How can I remove swirl marks by hand?

[migace312]

I thought I`d give it a try and see if i can get some of them out. I have a Black 1995 Jetta and the previous owner didn`t take very good care of the paint. What is the best technique for removing swirl marks by hand? whats the best SMR product for this? What precautions should I take before I go ahead and try to remove these swirl marks?

[JL9000]

Originally posted by migace312

I thought I`d give it a try and see if i can get some of them out. I have a Black 1995 Jetta and the previous owner didn`t take very good care of the paint. What is the best technique for removing swirl marks by hand? whats the best SMR product for this? What precautions should I take before I go ahead and try to remove these swirl marks?

I asked the same question to Scottwax and this is his reply:

"Swirl Free should remove minor swirls. Use a terry cloth towel folded into 1/8ths so it forms a thick pad so you can apply even pressure, work until nearly clear and dry then buff off the excess."

I hope he doesn`t mind me saying this for him.:p



And good luck to you.:)

[gnahc79]

a garage with lots of artificial light or a portable halogen/flood light helps a ton too. After polishing a section look at it from all angles up close.

If you use a portable light, make sure you don`t leave it on a section....those lights get hot quick.

[migace312]

Has anyone actually been succesful when it comes to removing swirl marks by hand?

[Nick T.]

Originally posted by migace312

Has anyone actually been succesful when it comes to removing swirl marks by hand? Yes, but a power assist is much better if you`re doing the whole car.

[Derektri]

Not for me. I used smr on the hood of my car and it removed very few swirl marks. For the amount of time and effort I put in to it, it wasn`t worth it. I recently tried a pc for the first time and I was amazed at how easy it was to use and how it quickly it removed the swirl marks.

[Nick T.]

Originally posted by migace312

What is the best technique for removing swirl marks by hand? Follow the instructions on the bottle.




Originally posted by migace312

What’s the best SMR product for this? 3M SMR is good. Meguiar’s offers a range of abrasiveness in their products.




Originally posted by migace312

What precautions should I take before I go ahead and try to remove these swirl marks? Start with a clean surface.



Doing the entire car by hand is a big job. I’d recommend that you just do one area (half of the hood, door, etc.) at a time. Good luck and have fun!

[schoi]

I never really had much luck in SMR`ing by hand. The 7424, though, is a different story. :D

[jfeliot]

I need to do just the upper surfaces on mine to remove some marks from where a friend helped brush the snow off my car.



Previously I`ve done small spots by hand using Megs ScratchX on the deeper scratches followed by #9 with good results. I know from doing the small spots though it`s going to be a lot of work, probably 4 or 5 hours and my arm will be sore afterwards. It takes a lot of work to break down the smr by hand.



If you can`t get your hands on a buffer, you may want to follow Nick`s suggestion and split the car into areas.