We're back, with a pair of black Porsches

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wizardofahs

New member
Hi, new to the board (seems like lots are). And i must say i LOVE it. a lot of people would say i'm quite anal about my car's look (about to drop $600 on suplies when i only make $7.50 an hour). But so what... i'm planing on doing my '00 black civic with the klasse/sovern (sp) mix. But, i have a HUGE swirl problem. I know it's going to take a lot to get it out, ( just bought my PC 7336 today). I have some pics...

swirl4.jpg


here's a link with more (http://www.mines.edu/students/p/pfchrist/swirls.htm) so they don't clutter the board. The entire car looks like that (some pics show it better than others) Right now i'm maybe thinking some 3M SMR for dark cars, some IHG (heard it works well), and possibly some 3M imperial machine glaze (read about it on another board but not much about it here) Also maybe some FI-II if necessary. Also, people say to start with the least abrasive first, but isn't it like sanding? where you start with big stuff and work down... working down makes sure that each additional sanding job covers up the scratches from the last. Thanks for the help!
 
Hi Dr. Jones welcome to Autopia! :)

The PC that you just got will help you to get rid of those swirls. HERE is thread dealing with a very similar problem that you might find interesting.To get rid of swirls and light scratchs you want to start with the mildest abrasive. Only if the mildest doesn't work will you need to go a step more abrasive.

Lighting can make a HUGE difference in what you can see. Try to work under flourescent or halogen lights. That way if your lighting is constant you will be able to make a more scientific comparison of different products.

When you get to a level of product that removes the scratchs then use that product followed by the next mildest and the next mildest. For example if you had to start at the bottom of the list of products in this post, you would then work your way up to the top, before waxing or sealing the finish.

I like 3M Products for tasks like this because they have a graduated scale of abrasive products which will allow you to choose the right product for the job. The first item the SMR is not classified as a rubbing compound because it is so fine and it has the added benefit of leaving a very smooth glazed looking surface.

From mild to abrasive here's a list of 3M's products.

<em class='bbc'>clic pics[/i]




 
The swirls on my black Acura were not nearly that bad (it would be a little easier to tell if your car was clean) but I got great results this weekend with the following:



1. wash (Z7) and dry thoroughly

2. Meguiar's SMR #9 2.0, applied with a CMA white foam polishing pad on a PC 7336 set between 4 and 5. Work the #9 until almost dry (when you begin to see some gloss coming through). Wipe off with a cotton towel, one panel at a time, repeat as needed.

3. Z6 everything with a MF towel

4. 2 coats of Z5/ZFX applied with PC and grey finishing pad, wiped off with cotton towel, Z6 with a MF towel in between coats.

5. Z6, Z5, Z6 the next day.



Results are impressive. No visible swirls. Of course, my car already had 8-10 coats of Z1, Z5, Z2, which started 2 days after I got the car, so most all the "swirls" were likely just marring of the Z layers. Some here recommend washing after the #9 before applying Z, which is probably a good idea, but I just use the Z6 after the #9, and have had no problems. Good luck.
 
Just a quick note -- If you go with 3M abrasives, you will not need any others besides #39009 Swirl Mark Remover for DARK cars and MAYBE Finesse-It II. Unless of course you want to use PI-III "Machine Glaze" which is supposed to be comparable to FI-II but with no fillers, all abrasive.



If 1 application of SMR almost does it but not quite, just do 1 more application. Someone did a good post on PC abrasive application, Short Cut was that you? Link please ;).
 
man, sounds like fun. once you're done with the swirls you can seal that puppy up and start washing your car the correct way :) Happy detailing and welcome to the forum Dr. Jones (I'm an Indi fan)
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Dr. Jones [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Hi, new to the board (seems like lots are). And i must say i LOVE it. a lot of people would say i'm quite anal about my car's look (about to drop $600 on suplies when i only make $7.50 an hour). But so what... i'm planing on doing my '00 black civic with the klasse/sovern (sp) mix. But, i have a HUGE swirl problem. I know it's going to take a lot to get it out, ( just bought my PC 7336 today). I have some pics...

swirl4.jpg


here's a link with more (http://www.mines.edu/students/p/pfchrist/swirls.htm) so they don't clutter the board. The entire car looks like that (some pics show it better than others) Right now i'm maybe thinking some 3M SMR for dark cars, some IHG (heard it works well), and possibly some 3M imperial machine glaze (read about it on another board but not much about it here) Also maybe some FI-II if necessary. Also, people say to start with the least abrasive first, but isn't it like sanding? where you start with big stuff and work down... working down makes sure that each additional sanding job covers up the scratches from the last. Thanks for the help! [/b]</blockquote>
First, let me extend a hearty welcome to the board. Second of all, I have this combo on my '94 Maxima and love it to death. But make sure you clay the car before you get into the SMR and FI II.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Dr. Jones [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>(about to drop $600 on suplies when i only make $7.50 an hour[/b]</blockquote>
$7.50? Dr. Jones, what kind of doctor are you? ;)
 
