SMR just fills or removes?

scottabir

New member
OK I can't find the thread in which I thought I read that SMR just fills swirls/scratches, and using AIO after using the SMR would basically just remove the filler from the swirls... am I on the right track or way off base?
 
That's close. You can remove some with SMR. It will fill more than it removes unless all you have are really light swirls. SMR is what I would use on a new car with light swirls. On a 5 year old car you won't get a whole lot of benefit out of SMR if there are heavy swirls there. AIO will remove the fillers and basicly just leave you with whatever SMR wasn't able to remove. That's why they have SMR for light and dark cars. Its not just filling the swirls with oils.
 
Ahh thank you, I was wondering if I was just going to be wasting my time or not using the SMR (for a Black 2003 Mazda6), I appreciate the help.

Thank you.

Scott
 
The only time SMR would be a waste is if you go back after you use it and strip out all the fillers. If you top it with a wax or something that won't have trouble bonding with the fillers then its a good product.
 
Scott, I had the same problem as you, my M6 also got the free swirl marks from the dealer. Their bodyshop worked on it to make it better but I can still see the swirls.



Jngbrdman, is there a good SMR you recommend to use by hand that I can find easily in auto supply stores? Mother's? 3M? Meguiar's #9? Or should I just get a PC and go at it?
 
I would always suggest getting a PC and really going for it. If you were going for swirl removal by hand then SMR or #9 are probably your best choices. Its going to be really hard work either way so you may just want to stick with a glaze like #7 or 3M IHG that will just hide the swirls till you get around to actually removing them. Swirl removal by hand is really a difficult task. Its tough with a PC so you know it is a big job by hand.
 
Some have suggested to use Meguiar's #3 by hand instead of #7, stating that it is easier to remove.



I've found SMR only to be good for removing hazing left over by more aggressive polishes, such as 3M FI-II or 3M fine cut rubbing compound.
 
swirl removal by hand.... forget it. We're talking hundreds of hours of applications and rubbing, and even then. Go with PC. I recently did the SMR yellow pad routine and I was pretty impressed. It got out about 80% of my light swirls. In a few months I'll hit it with DACP and hopefully solve the rest of the problem.
 
weegee, after spending some time reading, I also realized that it's a near-impossible task removing swirls by hand. I am just a bit befuddled by the claims of the products "remove" swirls even though it really means "hides" swirls. When I have more money I will try the PC and yellow pad routine!
 
Back
Top