Swirl removers - abrasive vs. chemical

[joed1228]

Yea, nice idea, can't say much for my common sense before my cup of coffee.

[Chuckmotor]

Couple of questions.

1) Does FI-II "remove" the swirls or hide them? What about Meguair's #9 Swirl Remover 2.0?

2) If I used either of the previously mentioned products and the car looked nearly swirless, would an application or two of Klasse AIO remove the fillers in these products, thus making visible the multitude of swirls that were there before?

[carguy]

Chuckmotor:

FI-II definitely removes swirls. It is a true abrasive, and mor aggressive than 3M SMR or Meguiar's. It has diminishing abrasives - if you don't work it you'll have really bad haze left. However keep working it and it will polish that out and leave a pretty decent gloss. However I recommend following it up with something milder before your wax step. Meguiar's #9 2.0 seems to work very well for this.

[SouthernBoy]

Maybe I'm just thick (probably so), but what am I trying to accomplish by washing or using the alcohol/water combination after 3M SMR? Is it to remove any fillers? Prevent streaking? Convice my neighbors that I am truly insane? All of the above?

Somebody help a dumb 'ol country boy!

[waxman]

It is to remove fillers or any other chemicals left behind by the 3m SMR, so the sealant you are going to apply after will properly bond to the paint.

[SouthernBoy]

Don't want to beat a dead horse (I swear I saw his leg wiggle), but any idea what would happen if you applied 3M SMR, followed by BF polish, then BF protectant?

Would you still need to wash between SMR and polish? Is the polish redundant?

Wait! I just saw him wiggle again!

[waxman]

You should do the SMR or the BF polish not both. You can if you want. You may want to Dawn wash after either to remove residue.

[puterbum]

Originally posted by waxman
You should do the SMR or the BF polish not both. You can if you want. You may want to Dawn wash after either to remove residue.

I don't think a Dawn wash after BF polish is recommended in almost any normal situation. The blackfire "polish" is probably way more filler content than it is abrasive / oily (I have not used it, take it FWIW).

I personally (if I had a PC) would do SMR with some sort of polishing pad (yellow??) and then the BF polish with a very "soft", gentle pad as if I were applying PPCL or AIO. Then the protectant by hand or if one wanted to use a PC, with the same type of pad you'd apply wax with.

I have not used a PC! Keep this in mind.

[Brad4rdHay]

Now lets not get Dawn wash happy. SMR may help remove some swirls, and fill in the rest, where as FI-2 will help feather most of the swirls (and when used with a buffer, completely remove swirls). BF polish has a good cleaning action and will remove any resudoe left from the SMR, now that means that yes, the SMR fillers will be removed. I have found though that BF does a great job at hiding minor swirls, even better than Klasse, so I would use a heavier abrasive, such as FI-2 or PI-III Machine Glaze via the PC, then follow up twith the BF polish and layer away with the protectant (wait till you get three on there )