View Full Version : Best product to hide swirls
I recently machine polished my truck and it turned out pretty well for a first timer. As careful as I am washing it it still gets marred. What is the best product or wax to hide swirls between polishing? Thank you.
Street5927
06-30-2011, 09:17 PM
If you are washing properly, you should not get any to very little marring. Instead of covering up what you polished out, you should concentrate your efforts on proper washing techniques and using proper wash media. Hiding swirls will only last so long since glazes and fillers usually don`t last that long.
I actually think the marring is coming form spray detailing, even though I only do it after the car is washed and dried with a leaf blower. Is it safe to use a spray detailer even with a high quality thick microfiber towel? I
David Fermani
06-30-2011, 10:20 PM
Looks like you have scary soft clear! I feel sorry for you and it will most likely drive you crazy. Just make sure your towels are clean, or else they`re add to the problem. Might also want to consider looking into a cheap RO/DI water setup to avoid touching the paint after washing all together. What are you using for the wash step and how are you doing this make it or break it step?
imported_WCD
06-30-2011, 11:05 PM
One Grand`s Omega Glaze. Used to use this product and it makes black cars look very good and holds up well.
Looks like you have scary soft clear! I feel sorry for you and it will most likely drive you crazy. Just make sure your towels are clean, or else they`re add to the problem. Might also want to consider looking into a cheap RO/DI water setup to avoid touching the paint after washing all together. What are you using for the wash step and how are you doing this make it or break it step?
I am not sure how soft the clear is but it seems really soft. It is a black 2007 Cadillac Escalade and I thought GM used good paints...yes it drives me crazy I use the towel once then it gets washed, I use several towels throughout the spray detailing process not just one for the whole thing. I do not know what you mean when you ask what I am using for the wash step and the make it or break it step. Thanks.
imported_Larry A
07-01-2011, 08:28 AM
Use a glaze ie Meguiars #7,3,80,Mothers Sealer n Glaze, Poorboys has 2 glazes. follow with wax so it last longer.
Street5927
07-01-2011, 08:34 AM
I am not sure how soft the clear is but it seems really soft. It is a black 2007 Cadillac Escalade and I thought GM used good paints...yes it drives me crazy I use the towel once then it gets washed, I use several towels throughout the spray detailing process not just one for the whole thing. I do not know what you mean when you ask what I am using for the wash step and the make it or break it step. Thanks.
Most GM vehicles that I have done were relatively hard clears, and posed no problem. I think what David was referring to is what are you using for your wash method. Are you using a two bucket method? What is your wash media, natural sea sponge, MIT, etc? What are you using to dry?
I personally use a two bucket method with a natural sea sponge and then a microfiber to dry. However, when using a microfiber to dry, it is a good idea to spritz a little quick detailer on the surface to minimize the marring. As stated before, make sure you are using good quality MF towels and that they are clean. I have also used the absorber to dry, and have had no issues, but again, it must be super clean to get good results. Another method is to blow dry it.
As far as cleaning or wiping with a QD, the only one that I use to remove light dust, or stuff like bird droppings is ONR. It seems to work well under these circumstances, however, to use a QD to actually "clean" the car, I would not recommend that....unless diluting some ONR into a bucket and using that as your wash, works well.
One final thought, if your clear is indeed crazy soft, again, make sure you use a quality, soft MF towel and rub very gently. Rubbing too hard can cause marring, also.
Do a CD test with your wash and detailing media before you go off the deep end. If all of your stuff passes the CD test, you might have some soft paint. In that case, just use silicone rich products, they will hide swirls as long as you keep using them.
Accumulator
07-01-2011, 12:56 PM
Some sorta-random thoughts follow (RVC, you could just skip to the "Answering the Actual Question" section below to skip my ramblings):
-If somebody uses the two-bucket method, with a good washmitt/grout sponge and something like Gold Class, and is very, very careful about it....well, I`d still expect marring. Wash so aggressively that a dirty panel comes clean in one or two passes? Wear the mitt like a glove and actually press it against the paint with some force to scrub the dirt off? Wash a third or a half of a panel before rinsing out the mitt? I`m not the dullest tool in the shed, and I`ve been at this stuff for a long time....if I could wash that way without marring the finish I sure wouldn`t bother with all the foamgun-centric hassles I put myself through. I have to concentrate intensely, every moment of the wash, to avoid that one "oops!" where I apply pressure to some contamination and rub it against the paint hard enough to cause a flaw. And even I still get marring (just not very much ;) ).
