Swirl Marks
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From: eastcoast
Swirl Marks
Chrome silver touring model: I *think* I'm seeing fine swirl marks when the sun hits it just right.
-To wash I use 100% cotton "soft" cloth bought at pepboys. And a 50%/50% mix of water and Armor All car wash soap
-To dry I use a bath towel (is this ok? the towel gets wet as soon as you start dryying car anyway)
-To wax I use the little pad and Mothers liquid wax.
-To remove wax I use another 100% cotton soft cloth from Pep Boys.
Should I even be worrying about swirl marks on a silver car? Is there a way to remove them without buffing? Also, is Meguiars Step 1 safe to use on my car? I use it to remove scratches and tar.
-To wash I use 100% cotton "soft" cloth bought at pepboys. And a 50%/50% mix of water and Armor All car wash soap
-To dry I use a bath towel (is this ok? the towel gets wet as soon as you start dryying car anyway)
-To wax I use the little pad and Mothers liquid wax.
-To remove wax I use another 100% cotton soft cloth from Pep Boys.
Should I even be worrying about swirl marks on a silver car? Is there a way to remove them without buffing? Also, is Meguiars Step 1 safe to use on my car? I use it to remove scratches and tar.
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From: TN
Re: Swirl Marks
Originally posted by Stabber
Chrome silver touring model: I *think* I'm seeing fine swirl marks when the sun hits it just right.
-To wash I use 100% cotton "soft" cloth bought at pepboys. And a 50%/50% mix of water and Armor All car wash soap
I would only use an all cotton wash mit, the best ones I have found are sold at NAPA and are the NAPA brand name, they are the kind you put your hand in and have lots of cotton nap.
-To dry I use a bath towel (is this ok? the towel gets wet as soon as you start dryying car anyway)
Depends on the towel, only use top quality towels, not discount store towels. I only use Sumpima cotton towels of the Fieldcrest or WestPoint Stevens brand name. My towels cost like 18.00 each. I also use the www.dftowel.com We sell all the proper towels on our online store.
-To wax I use the little pad and Mothers liquid wax.
-To remove wax I use another 100% cotton soft cloth from Pep Boys.
Get rid of the parts store towels, only buy your towels at stores like Bed Bath and Beyond or from someone like me who know what the proper towels are to use on an auto paint, the towels sold at parts stores are rarely soft enough and are probably foreign made (only use made in the USA towels) and even though they say they are all cotton, they usually are NOT.
Should I even be worrying about swirl marks on a silver car?
Yes, if you are causing the damage with your processes, it will only get worse.
Is there a way to remove them without buffing?
Removing, NO Filling, YES using a wax or polish made to fill swirl marks.
Also, is Meguiars Step 1 safe to use on my car? I use it to remove scratches and tar.
Is it safe, yes, is it needed, probably not on such a new surface. Again, I stress that if you are your paints on worst enemy the finish will never get any better and you will be in an endless cycle of damaging and then try to fix the damage you have caused.
Chrome silver touring model: I *think* I'm seeing fine swirl marks when the sun hits it just right.
-To wash I use 100% cotton "soft" cloth bought at pepboys. And a 50%/50% mix of water and Armor All car wash soap
I would only use an all cotton wash mit, the best ones I have found are sold at NAPA and are the NAPA brand name, they are the kind you put your hand in and have lots of cotton nap.
-To dry I use a bath towel (is this ok? the towel gets wet as soon as you start dryying car anyway)
Depends on the towel, only use top quality towels, not discount store towels. I only use Sumpima cotton towels of the Fieldcrest or WestPoint Stevens brand name. My towels cost like 18.00 each. I also use the www.dftowel.com We sell all the proper towels on our online store.
-To wax I use the little pad and Mothers liquid wax.
-To remove wax I use another 100% cotton soft cloth from Pep Boys.
Get rid of the parts store towels, only buy your towels at stores like Bed Bath and Beyond or from someone like me who know what the proper towels are to use on an auto paint, the towels sold at parts stores are rarely soft enough and are probably foreign made (only use made in the USA towels) and even though they say they are all cotton, they usually are NOT.
Should I even be worrying about swirl marks on a silver car?
Yes, if you are causing the damage with your processes, it will only get worse.
Is there a way to remove them without buffing?
Removing, NO Filling, YES using a wax or polish made to fill swirl marks.
Also, is Meguiars Step 1 safe to use on my car? I use it to remove scratches and tar.
Is it safe, yes, is it needed, probably not on such a new surface. Again, I stress that if you are your paints on worst enemy the finish will never get any better and you will be in an endless cycle of damaging and then try to fix the damage you have caused.
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From: Ma.
Today was my first attemt on removing swirl marks on a super black Z. I am a beginer. The car had about 3 coats of Z5 on it before I started. I decided to do just one section because I tend to get impatient/frustrated easily and figured that if I focused on just one part instead of the entire car I would be better off.
Sooo..I washed with Z7. I decided to focus on the trunk because the swirls are worst there. I clayed the trunk. I then used a porter cable dual action polisher with the 3m perfect it for dark colors swirl remover and went over and over the entire trunk. I then washed the area with dawn to remove the oils on the 3m. The I used the Z6 spray. Now I applied the Z5 with ZFX to the trunk with the standard applicator and let it sit for an hour and buffed it off with towels that I got from Kevin Overall. Z6 again.
I don't have a digital camera but trust me, the difference is pretty big. Big enough that I am looking forward to doing the rest of it next weekend. Some of the swirls are still visable but they are much much less noticeable. I think with maybe 3-5 layers of z5 they will be gone. FYI I am using the latest Z5.
The hardest part of the whole thing is prepping, polishing and all the washing. The Z5 itself goes on easily and comes off easy.
Sooo..I washed with Z7. I decided to focus on the trunk because the swirls are worst there. I clayed the trunk. I then used a porter cable dual action polisher with the 3m perfect it for dark colors swirl remover and went over and over the entire trunk. I then washed the area with dawn to remove the oils on the 3m. The I used the Z6 spray. Now I applied the Z5 with ZFX to the trunk with the standard applicator and let it sit for an hour and buffed it off with towels that I got from Kevin Overall. Z6 again.
I don't have a digital camera but trust me, the difference is pretty big. Big enough that I am looking forward to doing the rest of it next weekend. Some of the swirls are still visable but they are much much less noticeable. I think with maybe 3-5 layers of z5 they will be gone. FYI I am using the latest Z5.
The hardest part of the whole thing is prepping, polishing and all the washing. The Z5 itself goes on easily and comes off easy.
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From: eastcoast
So how would I go about prepping for Z5? The car only has 1 coat of wax on it. I can just use Dawn and water to strip the wax. Then use Z5 a few times followed by Z2 right?
When is the clay bar needed?
When is the clay bar needed?
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From: Albuquerque, New Mexico
After washing your "Z" with "Dawn" this is when you would use the "clay". Then it is Z5 & Z6 until satisfied. Then Z2. Go to Zaino.com and look at "Tips and Tricks". Also, do you have ZFX? Again, go look at Zaino.com or Dr Bonz's post in "Detailing".
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