Problems with swirl removal (3M products)

[boostdfd3s]

hey everyone,



I have a different kind of swirls. They tend not to appear in direct sunlight, but in INdirect sunlight, there are MULTITUDES of swirls and they run the length of the panel. Heres my current supply of polishes/pads:

Griots machine Polish 1-3

Griots Fine Hand

3M PI-II Medium Cut

3M PI-III Fine Cut

3M PI-III Glaze

Griots orange foam pads

CMA Yellow foam pads

3M PI-III white waffle foam pads



I used the 3M fine cut stuff today to try removing these swirls with the 3M white pad with little luck. (brand new paint with 2 clear coats as of last october) Is there something wrong with my polish/pad combo, or would u advise other products? (id like to use up the 3M stuff if possible cuz i had to buy a quart of the stuff)



Any opinions/suggestions would be much appreciated! :wavey



-Zach

[Accumulator]

Isn`t it a pain when you have marring that only shows up under certain conditions?!? Using old-fashioned, *incandescent* lighting can help you see the stuff you`re talking about when the car is in the shop.



I`m assuming you`re working with a PC and using speed 6.



Yeah, step up to the yellow cutting pads with your PI-III FC (it`s 05933, right?). You`ll have to finish up with a milder pad/product combo like the PI-III MG (05937)/3M or Griot`s pad, but the cutting/05933 should remove the major marring (and leave some hazing of its own). You could use the Griot`s polishes and pads as a last step, but I wouldn`t bother with them until you have the marring under control.



Convoluted pads are less aggressive than smooth ones; it sounds like the combo you tried just wasn`t aggressive enough. But I don`t think I`d try that medium cut without a rotary, myself.

[boostdfd3s]

yeah we have 3 flourescent high output 8ft fixtures in a 3car garage...they give off a LOT of light, but i cant see swirls until the car is outside :angry



Yes i was using a PC and speed 6. So i should use the yellow/05933 and keep using it until the swirls dissapear then go to the finer pads/polishes, etc.....but will i be able to see the swirls through the haze?



Also on a count of my curiousity, i was using 4 ~dime/nickel sized drops across the pad for a roughly 2x3 section of the hood and kept going over it until it was almost dry then i would buff, and use 50/50 alk/water and buff again before re-applying....sound like a good amount of product and technique?



Would you recommend DACP #83 and AIO as a better combo for removing those minute surface imperfections? I see those two acrynoms in just about every thread i read :D

[Accumulator]

It sounds like you`re doing everything OK, but maybe try working a slightly smaller area. I don`t bother using alcohol spritzes with the 3M stuff.



Some people like DACP better than the 3M stuff, maybe you would too. *I* have never been able to remove any marring with AIO.



You might just be working on something that`s at the edge of the PC`s abilities. Sometimes you just need a more aggressive tool (like a rotary or at least a Cyclo). But you should be able to make good progress with the PC.



Maybe look into the 1Z line of products. I really like their polishes (Ultra/Extra, Paint Polish, Metallic Polish, Wax Polish Soft- listed most-to-least abrasive). But I know you already have a lot of products already.

[boostdfd3s]

Thanks for the help accumulator....back to the garage! :)