Swirl removal - little help

[BruceJ]

Tried Meguilars "Ultimate polish" with a porter cable orbital and not feeling the luv. Ran 4-6 passes over the same area and the mid speed for the orbital. Car looks great but the swirls havent budged.

What works, besides $500 at the detail shop?
Thanks

[jimbojsb]

Obviously depends on the situation, but I can't say enough good about the Griot's Garage system of machine polishes. Should work well with your PC orbital.

[JPWEraser]

I have had great results with some Menzerna PO85RD on an orange CCS/DD pad. 2 passes of that and some Menzerna 106FA on a green CCS/DD pad should take just about anything out unless it is deep enough to have penetrated all of the clear on the car. BMW paint is very hard and takes more work than most.

[Shipkiller]

What do you mean by 'four to six passes'?

With a polish, you should use it until the product (polish) starts to break down (diminished cutting) then wiipe. Depending on what you mean by 'four to six', then you may not be spending enough time with the polish. Also, what type (color) of pad are you using?

[a_riddler]

Originally Posted by JPWEraser

I have had great results with some Menzerna PO85RD on an orange CCS/DD pad. 2 passes of that and some Menzerna 106FA on a green CCS/DD pad should take just about anything out unless it is deep enough to have penetrated all of the clear on the car. BMW paint is very hard and takes more work than most.

^^ +1, Love P085RD.

[jdl1pt]

Originally Posted by Shipkiller

What do you mean by 'four to six passes'?

With a polish, you should use it until the product (polish) starts to break down (diminished cutting) then wiipe. Depending on what you mean by 'four to six', then you may not be spending enough time with the polish. Also, what type (color) of pad are you using?

+1 on the passes and pads. A PC doesn't have near as much cutting action as other rotary polishers, as you may well know. Takes quite a bit of time in one section...

Here is a write up of a detail I did last summer with products and pads using a pc. Had quite a bit of swirling prior, which isn't shown in the before, and near flawless after.
http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=428847

Strongly recommend working in a taped section pass to start to figure out the right pads and polishes. And don't be afraid to crank up the speed. While working on removing swirls, I had the speed maxed out.

[RBull]

First off, turn the PC on #6 high. Any decent moderately aggressive polish with something like an orange or yellow pad is definitely going to cut through the paint. A couple of passes should be fine as long as you're going slow enough. Then do another pass with a lighter polish and pad to remove the micro marring from the heavier stuff.

[Kgolf31]

PO85RD is only used for a finishing polish. I use it to Jewel the paint, it has little to none correcting abilities.

OP - What pads are you using? Lake County or some no-name brands?

I really like M105/205 combo, and i've been drifting away from Menzerna (besides PO85RD).

More information is needed. Is this polish OTC? If so, it just contains fillers and will never actually do anything correcting wise

[Shipkiller]

A How-To for you:

http://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polisher.html

[BruceJ]

Jackpot, great feedback, Thanks, all. I run Lake County CCS pads, but I have not broke out the Orange. Currently using Blue, Black, Green & White only.

These colors seem kind of duplicative though. It appears White/ Green for sealant/cleaning and Blue/Black for wax. I guess it just depends on the application. I typically have just claybar'ed, run a sealant, and then a wax.

A "pass" for me is a single run over an area. Obviously, this is not an area I am expert in so I'm treating it gently until I know what I am doing. What worries me is cutting throught the clear coat. At the speed/agressiveness I am moving that doesnt appear to be an issue. The Meguliars warned about letting the polish dry out. So I did not keep running passes until it disappeared.

Looks like I have some reading to do. Thanks again

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by BruceJ

Jackpot, great feedback, Thanks, all. I run Lake County CCS pads, but I have not broke out the Orange. Currently using Blue, Black, Green & White only.

These colors seem kind of duplicative though. It appears White/ Green for sealant/cleaning and Blue/Black for wax. I guess it just depends on the application. I typically have just claybar'ed, run a sealant, and then a wax.

A "pass" for me is a single run over an area. Obviously, this is not an area I am expert in so I'm treating it gently until I know what I am doing. What worries me is cutting throught the clear coat. At the speed/agressiveness I am moving that doesnt appear to be an issue. The Meguliars warned about letting the polish dry out. So I did not keep running passes until it disappeared.

Looks like I have some reading to do. Thanks again

The pad colors become more important on a rotary. When I used a PC I stuck to Orange and White and turned out good results.

You want to work the polish until it has turned clear. Keep on working at it until it does this. Remember, polish is heat, so keep at going at it.

I had the same exact mentality as you when I started. I was afraid of going through the clear coat. Trust me, unless you leave the PC on one part of the paint for 5 minutes, it's literally impossible for it go burn or damage anything.

Polish will dry out, it's easy to tell...if you start creating dust, stop and spray your pad with Quick Detailer and go back at it.

[SHEEDI]

i had lot of swirls on my car and last weekend and i did detail my car to remove swirls, here is what i did.

1. wash car with shampoo (use foam spray gun), let it sit for 10 minutes,clean the car with running water. dont use washing mit,this will create more swirls by rubbing it washing mit.
2. spray shampoo again with foam gun and let the shampoo sit for 5 minutes and use washing mitt (i use Lambs Wool Wash Mitt) to wash the car.
3. dry it with clean drying towel.
4. use claty bar to remove hidden dust in the paint.
5. wash the car again
6. dry it with drying towel.
7. use Partale cable/D A Polisher with orange cutting pad or ywllow cutting pad for eavy cut swirl removing with Meguire's 105. i did 6 passes.
8.follow with Meguire's 205 polish with white polishing pad.
9. use sealant and glaze to seal your work and fo extra shine.
10. Wax (paste or liquid)
11. let the wax sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
12. wipe it off with microfiber towel.
13. use quick detailer spray to clean wax residue.

after all these steps i was able to remove swirls and car looks very shiny and clean.
hope this will help you.

good luck.

[jdl1pt]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

The pad colors become more important on a rotary. When I used a PC I stuck to Orange and White and turned out good results.

You want to work the polish until it has turned clear. Keep on working at it until it does this. Remember, polish is heat, so keep at going at it.

I had the same exact mentality as you when I started. I was afraid of going through the clear coat. Trust me, unless you leave the PC on one part of the paint for 5 minutes, it's literally impossible for it go burn or damage anything.

Polish will dry out, it's easy to tell...if you start creating dust, stop and spray your pad with Quick Detailer and go back at it.

+1 orange or white pad should be all you need with a medium cut polish. I would recommend a 4in vs 6 in pad. You'll get a better cut with a smaller pad, and it makes the sides and bumpers much easier.

And as said above, it's almost impossible to burn the clear cut with a pc.

Here is a great vid of how to do a section pass.

Check autogeek for more resources on the PC and search youtube as well.

Good luck!