need help. friend's car in dire need of TLC

J

jjagain

New member
My friend bougt a used indigo blue 2000 VW Golf last year - totally covered in swirls.



I'm not exagurating by any means. every square inch of the car has swirls on it.



The hood is a work of art. it looks like the previous owner or the dealer gave it a good scrub with a stiff bristle nylon broom :shocked :shocked swirls and scratches in every single direction, and none of them can be felt with the finger nail.



I started with the PC and the yellow CMA pad with DACP. after several passes and misting the pad with water/QD, it only made a very minor difference. I have never used the wood pad and didn't want to experiment on his car, tho.



Does anyone have any suggestions? is the wool pad + DACP safe? Should I try some Meguiar's Heavy Cut cleaner?



help.



Thanks
 
I would use the lambswool pad and some DACP making sure the product breaks down, usual 3-5 minutes a section, with medium pressure.



A few passes may be necessary.



How did you apply the DACP?



Jason
 
I did the DACP the according to Geeky Steve's how-to.



I did one section of the hood 3 or 4 times and i didn't notice any difference
 
well if it made a small dent in the swirls. Step up to lambswool and go after them.



I would hesistate to use the Meguiar's Heavy Cut Cleaner. Maybe #1 medium cut cleaner?



This is the PC, it has more power than by hand but not as much as a rotary. You can put a little more pressure on the PC without fear of burning the paint.
 
I have never used the wood pad and didn't want to experiment on his car, tho.
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Only use a wood pad if your really desperate, and you lost your sweatshirt...
 
Menzerna Ultra Paint Polish and Poorboys SSR3 both work very well with a PC and are both stronger than DACP. SSR3 is the more agressive. Use a foam cutting pad.



I don't use a wool pad anymore with my PC. Don't ask. I don't want to talk about it.
 
bretfraz said:
Agreed! Start with a Heavy Cut and the wool pad, follow with DACP and yellow pad to remove swirls from the Heavy Cut. Paint should look awesome after these two steps.
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Woah.... :eek: That's not too aggressive? That's just about the toughest process I could imagine!
 
I think that is a little agressive too.



But Turtle Wax Heavy Duty Rubbing compound in the red jar with a rotary and wool cutting pad is scary too Brian :)



The DACP and woolpad might be a good step. Moving onto the HEavy Cut cleaner as a last resort.
 
didn't get a good pic of the hood where the majority of the scratches are, but this is what we did with th fender:



3M IHG and s-100. it made the swirls less noticeable, but when you got 2-3 feet away you could still see them. We'll see about doing some other work on it in the future.
 
That will probably last a couple of washes before you start to see all the swirls again. I would follow some of the suggestions above and go to a cutting pad (I have no experience with wool pads) and the heavy cut cleaner and follow with the polishing pad with DACP.
 
If I use a Medium or Heavy Cut cleaner with the yellow pad, do I work it in the same manner as DACP? i.e. work it until it dries out and then wipe off, then move to a finer cut - DACP or #9 ?
 
Hi Zilla,



Before I write a response, a couple of questions:



1. When you refer to using the "Traditional Mirror Glaze" products like #1 Medium Cut cleaner and #4 Heavy-Cut cleaner is it because you already own these products?



2. Do you own or have access to a "Rotary Buffer"?



3. If you do not own a rotary buffer, are you willing to rent/borrow, or buy one? (I started my detailing career by "renting" a rotary buffer from the local Tool and Equipment “Rental" store). Many PBE stores I have been also rent out rotary buffers to weekend warriors.





There are a number of factors involved with removing swirls and scratches,



* Depth of the swirls (was a heavy compound and a tatty wool pad used by a Gorilla using a 40lb Milwaukee buffer)



* Hardness of paint - Paint hardness varies from manufacture to manufacture, even from car to car from the same manufacture. Hardness varies from OEM finish to Re-finish.



And of course the usual suspects…



* You

* Your Technique

* Your Experience

* Your product selection

* “Tools Used�.



So answer those first three and I’ll get back to you.



Mike :cool:
 
Mike, I look forward to your reply to zilla. I have tried with my PC several of the heavier products from Meguiar's and 3M that are designed to be used with a rotary. I have had no luck, much better with PC-type products that aren't billed as being so abrasive. It's as if I can't get the heavy products to do anything.



Maybe I'm being to wimpy with the heavy stuff. I'm pretty sure I've read reports here that others have done OK with rotary products and a PC.
 
Just saw some pictures of what Smoker did with three passes with Diamond Cut using a PC with a maroon cutting pad. Check out the Service King thread.
 
Well 3x DACP Passes and a Rotary at 1300rpm I was able to get lots of scratchs out with a haze free finish then I went over with Menzerna IP and FP then with UPP. and finish was swirl free also looked amazeing to this car had mad swirls to. Try DACP a couple times over it usally takes a couple passes look at that guy with the red acura NSX and DACP with PC he got amazeing results but it took several tries.
 
I agree, just because it didnt work the first time, doesnt mean it wont work on the second....You may feel more comfortable using the same product twice, oppossed to a harsher product at all.........
 
Mike Phillips said:


1. When you refer to using the "Traditional Mirror Glaze" products like #1 Medium Cut cleaner and #4 Heavy-Cut cleaner is it because you already own these products?
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No, I do not own any of the fine, medium or heavy cut cleaners.



2. Do you own or have access to a "Rotary Buffer"?
Click to expand...



no on both.



3. If you do not own a rotary buffer, are you willing to rent/borrow, or buy one? (I started my detailing career by "renting" a rotary buffer from the local Tool and Equipment “Rental" store). Many PBE stores I have been also rent out rotary buffers to weekend warriors.
Click to expand...



depends if my buddy wants to try and do the surgury in his drive way or take it to a pro.





The car was like this when he got it (used).
 
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