Need expert advice

[galerie]

I have a 1995 volvo 850, don`t know if the paint is hard (as mentioned on this board), but I am having a problem with the hood of my car. I have these swirls that no matter what I use I can`t get them removed.



I have tried so many different polishers/swirl removers. Wolfgang, Sonus Swirlbuster, Optimum Polish, Megs 3 step, Mothers Power polish. What am I doing wrong. All of these polishes were used with a yellow Sonus DAS pad.



I work in in at 3 then move up to 5 on the porter cable. Maybe I am not letting it break down (is the break down of the polish when its almost invisible).



Then to top it off, a friend of mine borrowed my car and decided to take it to a car wash and used the brush so now it is swirled all over.



Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong. Should I get another type of polish, maybe something more aggressive. I do have 3M polishing compound.



Attached are a few pictures.

[imported_JoshVette]

Sorry, but those pics just don`t show any swirls??



Not sure how hard 10+ year old Volvo paint is, but most German cars are pretty hard.



Maybe a rotary is in order?

[imported_Puckman]

Volvo`s are Swedish and from my experience they are moderately hard. Try speed 6 after you`ve worked it around and exert 10-15 pounds of pressure on the machine. Remember to move slowly - about an inch per second.



Unfrotunately the only product you`ve tried that I have any experience with is the Optimum Polish - that won`t cut it. If the other`s are comparable in cut that may be part of the problem (although the pics don`t look bad).



If all you have are the products you mentioned I might try the Sonus again and work it more agressively i.e. slower, more pressure etc. Try it a couple of times at least to see if you`re making any headway.

[galerie]

Here are the same pics that are circled where the problem is. They are not so much as swirls but look like scratches although I can not feel them when I use my fingernail. And yes Volvo is a swedish made car.



I guess I need to get a more aggressive polish. Any suggestions on what might be appropriate.

[Accumulator]

galerie- If the paint on your Volvo is anything like that on the 850 we used to have, then yeah, it`s pretty hard.



Best way to get aggressive with the PC is to use 4" pads, they utterly change the effectiveness of the machine.



Generally I advocate speed 6 when doing correction, but in some cases speed 5 will suffice with the 4" pads.



The most aggressive stuff I`ve used by PC/4" is Hi-Temp Extreme Cut. Follow that with something milder to clear up any micromarring. If ~6 passes with the 4"/H-T EC don`t fix something, I`d probably live with it. Those scratches are *NOT* something I would just assume I could safely remove.

[galerie]

Thanks Accumulator



I was thinking of using my 4 inch pads. I will try that combo when the weather gets a little nicer (its suppose to rain all week here in MD). We`ll see what happens