customers response on swirls?

[quamen]

My biggest problem when detailing a car is swirl removal. I dont know what I am doing wrong. I have practiced alot, detailed alot and still cannot seem to get those swirls out, even on my car!!



I know how to use a rotary, and own one and a pc as well. I usually use a pc with DACP or swirl free and work down.



Last night I detailed my car with DACP,SF and NTX. The results turned out nice on white, but I still have swirls. I did the hood with the rotary, and still swirls were there. I followed the E pattern and the correct methods. Im just to scared to take off to much paint, but im so picky at the same time.



When you guys detail a car, are swirls stil left behind? I dont want it to seem like the customer is not getting what he or she deserves, but it seems sometimes impossible to get the swirls out. Seems like normal spider swirls, they diminish, but are still left behind.



What is the best way to reduce this? I have great results with obtaining smoothness, depth, inteior work, but just those swirls stay behind. Maye im just to picky trying to obtain the perfect finish. It seems like many people are like wow, that looks great!! I know the swirls are still there though!!

[Anthony O.]

I feel your frustration!!



Sometimes swirls can be the death of you and while being a perfectionist we also need to realize that a 100% flawless finish is the Atlantis, the Lochness or the Bigfoot. We have never found them but we continue to search So it is with swirls, we always seek to have that 100% pure and flawless finish and it may happen one day but it is highly unlikely.



It may be that you are not working the area long enough with the polisher and the product. Instead of doing just one pass perhaps you may need to go over it 3 or 4 times. If you are using a PC this shouldn`t be that harsh on the finish as long as you progress from a more agressive product to a lesser.



For example, try a polishing pad and the DACP set at #5 and work the DACP until it is almost gone. Then do it again at say #3, again working until almost gone. Then take a finishing pad and use a product like Light Cut or Intensive Polish or maybe even SSR2 and set the PC at #4 and really work the product into the paint again. Now use either Final Polish or even AIO with the PC and a clean finishing pad set at #3 or #4.



This system or another one like it may work very well for you and you can then modify it from there to best suit you. I know I have my own "fail safe" method I always trust and turn to when things are not going as planned or expected and I am sure the other pros on Autopia have the same thing.



If the above fails then try it with a rotary, starting first with the least aggressive product and pad.



Good luck,

Anthony

[imported_BretFraz]

Here`s what I tell my customers: Swirls are a fact of life on everything except a show car. The amount of clearcoat I`d have to remove to get out 100% of the swirls isn`t worth it. Why? Because if they drive the car and use it normally, swirls will come back. So was the sacrifice of the clearcoat worth it? IMO, no.



You certainly want to improve your technique to get better results. But you`ll hit a point where the amount of paint grinding needed to get the finish totally swirl free is paying too high a price. I always discuss this with my customers upfront. I tell them straight out, live with a few swirls. Once you`ve ground away those first few precious mils of clear, they ain`t coming back.



Obviously some cars are harder to work on than others. You`ll get to know which cars are easy and which are hard as you get more experience. But in the meantime I suggest compromising a little bit in the name of maintaining some clearcoat. If someone wants absolute perfection, just be sure to charge them appropriately. And warn them upfront so there is no confusion.

[Jcrawford]

hey anthony,



what`s the secret "fail-safe method??"

[Anthony O.]

bretfraz,



Wise words

Originally posted by JCrawford

hey anthony,



what`s the secret "fail-safe method??"

Oh come on, you know the line....."I can tell ya but then I`d have to kill ya":LOLOL



Actually I just contract the work out ot Scottwax



Anthony

[Scottwax]

:lol No problem sending me work, the weather has been pretty decent except for storms this morning. My first customers cancelled (and I went back to sleep!) but my afternoon overspray removal on a Dodge Ram SLT long bed was still a go.



I make sure my customers understand that not every surface imperfection can be completely removed but there will be at a minimum a substantial improvement. I`ve also notice spider swirls can be harder to remove than rotary holograms. Anyone want to venture a guess as to why? I`m kind of stumped on that one.

[Turbonator]

i tell my customers the exact same thing as bretfraz said, mixed with a little of what scottwax said. if it`s going to be a daily driver - it`s almost impossible to remove all of them. you`ll just drive yourself to the looneybin trying.

[TortoiseAWD]

Originally posted by Scottwax

I`ve also notice spider swirls can be harder to remove than rotary holograms. Anyone want to venture a guess as to why? I`m kind of stumped on that one.

I`ve tackled holograms a couple of times with my PC, and also noticed that they were pretty easy to deal with compared to the kind of swirls that are washing/drying induced. In my not very educated opinion, it`s becase the hologram scratches are not very deep. God knows they`re numerous, and the pattern that they`re in catches light and looks terrible . . . but I don`t think they`re deep. So, they polish out easily, or they have in my limited experience, anyway.



Tort

[Spilchy]

I use the same logic Bretfraz does. Well put.



Quamen, you said you were polishing out your white vehicle and still had swirls? White is the hardest to get perfect. Read this article by Mike Phillips



http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=39