swirls on black paint job

S

shub

New member
hi, i am new to the forums! let me preface this by saying that, aside from going through the auto carwash, ive never done anything paintjob related! please dont hurt me too much, because i'll need a lot basic guidance to get me along.





anyways, someone from saabcentral.com, told me this would be a good place to go!



i have a black saab 9-3.



when i got the car a year ago, i found it to look very attractive in shade, dawn, and dusk... rain too! close up, the hood and headlights took a beating from road salt, as there are many pits in the paint.. but thats not my main concern. it's getting sunny and warm up here in maine these days, and its not looking so hot so anymore because i can see all those swirls again.



soo, can swirls be removed easily? some people told me they can't without sanding, but i looked at some of the forums here, and i can see some of you guys got them out, i just don't know how... all these product names leave me dizzy :o.



if i can find my digital camera, ill take some shots for you guys...so far no luck on that. but basically i'd like some advice, in newb format, as to what i should do.



i.e. products to buy, where to get them, how much they'll cost, how to apply, etc.



if it turns out to be a lot of money to get this going, if anyone can give me suggestions that would make my car look better at least without too much dough, i'll take those as well.





thanks!
 
It depends on how much work and how much money are you willing to spend. You can get away with just buying stuff at the local Pepboys and do it by hand, but it will take you lots of work and time. You can buy a PC orbital and save time but the machine and pad cost over $150. My suggestion is that since your goal might be modest you probably want to try doing it by hand with Meguiars #9 swril remover and a wax like the NXT that helps hide the swrils. This will hide thoes swrils and may make it look good enough for you. If you really want to remove the swrils then you are gonna need a PC, some pads, a compound, a final polish, some MF towels, and a good wax. You could buy a PC 7336 at Lowes for $99, get a Pad kit with backing plate at Meguiars.com (2polishing, 1 finishing), while you're at it get a bottle of DACP or #2, and a bottle of #80, get a wax like #26 or NXT. That should cost you about $80, and pick up some MF at a Costco for $10. That should take care of you at the lowest cost. There are better stuff out there as you can improve on final wax with stuff like Piniacle, 4*UPP, Ziano, P21s, ect.. There are better MF, and more selection of pads, and different polishes. I say the Meguiars Polishes are hard to beat for price to performance. Start with #80 and see if that takes care of the swrils, before stepping up to DACP. You can do a search on using DACP in a post by Mosca, and check out Autopia learn to see how to use a PC. Also check out properautocare.com as they have some good atricles and sell products too.
 
Welcome to Autpia!

- Yes, the swirls can be removed

- Yes, it does cost a little (or alot) a' dough depending on your circumstance

- You can order things from right here at Autotopia to do the job, however your biggest problem will be the tools. I would suggest you not attempt swirl removal by hand. The majority of us use the orbital buffer made by Porter Cable (PC7424 or the PC7336). The 7336 can be purchased at Lowes for a nice chunk of change, or you can buy one here at Autopia with the pads you need for... well, a nice chunk of change.

- On average the project of swirl removal w/ a PC is gonna run you at least $250. By hand, the project will be much less expensive. Maybe someone else can steer you in that direction.



The basic steps to prepare your car for swirl removal are as follows:

1. Buy a PC (or not $180)

2.Wash

3. Clay (~ 13 here at Autopia)

4. Swirl remover (can range in price but on average ~$20)

5. some recommend a cleaner at this point (AIO is a good one ~ $20)

6. Some kind of Carnuaba wax or glaze depending on your preference (~ 20)



Some may suggest some OTC products but I don't konw what they are.



JJ
 
Swirls can be removed, but Black is the hardsest color for a beginner because it shows every mistake. Practise on a light color first. Welcome to Autopia, I don't mean to scare you, just inform you. I'd do one or two cars before I did a black car. Check machine polishing section, everything you need to know is there. I think this machine has the counter balance that makes the machine less wobbly.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/pc-7424.html



These are all the pads you'll need to start. They are nice and small and easy to handle.



http://www.autopia-carcare.com/tps-padkit-da.html
 
Yeah, black cars are really difficult to tame. Unfortunately my car is black so that is what I started with but fortunately it is black because I love black cars. They can just be mean looking at times. :xyxthumbs
 
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