Anything between nonabrasive and SMR?

[chrisd]

Howdy.



Does anybody have any recommendations for a polish that has a very small amount of cut to it to handle minor cobwebbing from washing/drying, etc., but isn`t quite as a aggressive as a dedicated SMR? I realize typical SMRs aren`t all that aggressive, but 3M told me that I shouldn`t really use their SMR unless I have a swirl problem (which I really don`t).



I would think VM and 1Z Metallic might be good candidates, but was curious what other Autopians think.



Thanks

[Jesstzn]

Menzerna FP works for me on my black for minor stuff.

[TortoiseAWD]

P21S Gloss Enhancing Paint Cleanser (GEPC), which is pretty much the same thing as S100 Shine Enhancing Cleanser (SEC) fits your description well, I think. S100 SEC can be found at some Harley dealerships, BTW.



Tort

[imported_Greg]

If you have any swirl at all, even 3M SMR won`t touch it. It is more like SMH- swirl mark hider. If you have swirls, you are going to need something more like PI Machine Glaze or DACP.

[Accumulator]

chrisd- I really like the 1Z Metallic and VM. The VM is milder than the 1Z M. The P21S GEPC isn`t bad either. And yeah, some people swear by the Menzerna Final Polish. BUT..unless you have pretty soft paint, NONE of these, will probably, uhm, (sorta-pun coming..) cut it.



The 3M guy is being picky about what a "swirl" is, but more importantly, his ADVICE is wrong (unless he meant you should use something STRONGER than SMR). "Cobwebbing" is just another type of MARRING, which is a general way of referring to scratches/swirls/"cobwebs", i.e., damage from "gouges" in the paint (either mild-like yours- or severe). Don`t worry about the "technical definition" of "swirl marks" (which are, according to one definition, rotary-induced). If anything, what you have is possibly WORSE than "real" swirl marks.



To remove mild marring, you still need an abrasive and all these are VERY mild. As Greg said, the 3M SMR is SOOO mild (abrasive-wise) and SO full of fillers, that it will seldom really REMOVE swirls by hand or even PC. It just covers them up.



You really oughta try to NOT get any marring from your wash/dry regimen (yes, it`s possible), but for the mild stuff that you DO get, if you`re lucky, the 1Z Metallic, or any of the other products listed, will remove it. I myself just CAN`T remove even the mildest marring with anything less than 3M PI-III MG (pn 05937) or 1Z Paint Polish (green can), but most of my cars have hard paint.

[chrisd]

OK, thanks Acccumulator and everyone else.