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 :nixweiss



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 (http://www.AutoDetailingSolutions.com) 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!

[Accumulator]

Anzafin- Sometimes just posting this stuff can get you thinking, even if you don`t get any timely responses :D



Yeah, it might require a broad range of different product/pad combos, gradually working down to something very, very gentle.



I`d try to figure out what`s causing the marring in question. Is it residual, from some aggressive step, or is it new, from a supposedly *mild* step?



What happens if you try a small area by hand?

[Anzafin]

I`m not quite sure. I think it`s just the aggressive step, and next step was just too mild...



It`s my own car, so I have time to play with it. I could try doing some little area by hand tomorrow...

[Ignition]

2-3 minutes is quite quick for an area. I don`t know the polishes you are using, but if they are oily and do not need any water to work with then continue finishing a bit longer. If it does dry up and the polish is not oily, try a small spray of water to keep it going bit longer.

After a short while ease the pressure a bit + go with bit slower revs for final passes.