Problems removing buffer swirls with PC

[ColinM]

I have bad buffer swirls/holograms which I tried to fix with SSR2.5 and a Lake Country cutting pad using the PC on 4 1/2. After doing the whole car followed by SSR1 and a Meguiars polishing pad I then used PwC and a Meguiars polishing pad. To finish I hand applied EXP with a foam applicator removing with Microfibre cloths. The gloss and depth of shine was improved but the swirls were still obvious. I guess I should have tested my process on a single section but in Scotland you often only get one good dry day out of a month during winter and I wanted an improvement to the whole car that day. So before I have another go here are some questions.

Is it possible to remove bad buffer holograms with a PC ? Should I apply more pressure, move slower and use a higher speed with the PC for bad swirl removal ? Is there a more aggressive product/pad combo than SSR2.5+Cutting pad I can use safely with the PC ?



When using SSR1 or SSR2.5 do you keep adding a blob of product for every 2`x2` section for the whole car, probably 30 sections in total ? When I did it the pad got very wet by the half way point and it became hard to tell when the product started to dust.



Can I go from SSR1 + polish pad to EXP + wax pad without something like PwC in between ? Is there a better product the combines a little swirl removal capability with good polishing ?



After polishing the pad was very hard to clean. It had loads of used product `sludge` (like thick mayo) in it which I had to squeeze out with my fingers for 15 minutes. Is that what usually happens ? Is there a better way to clean it ? I do not want to put the pad in my washing machine.



I plan on spending whatever time and effort it takes to get a good result but I don`t have a garage or any cover so I need good weather to start polishing. I always use Autoglym tar remover, Meguiars clay and Meguiars GC wash before starting any polishing.

[Anthony O.]

It`s not impossible to remove them with a PC, but highly unlikely also.



You`ll most likely need a rotary and the correct pad/product combos to successfully remove them. A PC can only do so much. It may remove or level out those light surface scratches but the deeper ones will most likely go untouched.



The Menzerna line of polishes may work well for you in conjunction with a rotary. Don`t be :eek: over using a rotary. Take it slow, practice on some junker cars and then graduate to your own car. Once you get the hang of it you`ll wonder why you didn`t do it earlier!



Let me know if I can be of any help,

Anthony

[Glossequation]

I had great luck removing moderate buffer swirls with a Sonus cutting pad and 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound.

[JasonD]

Same here. I had some pretty bad buffer swirls to remove on my mother`s old E430 black Mercedes and used a yellow LC cutting pad with 3M PI II RC, whick knocked them right out.....with a good bit of work though. The entire detail took me two days from start to finish.

[White95Max]

Is the process any different for removing holograms than the process for removing swirls?

My uncle has an `04 Tribute with some nasty dealer-installed holograms. Should I be worried about removing them by PC? I plan to use SSR2.5 on them with a Propel yellow or orange pad. I don`t want to cause any damage (removing too much clear) though on an almost-brand-new paint job.

He complained to the dealer, and they offered to fix the holograms, but he figured that if they screwed up once, they would do it again. So he asked me to remove the holograms.

[MichaelM]

Originally posted by Anthony Orosco The Menzerna line of polishes may work well for you in conjunction with a rotary. [/B]



Their FPII is one of my favorite products for removing holograms/swirls. :up

[Accumulator]

I`ve removed holograms from Audi clear with the PC/Cyclo and 3M PI-III RC (05933). I would expect you could do the same on the Bimmer as *IIRC* it has much softer paint than an Audi. Try a 4" pad (acts more aggressively), a higher speed, and take your time.



But as Anthony said, sometimes it just doesn`t work without using a rotary. Heh heh, then you gotta watch that *you* don`t induce *new* holograms ;) But it isn`t that hard to use a rotary correctly so seriously, don`t let it scare you if that`s what you need. On the Audi I referred to, I ended up using the rotary just to save a lot of time, and it sure did work a lot better than trying to do "rotary work" with a different tool.

[spotpad]

Originally posted by White95Max

Is the process any different for removing holograms than the process for removing swirls?...Should I be worried about removing them by PC? I plan to use SSR2.5 on them with a Propel yellow or orange pad. I don`t want to cause any damage (removing too much clear) though on an almost-brand-new paint job.



I don`t think you should be worried about removing too much clear with the PC. :xyxthumbs