Removing Swirls, please help!!
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Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: New Jersey
2007 E350 Sport
Removing Swirls, please help!!
Hi Guys, sorry if this question has already been answered, but what needs to be done to the car to remove swirl marks from machine car washes? Do you need to get the car buffed? Waxed? Clay-bar? And whatever needs to be done, approximately how much does it cost at a detailing shop for an E-Class? Also, are these swirl marks considered scratches or something else?? Because if they are scratches, I dont know if a detailing job would remove them. Thanks in advance.
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Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Sacramento, CA
Several MB's Superperformance MK III Cobra
Hi Guys, sorry if this question has already been answered, but what needs to be done to the car to remove swirl marks from machine car washes? Do you need to get the car buffed? Waxed? Clay-bar? And whatever needs to be done, approximately how much does it cost at a detailing shop for an E-Class? Also, are these swirl marks considered scratches or something else?? Because if they are scratches, I dont know if a detailing job would remove them. Thanks in advance.
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Joined: Sep 2006
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From: NY
Car washes are prone to leaving swirl marks in the clear coat. Swirl marks are basically very fine scratches in the clear coat that are curve shaped. These marks are relatively typical and can largely be buffed out with the right combination of polishes and detailing process. After polishing I like to at least follow up with a wax/sealant, however polishes are the only must have product to remove the swirls. Detailing will not remove all of the swirls because some of them are too deep in the clear coat to be safely buffed out, but you can expect to remove 50%- 75% of them. You can do this work yourself or have a detailer do it. Some detailers will do good work and you'll probably get charged accordingly, $150 - $300 is a ballpark figure. Unfortunately it can sometimes be hard to determine which shops do quality work. I'd seek out several recommendations and ask some questions to assure you're getting a quality job. Some detailers will use products with heavy fillers, designed to cover the swirls, not actually remove them. Unfortunately the car looks great at first but a couple washes later the products fade and the swirl marks are exposed again.
If you'd like to do this process yourself you can do it rather easily with a Porter Cable 7424 and two polishes. The Porter Cable 7424 is a very safe and easy to use buffer that has helped weekend detailers get professional like results. I highly recommend doing it yourself because you can be assured of a quality job for about the same cost. Additionally you'll have a great set of products for future detail work and the ability to fix any future problems yourself. I've helped numerous first time detailers get fantastic results, with this same basic problem. If this interests you please let me know and I can explain this in more detail.
Greg @ Detailed Image
If you'd like to do this process yourself you can do it rather easily with a Porter Cable 7424 and two polishes. The Porter Cable 7424 is a very safe and easy to use buffer that has helped weekend detailers get professional like results. I highly recommend doing it yourself because you can be assured of a quality job for about the same cost. Additionally you'll have a great set of products for future detail work and the ability to fix any future problems yourself. I've helped numerous first time detailers get fantastic results, with this same basic problem. If this interests you please let me know and I can explain this in more detail.
Greg @ Detailed Image
