No luck with swirls!! HELP

S

Scroder

New member
I have done 5 vehicles now using my pc. I can get all the vehicles to get a nice shine but cannot get any swirls out no matter how mild they are. Yesterday I spent 8 hours on a buddies 1994 civic that had probably never seen wax---it was swirl city. I started with clay, hit it on 5 with a meguiars 8006 pad and #83, followed by 9006 pad and #80 on 4, then nxt wax by hand. No matter what speed or how much time I spent on one section not one swirl would come out. The paint got some added depth but thats all--just like the last 4 cars Ive done. What am I doing wrong---is this stuff not strong enough? Thanks



Dave
 
Do a search on here for the specific cars you are working on to see what others are using.



You also may not be going slow enough. I know I spent 12 hours on my car the first time and it wasn't totally swirl free yet. You should experiment on a couple panels to make sure you have the process down before you waste 8 hours on the entire car.
 
As Grimm said, the main problem I see is that you are finishing the entire car, including an LSP, before you realize that you aren't being effective. My suggestion would be to start on one panel and don't move on until you have affected some sort of result on it. There isn't a magical pad and product combination that removes all swirls on all surfaces, so you are going to have to experiment. I usually start with the hood and do half of it under a pair of 500watt halogen lights. I don't move on to any other part until I can see my results. If I don't get results with one combination then I try something else. Honestly, I'm surprised that #83 isn't doing anything for you. I've gotten spectacular results with swirl removal by using that product.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
As Grimm said, the main problem I see is that you are finishing the entire car, including an LSP, before you realize that you aren't being effective. My suggestion would be to start on one panel and don't move on until you have affected some sort of result on it. There isn't a magical pad and product combination that removes all swirls on all surfaces, so you are going to have to experiment. I usually start with the hood and do half of it under a pair of 500watt halogen lights. I don't move on to any other part until I can see my results. If I don't get results with one combination then I try something else. Honestly, I'm surprised that #83 isn't doing anything for you. I've gotten spectacular results with swirl removal by using that product.
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I taped off one section on the hood and stuck with it forever and saw no results. Im wondering if I need a better pad/compound or what.



Dave
 
I would up the speed of the PC. When I polish tough swirls I put it on 6, move VERY slowly and apply decent amount of pressure. I have to do this a couple of times sometimes. Also, make sure that you aren't saturating the pad. You don't need very much polish to do the job well. Using too much product actually reduces the amount of cut that you get.
 
hockeyplaya13 said:
I would up the speed of the PC. When I polish tough swirls I put it on 6, move VERY slowly and apply decent amount of pressure. I have to do this a couple of times sometimes. Also, make sure that you aren't saturating the pad. You don't need very much polish to do the job well. Using too much product actually reduces the amount of cut that you get.
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Best advise yet. To me speed 1-5 is for wax application. Liquid lower numbers, paste 5.
 
eventually all your frustration will lead you to buying a rotary. do it sooner than later, trust me. I came very close to hating detailing because of the PC7424 vs VAG paint.
 
I just don't understand why people say that. The only damage I have ever come up against that the PC couldn't correct was massive clear coat failure that even a rotary couldn't correct. From my experience the only thing a rotary can do that a PC can't do is more work in less time. I haven't seen it be any more effective than a PC. If used properly then the PC is a very effective tool that can handle just about anything. It is certianly a better tool in the hands of a beginner than a rotary. I've spent years repairing the damage that "professionals" have caused with rotarys.
 
When the PC isn't doing the job, I always suggest switching to 4" pads with a product that is as abrasive as possible while still being PC-friendly (e.g., High-Temp Extreme Cut Leveler).



I'll agree that the PC can do the work (hey, it's just mechanical abrasion, nothing magical about it) if given enough time (big "if" IMO). If I can remove a scratch from behind an Audi door handle *by hand* then a PC can correct the rest of the car. But it might take many, many hours to do it.
 
I have both machines, I use the rotary to correct, PC to apply Poliseal. I detail as a second job, I ain't got 12 hours to spend on a civic, unless the owner was more money than brains and wants to pay me for vibrating my hands off.
 
You know, I'd love to get a cyclo, and a carpet extractor too. But, times are tight right now, maybe next year!
 
bpfoley said:
eventually all your frustration will lead you to buying a rotary. do it sooner than later, trust me. I came very close to hating detailing because of the PC7424 vs VAG paint.
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Im with you on this one. At least 90% anyway. I find it hard to imagine not having my Makita rotary in my arsenal when stubborn swirls become aggravating to the point where I have to post to get someone's help. Nothing beats a rotary when its time to get aggressive!
 
I think I am doing something wrong though--i have used the same pads and compounds on other cars that weren't nearly as bad without seeing any decent results as well. Guess I need to keep practicing.



Dave
 
Every car is different. That's why people get different opinions on the same polish - I'm still experimenting with finding a polish that: works consistantly 99% of the time, cost effective and the biggie - user friendly! I'm trying something new this weekend,the company is rarely discussed and after searching the forum, no one has used this polish before. Stay tuned...
 
Scroder said:
I think I am doing something wrong though--i have used the same pads and compounds on other cars that weren't nearly as bad without seeing any decent results as well. Guess I need to keep practicing.
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JuneBug said:
Every car is different...
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Yeah, don't beat yourself up over differences in paint hardness ;)



I often use the same products on the Audis that I use on the Mazda..but with the Mazda I can use them via PC whereas on the Audis I have to use them via rotary to do *milder* correction. Different paint can require different approaches.
 
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