Very, very, very thin swirls after last step of polishing?

[Anzafin]

So I'm doing this 2004 Sapphire Black BMW.

There are some serious rids and got rid of them with Presta Strata 1000, then 1500 Polish with a medium polishing pad and then Swirl Remover with Edge blue waffle pad (very soft). The finish is very good, but watching with a bright torch (Mag-Lite), I can see some very, very, very tiny swirls. I can't see them with my halogens, and of course it's raining so I don't have the sun to check the finish.

What to do? I'm using Flex 3401.

Thanks in advance!

[GTFreddy]

I think it could be the microfiber (or whatever type of towel) that you're using. It's the edging of the towel that would cause new scratches while you're wiping the polish off. If you have many microfibers and you don't want to throw them away, just cut the edges off or fold them in such a way as to prevent the edges in coming to contact with the paint.

[Anzafin]

Thanks. I guess my MFs are quite good. Especially the ones I use now in this process.
And I can get the residue off just with a one or two wipes, so I doubt the MFs would cause this...

[Anzafin]

I got back in garage to check it one more time under the street lights which reveal the imperfections quite easily I think (when it's dark)...
And the finish looked very good! I think those little, tiny swirls won't show in a daylight very badly... I want to add that they sure are very tiny. Maybe I'm trying to be a bit too perfectionist here.

But if you got any tips, please tell...

[Accumulator]

Anzafin- I really dunno from this topic, so somebody else can give you better info, but certain recent-vintage BMW black paints are *incredibly* soft and will get marred with contact from virtually anything. Dunno if the Saphire Black is one of those or not

Even if it is that soft, I have to think that there's *some* combination of product and application/buffing media that won't cause the problem, but OTOH I can't help but wonder how long things woud stay perfect in the real world anyhow (where you're washing/etc. all the time). I kinda like your inclination to just not stress about it.

[Anzafin]

Maybe you're right. Maybe there is some combo that wouldn't do this...

I'm kind of noobie in some things and I really can't tell whether the paint is soft or hard. I can tell that it marrs easily, yes. But to get any kind of correct by polishing
it needs some real hard work and serious polishes/compounds. However, the finishing touch is hard to do.

Well, I guess I just have to go for it...

[Ignition]

How long do you work the finishing polish?

[Lumadar]

Have you tried Meguiar's #09 or #82? Both are very fine swirl removers and may be your ticket- they're fairly cheap too so you don't have a whole lot to lose.

Auto Detailing Supplies is the best and cheapest site to get Meguiar's products from IMO...they're super cheap and have really low shipping rates.

[Anzafin]

How long do you work the finishing polish?

Until it breaks down, so maybe 2-3 minutes. What do you think?

[Anzafin]

The sun came out. Those tiny swirls show up very badly!

[Anzafin]

I think I got it. I presume the step from Strata 1000 to Chroma 1500 Polish was a bit too big. The 1500 couldn't handle the swirls Strata 1000 left.

Now I did a test and I took one pass of Ultra Cutting Creme after Strata 1000 and then went to Swirl Remover. Much better, but not perfect.

[Anzafin]

I'm talking to myself here, but that doesn't matter...
Accumulator was right about finding a working combo! I got the paint almost
free of all rids and swirls... almost.

But hey... who I'm kidding. The sapphire black with lots of deep rids + flex + noobie
---> I should me happy with it now. And I am!