the aurions front bonnet into 4, that should give you a small enough workspace for thew swirlX to be effective without spreading it out too thin - rendering it useless...

Edited June 9, 2010 by -DAvo

[Silver-Aurion]

Thanks for the replies. I'm pretty sure my technique cannot be wrong. In each pass I tried a difference technique to see what will work and it has only reduced swirls but has not rid my paint to a perfect flawless finish.

Maybe the problem could be using the swirlx with the rotary because I read it is not compatible but it is with swirlx 2.0. I'll give 2.0 a shot. But I gotta say, using a rotary does make life so much easier. I feel confident with it.

I've been thinking though, do you think its impossible for use a product to rid the swirls? I think that the car actually needs to be professionally cut.

How long does swirlx last? Is it something that I need to keep applying?

edit: I taped off a small section on the back, the area above the fuel cap.

Edited June 9, 2010 by unique

[-DAvo]

Thanks for the replies. I'm pretty sure my technique cannot be wrong. In each pass I tried a difference technique to see what will work and it has only reduced swirls but has not rid my paint to a perfect flawless finish.

Maybe the problem could be using the swirlx with the rotary because I read it is not compatible but it is with swirlx 2.0. I'll give 2.0 a shot. But I gotta say, using a rotary does make life so much easier. I feel confident with it.

I've been thinking though, do you think its impossible for use a product to rid the swirls? I think that the car actually needs to be professionally cut.

How long does swirlx last? Is it something that I need to keep applying?

edit: I taped off a small section on the back, the area above the fuel cap.

im getting a bit confused as to what your saying here unique...

firstly afaik there is no "SWIRL X 2.0" yet...? ive check meguiars online and can only find reference to the original SWIRL X... and no i dont think it is impossible to rid your car paint from defects using swirlX (assuming your scratches are not too bad for the product to deal with) as i have managed to do it with mine....

again i wouldnt recommend you use swirlx with a rotary... if your going down the rotary route, i would suggest you start getting mirror glaze products such as M105 and M205...

and if you read up on swirlx, you will find that its not a product that "wears out" like a wax does... instead swirlx uses diminshing abrasives to "flatten out" the swirls in your paint... you will have to reuse swirlx when you introduce more swirls into the paint through washing or daily wear and tear...

so in the end im not sure as to your technique or combinattion of using the wrong tools to apply the product... i would suggest you read up more on the product to fully understand how it works..

good luck with the rotary... hope it works out for you and remember, be bloody careful of any raised edge when using the rotary... would hate to see you burn through the clearcoat :(

[Silver-Aurion]

Thanks for the replies. I'm pretty sure my technique cannot be wrong. In each pass I tried a difference technique to see what will work and it has only reduced swirls but has not rid my paint to a perfect flawless finish.

Maybe the problem could be using the swirlx with the rotary because I read it is not compatible but it is with swirlx 2.0. I'll give 2.0 a shot. But I gotta say, using a rotary does make life so much easier. I feel confident with it.

I've been thinking though, do you think its impossible for use a product to rid the swirls? I think that the car actually needs to be professionally cut.

How long does swirlx last? Is it something that I need to keep applying?

edit: I taped off a small section on the back, the area above the fuel cap.

im getting a bit confused as to what your saying here unique...

firstly afaik there is no "SWIRL X 2.0" yet...? ive check meguiars online and can only find reference to the original SWIRL X... and no i dont think it is impossible to rid your car paint from defects using swirlX (assuming your scratches are not too bad for the product to deal with) as i have managed to do it with mine....

again i wouldnt recommend you use swirlx with a rotary... if your going down the rotary route, i would suggest you start getting mirror glaze products such as M105 and M205...

and if you read up on swirlx, you will find that its not a product that "wears out" like a wax does... instead swirlx uses diminshing abrasives to "flatten out" the swirls in your paint... you will have to reuse swirlx when you introduce more swirls into the paint through washing or daily wear and tear...

so in the end im not sure as to your technique or combinattion of using the wrong tools to apply the product... i would suggest you read up more on the product to fully understand how it works..

good luck with the rotary... hope it works out for you and remember, be bloody careful of any raised edge when using the rotary... would hate to see you burn through the clearcoat :(

So sorry mate, I meant swirl remover 2.0!