It`s just incredibly difficult to avoid marring during the wash, even with the hardest clear (note I`m used to Audis and I still think so). Keeping my metallic black Yukon marring-free wash an incredible challenge, requiring many-hours-long washes, and it didn`t have soft paint by a long shot.
-While some of the stupid-soft clears are a whole different ballgame, that Cadillac probably has typical, pretty hard, GM clear
-I require the very best shampoos to minimize marring, normal/cheap ones don`t work OK for me in this regard
-I can`t wash marring-free with conventional washes (i.e., done without a foamgun) or with ONR
-If there is *ANY* residual dirt on the finish when you (wipe) dry/QD, you`ll grind it against the paint and get marring
-QDing a vehicle without marring it is also very difficult. It takes me many minutes to spot-clean a tiny area using ONR then QD, being as careful as humanly possible, and I still sometimes mar the finish
-The second a towel/etc. becomes soiled, if you rub the paint with it you should expect marring. The dirt on the towel might not need to be so awful as to be clearly visible either, but it can still mar paint
All that said, I understand that most people can`t wash marring-free, nor keep correcting the paint over and over to maintain a flawless finish...not in the real world if you have a normal life. So sure, besides living with imperfection (more of my Autopian Heresy, huh?!? :o ) the use of fillers/etc. can be sensible IMO.
Answering the Actual Question:
-The 1 Grand Omega Glaze has long been known as a good concealing glaze. I`d top with Collinite, but you could always use 1 Grand`s Blitz Wax
-The Meguiar`s stuff (M03, M05, M07, M81, Deep Crystal Step #2 Polish) can work OK, so can their M09 Swirl Mark Remover (it hides a lot more than it removes ;) ). Top the Meguiar`s stuff with their NXT and it oughta look OK for a while
-The seldom-mentioned 1Z WaxPolishSoft is like a high-filling cleaner wax and I like it topped with Collinite
-Autoglym SRP is an all-in-one that does a fair bit of concealing, and I like it a lot; you can top it with many sealants whereas most other glazes will only accept a wax topper
WRXsubaru2010
07-01-2011, 01:06 PM
I recently machine polished my truck and it turned out pretty well for a first timer. As careful as I am washing it it still gets marred. What is the best product or wax to hide swirls between polishing? Thank you.
You do not want to just hide the swirls, you want to remove them, if you want a great product at a very affordable price try hduno and hdpoxy , I think 3D products still have a special going..... buy hduno get hdpoxy free or something like that. I just ordered the new pad system the have for the hd line, can`t wait to try them...
Accumulator
07-01-2011, 01:22 PM
You do not want to just hide the swirls, you want to remove them...
Heh heh, *you* want to remove them, other people might really want to just conceal `em ;) Until somebody can keep the wash-induced (and/or "real world living-induced") marring to a minumum, I wouldn`t want to keep taking off clear.
And a black 2007 Escalade is a vehicle whose detailing could eat somebody`s life if they let it...BTDT. The chore of keeping my Yukon XLD perfect was one of the reasons why I sold it; I couldn`t enjoy it imperfect, but I have better things to do.
I bet a quick once-over with a good glaze, followed by a good wax...done every other month or so...would keep that Escalade in "best in the parking lot" condition without becoming a part-time job.
You do not want to just hide the swirls, you want to remove them, if you want a great product at a very affordable price try hduno and hdpoxy , I think 3D products still have a special going..... buy hduno get hdpoxy free or something like that. I just ordered the new pad system the have for the hd line, can`t wait to try them...
Removing defects is always the ideal. But when dealing with daily drivers, some with soft paint, sometimes its best to make that compromise; polish as best as possible, then follow-up with a filler.
Speaking of fillers, here are some other ones that are pretty good:
Bilt Hamber Auto Balm
FK1 Pink wax
Hi Temp Fine finish
Meguiars #26 paste wax
imported_sal329
07-01-2011, 01:41 PM
Bilt Hamber Autobalm works well for concealing and lasts a good while
Poxy is another good filler.