Silicone Wax and Swirl marks

S

sg333e

New member
I took my 2001 BMW (black) to a local detail shop after viewing what appeared to be extreme swirl marks in the paint that became apparent in the sun. They told (and showed) me that they were not swirls, but indeed a cheap silicone based wax leaving a heavy haze on the paint. They recommended Zymol HD cleanse and the Zymol Carbon wax. The kicker is as I was leaving, they said you should wash the car with 5 gallons of hot water and 1-2 cups of Tide crystals to remove the silicone before the Zymol process begins. Anyone here tried this? They mentioned that tip is from the president of Zymol directly.



Thanks,



Any other recommendations are appreciated. It's unfortunate this very low mile car seems to have seen one too many automated dealer car washes, but I think it can be saved!
 
Zymol is overpriced and over rated. Look else where. If caranuba is your thing, check out P21s and S100 waxes. Both very nice, easy to work with, and cost less than Zymol. Oh, and you don't need Tide to remove silicone. A dawn wash and mild paint cleaner will take care of it.
 
Gotta agree with Showroom.



You didn't say whether their hypothesis made any sense. Those swirls could indeed have been improperly applied or buffed Klasse Sealant Glaze for example. But - they could also just be ..... swirl marks! After all, it certainly couldn't be polymer residue if it has never been applied to the car.



SO - more data would help. Have you had the car since new? Have you ever tried to apply a polymer? Have you used an orbital? A rotary? Perhaps you hired someone else to do this? ....
 
Sorry for not giving more detail. I bought the car used with 1700 miles on it. Basically garage kept but poorly detailed. They took me out to the lot and applied the HD cleanse to a small spot, which did remove the "swirl" or more accurately the haze. covered with carbon wax and it looked pretty good. A follow up question is what to do about the "spider webs" that appear in any dark car over time. These are not swirls per se....



Thanks for the tips. And Carguy, it's a Jet Black 01 M5:)
 
sg333e, I'm moving this into Autopia Univ forum, as I think it touches on some basic questions that would help tons of folks! :up (BTW, we generally request that folks post their questions in AU 'til they're up to 30 posts.)
 
Im with showroom Zymol is way overpriced and you dont need tide to remove silicones. By the Way what do you use to remove stuff like Zaino,Klasse,Upp and all the synthetics and polymers and acrylics. ?
 
Good grief - unless they otherwise do great work, I would find a different detail shop for the amount of smoke they try and blow. :rolleyes:



I'm not sure if you want to do the entire job yourself or want to farm it out? It's hard to say what condition the paint really is in without seeing it and/or removing anything on the paint that might be hiding swirls or light scratches. I bet the Zymol HD he used only really hid the problems as I think HD can't really be that strong a polish. Anyway, it can be fairly involving if the damage is great and you want to tackle it yourself. The alternative is to pay someone to remove (not hide) the swirls/scratches for you and then you can maintain it easier afterwards.



I highly recommend the more basic reading found in the Learn! link at the top. I believe the articles in there cover both hand and machine polishing and should give you an idea of where you stand. Good luck!
 
4DSC said:
I bet the Zymol HD he used only really hid the problems as I think HD can't really be that strong a polish. Anyway, it can be fairly involving if the damage is great and you want to tackle it yourself. The alternative is to pay someone to remove (not hide) the swirls/scratches for you and then you can maintain it easier afterwards.
Click to expand...



Zymol HD Cleanse is a non-abrasive cleaner. As far as I know it doesn't really do that much in terms of hiding though...at least it never did the times I have used it.



I am a much bigger fan of Zymol's products that most here. HD Cleanse is absoloutly ridiculous...it does a great job of cleaning and will make a massive difference in deepening the color of oxidised paint. I skipped it this year because of stuff I have learned here, but next year I will probably be using it again after polishing just before waxing.



Carbon wax is AWESOME, but does not last. If I had a garage queen that I never drove and constantly cleaned and waxed I would probably use Carbon. It gives really nice deep color. However, it's not suitable for cars that are driven regularly as it needs to be reapplied constantly. It also smells unbelievable!
 
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