Newbie Needs some advice on attacking swirls on black car - Thanks!

[chris7469]

Gentlemen:



I just bought a 2011 Black coupe with 5,000 miles. The car is in excellent condition but if I put my nose about an inch or two from the paint or stare at it in direct sunlight I notice some swirls. They appear to be fine swirls? I am not sure how to tell the difference.



I used a porter cable 7424, Meguairs #9, a polish, and Zaino over the years on my white coupe with great results. However, I am now dealing with a black car and I am trying to take my detailing and results to another level. This is what I am thinking about using:



Step 1 - XMT Swirl Remover #2, apply with Orange Light cutting pad

Step 2 - XMT Swirl Remover #1, apply with White polishing pad

Step 3 - XMT Finishing Glaze, apply with finishing foam or grey pad



Final - Follow up with Souveran Paste wax.



As an amateur, here are my questions



Do I need XMT Swirl Remover #3? Will that be too aggressive? I do NOT want to damage the paint ? Then is it a 4 step process?



Do I have to use #2, then #1 then the glaze for the best results? ( Is it always a three step process no matter which product? )



Are there better / easier products then Pinnacle XMT for the porter cable?



Any and all suggestions, advice and or comments are appreciated.



Thanks. CM

 

[morphiusrt]

I would go with the Meg's DA MF correction setup it worked rather well and it was only my first time ever polishing.

 

[Accumulator]

chris7469- I've never used the XMT stuff, so I can't say which one you'll need, but it's not like you *must* use the more aggresssive product/pad combo if the milder one will suffice. Try the #1/white combo and see if that does the job. If it's enough, just use it, or at least only use the #2/orange on the areas that really need that.



The glaze is optional, but I bet you'll want to use it.



I'd be using 4" pads, or at least 5-5.5" ones, on that machine; that's the only way I could really get much done with either of my PCs.



FWIW, Souveran is nice looking (I use it on one of my cars), but it sure doesn't last long (maybe two washes) and it offers only minimal protection. If your car is a daily driver, I'd seriously consider something else.

 

[imported_MCA]

Quite a bit depends on the type/make of the car, where do you live (specifically, what type of weather you predominantly get), daily driver, etc...



I only ask as some paints are ridiculously hard or frustratingly soft to correct. I have used the XMT correction system and find them to be average in useability and performance - nothing good/bad that stands out. In your case, XMT#2 with an orange pad on a non-XP PC would not do very much correction on rock-hard Mercedes Benz clear...However, it would definitely remove swirls if not leave a noticeable amount of hazing on softer Honda/Nissan paint.



Do some test spots and see if you get the results you want. However, based on what you have said: The swirls are only noticeable from 2 inches away from your nose and you do not want to damage (reduce thickness) the paint, I would argue that XMT Finishing Glaze should be your starting point. It does a nice job of covering swirls and other light, light marring. Throw some Souveran on top of that and you will be good to go.



Just be prepared to do it all over again in a month or so......

 

[chris7469]

Thank you very much!



The car is a 2011 Maserati GT S. I live in NJ and drive about 6,000 miles each year. The car is garaged at home and at the office.



How do I determine if my paint is hard or soft?



What about the Wolfgang twins? Their swirl remover and finishing polish? Can you recommend a longer lasting wax or sealant?



Thank! CM

 

[Accumulator]

Thank you very much!



The car is a 2011 Maserati GT S. I live in NJ and drive about 6,000 miles each year. The car is garaged at home and at the office. ..

Well, that's still more than I drive most of mine! Keeping it garaged is good, less risk of bird-bomb etching.

How do I determine if my paint is hard or soft?

Somebody here must've done a Maserati...but I can't remember what was said about its paint. You'll know once you start trying to polish it, something will either *really* cut (as in, takes out the flaws but leaves lots of its own marring) or really *wont* (as in, you'll work on a section forever with little correction to show for it). Every now and then you luck out and land in the middle of those extremes with good correction and a nice resulting finish.

What about the Wolfgang twins? Their swirl remover and finishing polish?

Another line I haven't used! But IIRC, their stuff is made by Menzerna, which is very good stuff. I usually find their finishing polishes a bit milder (as in, less effective correction but a nice gloss) compared to what some other people report.

Can you recommend a longer lasting wax or sealant?

Wax- Collinite. Any Collinite. But the 845 is renowned for being easy to use and it can even work OK on exterior trim like black plastic. Their 476S is perhaps the longest lasting, best protecting wax on the market. Their 915 is almost as tough, and many people think it looks a tiny bit better on dark colors.



Sealant- Finish Kare's FK1000P. Simply incredible protection and durability, at least if you do two coats (do the second one after a week or so, like...after the next wash). It has a signature look that some people don't/really like on certain paints, but I wouldn't worry about that at all.

 

[WRXsubaru2010]

Gentlemen:



I just bought a 2011 Black coupe with 5,000 miles. The car is in excellent condition but if I put my nose about an inch or two from the paint or stare at it in direct sunlight I notice some swirls. They appear to be fine swirls? I am not sure how to tell the difference.



I used a porter cable 7424, Meguairs #9, a polish, and Zaino over the years on my white coupe with great results. However, I am now dealing with a black car and I am trying to take my detailing and results to another level. This is what I am thinking about using:



Step 1 - XMT Swirl Remover #2, apply with Orange Light cutting pad

Step 2 - XMT Swirl Remover #1, apply with White polishing pad

Step 3 - XMT Finishing Glaze, apply with finishing foam or grey pad



Final - Follow up with Souveran Paste wax.



As an amateur, here are my questions



Do I need XMT Swirl Remover #3? Will that be too aggressive? I do NOT want to damage the paint ? Then is it a 4 step process?



Do I have to use #2, then #1 then the glaze for the best results? ( Is it always a three step process no matter which product? )



Are there better / easier products then Pinnacle XMT for the porter cable?



Any and all suggestions, advice and or comments are appreciated.



Thanks. CM

I will go with the new HD LIne, HD UNO, HD POLISH and wax it with HD POXY ; however, you can use any wax of your choice.... I got great results with a DA ....:bigups

 

[_Nathan]

...it's not like you *must* use the more aggresssive product/pad combo if the milder one will suffice. Try the #1/white combo and see if that does the job...

+1

You want to use the least aggressive product and pad that will fix the problem. I have had good results removing light swirl marks with a white pad and Sonus SFX-2.