Newbie needs advice - swirl marks under a sealant

[BYUBubba]

I have spent several weeks reading threads and searching but haven`t found answers to my exact situation. Last July, I paid a detailer to detail my 2 week old black S6 and apply Opticoat to it for protection. It looked great at first but then I noticed he didn`t appear to have done the paint correction it needed after being on a dealer lot for 7 months and a transfer from one dealer to another.

At at this point is there any option to hide the swirls or do I need to polish it off, correct the paint, and then either reapply a sealant or go the long term commitment route keeping a black car waxed and looking good?

i would probably do the wax route because I love the glow the wax gives it and enjoy spending Saturday mornings in the garage detailing the cars.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Rsurfer]

You will need to polish to get the swirls out. Apply a coating (Opti Gloss) and topping with a wax is optional.

[Setec Astronomy]

It looked great at first but then I noticed he didn`t appear to have done the paint correction it needed

If it looked great at first are you sure the swirls weren`t introduced after the car was coated?

[tropicsteve]

yep, opti coat is good but not bullet proof. try a light polish to see if the swirls are just in the coating. you may luck out.

[BYUBubba]

I thought that may be the case at first and blamed it on my poor wash technique before I knew any better but if I look at it with an LED light it looks like the sealant is still intact on top of the swirls. I think I was taken in by a mobile detailer who recognized I didn`t know much and took advantage. He was done with the wash and applying the sealant in under 3 hours. I specifically mentioned the swirls on the hood to him because they appeared the minute I washed the car for the first time after having it a couple of days. Now I know all about the wonders of QD`s and how much they can hide.

Luckily I have a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer I just bought my 16 year-old that needs a good polish so I can learn and practice on it before tackling the S6. Guess I have a good plan to keep me busy tomorrow while the meat is in the smoker!

[ShaneB]

Yeah no way anything was polished and properly applied in 3 hours. I just did a Grand Prix and it took me over 4 hours start to finish and I did a real quick polish job with an AIO.

i put CQUK on my car and start to finish took me around 5-6 hours. And my car DIDNT really need any polishing

BTW opti coat is a coating, not really your typical sealant (there`s a difference).

[BYUBubba]

Thanks ShaneB. Calling a coating a sealant is just one more item that proves I`m a newbie and have a ton to learn about properly caring for the finish on my cars.

[ShaneB]

Everybody starts somewhere.

Also, welcome! You`ll learn plenty here. I`ve been soaking up info for a year or two now and I`m still learning new stuff every time I log on