Thanks for the further advice. I will look into those two products you mentioned. I don't think I would burn through my clear coat. When I was using the rotary last night it did make the paint surface warm but I controlled it and stopped immediately.

[Wixy]

Scratch removal 101

If the scratch can be caught by a fingernail, the scratch can not be removed. only wet sanding paint removal, and new paint application can solve the issue.

dig here :)

FAQ & How To Articles

use the search function also.

Davo and Djkor are right, if the scratch isnt smoothed out (in other words, removed), its your technique or the non know how of what it means to remove a scratch.

from the sound of things, it might be the fact that the scratch you have might be the primer of your paint job. if thats the case, the use of aggressive solutions will only enhance the "scratch" area.

why dont you provide pictures to better aid us in helping you.

ScratchX 2.0 is one of the most aggressive products. it does not need waiting time. remove residue IMMEDIATELY

goodluck, as said, pictures would be wonderful.

[Wixy]

As a 'lurker' on this topic I appreciate the advice offered here too - it is very helpful for beginners :) Will definitely be applying Ultimate Compound and Swirl X by hand next weekend.

thats the way, anything by hand is the safest. nothing worse than a new diy-er with a machine on their new ride.

[Wixy]

great relevance on this topic.

this thread has been around for EONS, but i finally found this sucker.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4013

[Silver-Aurion]

Well I got my green pad today in the mail, and I tested it out with megs swirl remover 2.0. After improving technique and finding the right speed and amount of product to apply, I can safely say I have eliminated/covered 80% of swirling. I don't think I can get any more then 80%. And I'm not willing to buy more products from now on until I finish what I have because its probably enough to last me a year and then some.

So far I'm very happy with it. I will be doing it properly (whole car) sometime this week. I'll be taking the car in tomorrow to Toyota for something and then few days later I'll start cleaning her.

Before:

After:

[-DAvo]

Well I got my green pad today in the mail, and I tested it out with megs swirl remover 2.0. After improving technique and finding the right speed and amount of product to apply, I can safely say I have eliminated/covered 80% of swirling. I don't think I can get any more then 80%. And I'm not willing to buy more products from now on until I finish what I have because its probably enough to last me a year and then some.

So far I'm very happy with it. I will be doing it properly (whole car) sometime this week. I'll be taking the car in tomorrow to Toyota for something and then few days later I'll start cleaning her.

Before:

After:

great to hear its working out for you! good luck with the rest of the car!

[Silver-Aurion]

Thanks mate. I will never get it to your perfection but at least it's better then before which is all that matters right now. B)

[Wixy]

Thanks mate. I will never get it to your perfection but at least it's better then before which is all that matters right now. B)

i dont think you'd want your car to be perfectly swirl removed...because its your daily drive...

so much so as sitting on your car will create a whole heap of swirls and new born scratches, and so the cycle beginnings and before you know it, your clear coat is feeling/looking awfully thin..............

[Silver-Aurion]

Thanks mate. I will never get it to your perfection but at least it's better then before which is all that matters right now. B)

i dont think you'd want your car to be perfectly swirl removed...because its your daily drive...

so much so as sitting on your car will create a whole heap of swirls and new born scratches, and so the cycle beginnings and before you know it, your clear coat is feeling/looking awfully thin..............

Crap! Thats not good. Do you polish your car heaps? How is your clear coat going?

[-DAvo]

Thanks mate. I will never get it to your perfection but at least it's better then before which is all that matters right now. B)

i dont think you'd want your car to be perfectly swirl removed...because its your daily drive...

so much so as sitting on your car will create a whole heap of swirls and new born scratches, and so the cycle beginnings and before you know it, your clear coat is feeling/looking awfully thin..............

wouldnt the abrasiveness (is that even a word) of the compounds you use have an effect on this?

ie if your constantly using 105/UC instead of 205/swirlX

from reading on MOL, semi regular usee of products as mild as swirlX and 205 dont seem to incur much damamge to the clearcoat thickness, unless we're talking about repeated applications over a good number of years?

i keep my car as swirl free as i can, even though it is my daily drive.. as i dont have the disposable to have a weekender.

normally i will rely on the wax to "fill" some of the minor swirls, but generally once i start seeing swirl marks without having to look for them, ill use the least agressive product i have to flatten them out.