help this beginner loose the swirls

[mcb320]

Any help is appreciated. I now have a 2000 black clk 320, but like a nitwit I unkowingly scrubbed it at a DIY carwash last Sept. I honeslty didn`t know any better, my previous 2 cars were used accords. I love my 320 and hate the light swirls in it now. I took it off the road for the winter and am putting it back on in April. I have 3 questions - How do I most effectively, for a novice, get rid of the swirls? And second how do I fill in little chips in the hood (apparently from rocks on the highway, they`re very tiny but there) and third do I fill in the chips with touch up paint, with a touch up pen first and then polish and wax to rid of the swirls?



Regarding question 1 - To get the swirls out do I just wax initially to see what results come? Or should I use polish and then wax? And does polish include the following products - Scratch X or 3M Swirl Remover? And should I apply these products by hand with and MF cloth over the entire car? Or go pro and use a PC?



Anyone? I love my car, it`s my most prized posession and want to have it back to its shiny self. And I would love to work on it and bring it back to life. Please help?

:bow

[Frank F.]

My formula for swirls on a black car is as follows: Menzerna Intensive Polish, Menzerna Final Polish. I apply both of these by machine but they can be done by hand. My Porsche C4S Cabriolet had lots of swirls when I received it from the dealer. Looks great after the Menzerna treatment.

[Frank F.]

There is a nice paint chip repair kit available from www.griotsgarage.com. You will also need a 2000 grit sanding block or 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. When filling in a paint chip you need to apply one spot of paint per day until the chip is filled above the level of the other paint. Then you use the 2000 grit block (with lubricant) to level the painted over chip to the level of the other paint. After that just polish it out and buff.

[imported_BretFraz]

:welcome to Autopia



If you have access to a PC and some pads, that would make life much easier for you. If not, that`s OK. You can still get great results by hand. But the "hand polishing vs. machine" will take you down slightly different paths as far as products and techniques go so decide which direction first.



For best results you`ll need a two-step polishing approach followed by either a wax or sealant. SMR`s work good by machine but poorly IMO by hand. I think something more aggressive is needed if you are hand polishing. I prefer something like Meguiar`s DACP or Einszett`s Paint Polish (green can) for the first step. Both of these start like fine cut cleaner but buffer down to a mild polish. From there you could use something mild like Meguiars Hand Glaze or P21S GEPC which will bring out the high gloss and prep your paint for the final protection step.



This community constantly debates the "wax vs. sealant" topic so there`s is absolutely no consensus here. From a practical perspective, wax offers a warm, rich look to the paint due to its high oils content but suffers on durability (4-6 weeks is common). Sealants offer terrific durability (several months) but some can be tricky to use and some users feel the look is too sterile (glassy, almost mirrory with some sealants). I`m hesitant to suggest a specific product as I`d rather you decide that on your own, based on your values instead of mine. But with 15,000 highly opinionated members I`m sure you`ll get plenty of suggestions.



If you haven`t done so, click on the "Learn!" pic icon at the top the page and read all the how-to articles. The lessons there will help you tremendously even if you`re an old hand at detailing. Also spend some time reading posts and threads to get a feel for what`s hot and what`s not. This place is like the Library Of Congress for car detailing so treat it as a resource to get the most out of it.



Good luck to ya!! :up :up

[mcb320]

Frank F., BlackRegal, Bretfraz, thank you for your direction and veteran advice. If you guys can answer 2 last questions regarding process, if I use a PC would my process be to fill in the chips and reduce them (polish and buff them down to level) and then proceed to clean with car shampoo, clay (or should I skip this step?), spray detailing spray, polish (do I use low or medium aggresive polish? or do I use swirl removal product only), and then seal or wax? Is this the right process? If I polish and buff by hand is there a specific polish mit, pad or cloth to apply the polish? And do I use the same to apply the wax or sealer? (mit, pad or cloth?) Thanks guys. I will read around as well and check bettercarcare.com as well. You`ve helped spark a new enthusiastic detailer. Hope 2 hear from you guys.:xyxthumbs

[shaf]

:welcome to Autopia mcb320.



Yes, in general the process goes wash-->clay-->polish-->protect. Washing in between if you have to carry on the next day of course. What polish strength to use all depends on the seriousness of the damage. One general guideline that you will (or should) run across is how you should try the gentlest approach first if you`re unsure how strong a product you need. If that doesn`t produce results then switch to a stronger one.



Happy reading and good luck!