:xyxthumbs These guys are right on the money. Personally, I've never used anything more abrasive than 3M SMR. I look at it this way -- SMR is very, very mild, and when used with the PC, will not cause any clearcoat damage. I'd much rather use 2-3-4 applications of SMR (if that's what it takes) than one application of something more abrasive (which might lead to a big "whoops" if you go happen through the clear). In your case, I bet it'll take 2 applications of SMR with the PC to get rid of most of those swirls, with some areas requiring a third pass. But, you'll be staying safe by using a conservative product. FWIW, I have a bottle of FI2 Machine Polish, but haven't even been brave enough to use it -- nor have I needed to!
 
I used FI-II with the yellow cutting pad, then Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 (which I like better than SMR), and put a layer of Gold Class wax on it. It looked awesome; not a swirl in sight. A couple days later, I put on a layer of #26, and when I buffed it out, I was in downtown Swirlville, population: millions!!! :eek: (In case you don't know, Swirlville is just south of Scratch City.) The swirls were bad, but the car looked great with lighting that didn't point out all those stupid swirls! Does anybody know what happened? How did I get all those stupid swirls?
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Chuckmotor [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Does anybody know what happened? How did I get all those stupid swirls? [/b]</blockquote>
Just a guess but I'd say you may have picked up a spec of abrasive material in your wax applicator, wash mit or wipe off towel. :scared
 
that's definately the work of a automatic car wash (or a wash bay brush) otherwise :nixweiss (haha, just wante to see)
 
:D Thanks for all the advice. I do live in colorado, so around this time of year the car is hard to keep clean... i'm thinking of letting it all build up till spring break (march 11th) when i finally wash it, just to get some really dramatic before/after pics :). It looks like i'll go ahead and buy the smr and IHG and maybe the FI-II just in case, and if the SMR doesn't work well the first time i might try the cutting pad. Also, i was going to by the pinacle kit from CMA with the paint cleaner/polish that comes with it. From what it sounds like it's more of a improve what looks good, rather than get it looking good sort of thing. Would i apply that after the IHG, before i start the klasse?
 
3M SMR and 3M Finnesse It 2 should give you wonderful results. By the way, many here use Finnesse It 2 by hand and we still get pretty darn good results. You don't have to use it with a machine. Laters
 
I haven't posted anything in a while, so I figured I would post this pair of Porsches from this weekend. The client contacted me from Autopia, and due to his work schedule, requested we try to work both in for the same weekend. I decided to enlist the help of Chris Michalski. Mike Napoli(Mikenap), also asked if he could tag along, as he has not yet had any experience with soft Porsche paint, and wanted to learn.

Day 1 started with full interior details on both the Cayenne Turbo, and Cayman S. We then washed and clayed the Cayman S, pulled it into the garage and proceeded to do a full correction.

Mike captures some defects on the Cayman S...
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Chris (white shirt) and I proceed to attack the paint...
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A couple of shots after polishing...
A little dust, but no swirls...
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Garage reflection shots...
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We then pulled it outside to wash after polishing...
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We then put it back in the garage and applied Collinite 845. Next, we pulled it back outside. Ther was almost no sun, as it was the end of the day, so I took a couple of shots, knowing we'd be back today to get sun shots...
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With the correction done on the Cayman S, we proceeded to finish the day with a wash and clay on the Cayenne Turbo.

Here is Chris rearing his ugly head over the fender of the Cayenne...
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Mike finishing up the wash, soaked from a leaky hose...
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We then tucked both P cars in the garage, and called it quits for day 1...
 
Day 2 began with some sun shots on the Cayman S that we corrected on day1...
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We then proceeded to correct the Cayenne Turbo...
Here I check the results after my test spot....pretty good...
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This spot needed a second round, and Chris represents the west side in the back ground, as I take a picture...
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Here is Chris checking his progress...
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Mike polishing...
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Here, Chris polishes the roof of the Cayenne without a ladder. Since he has screwed up growth hormones (that's what the client told him), he doesn't need one...
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While they were doing some polishing, I took advantage of taking some photos of the beautiful interior...
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We then took some sun shots after we completed the post polishing wash...
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To be continued...
 
Great work Dave. Both the P's looked awesome. You guys did a beautiful job. I hope you tought Mike well.:thumbup:
 
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