oggle

My black car is now full of swirls thanks to the MORONS at Penske Motors. I'd like to get rid of these swirls. Will Zaino do the trick? If so, which of the Z1-7 should I apply?

bmms8

sorry to hear that man, maybe going to spreewels right cheer you up though but you will want zfx, z-5, z-6, z-7. z-5 is the polish, and it is better on darker cars, it you want more of a glossier, deeper, wetter look....it also gets rid of minor swirls, you can get a porter cable, i have no clue about them, but pm alboston, hes the moderator for the detailing section

etenn

What kind of carwash did the MB dealer have? I would think they would have a touchless. Amazing that a dealer would let that happen. The free carwash should be an incentive not a punishment.

oggle

Touchless? You mean a pure machine wash? No not these guys.

You should see the swirls. Oh my god they are nasty. The guys must have used really dirty cloths from previous cars and wiped hard or something. And I see one car after another go in there too. Too bad most people haven't the foggiest idea what the car wash is doing to their paint!

Kar don

you got to remember, the people at most dealers have no clue what the cause of swirl marks is, etc. It is because of poor wash techniques and the use of dirty towels. As long as the dirt is off the car they think it's a job well done. Anyway, Zaino will probably not hide your swirl marks. Your car will need to be buffed with an abrasive polish to make these marks less noticable or not noticeable at all. However most detailers I see do a very bad job and make the car look even worse than before with buffer burns all up and down the side of the car. here is a good example of a dealership detailing a car leaving buffer marks all over the car. looks pretty nasty.



and another one...


here is after i buffed it out correctly.


see no marks in the sunlight!

David N.

The first two pics make me wanna puke!

Al, as always, excellent work in pic 3. Did you use a rotary or PC?

oogle:

Zaino will NOT remove or hide your swirls. In fact, zaino's high optical properties will make your swirls look even worse. You need to use an abrasive polish and an orbital to get rid of the damage.

oggle

Which brand of abrasive polisher do you guys recommend? And which buffer would you use? Or should I polish by hand?

JeT

So Al, besides not following your technique in the sticky thread, how have the buffer swirl marks been caused in those two pics? Too fast of a rotory speed, pressing too hard?

oggle

Will Zaino Z5 be able to cover up the swirl marks or should I polish?

Kar don

David N. - Yes I used a dual action polisher to get those rotary marks out (PC7336). There are several "rumors" that only a rotary will get out marks or burns a rotary can create, however this is not true. I used Meguiars Dual action cleaner polish and a yellow foam cutting pad, came out perfect as you can see . Thanks for the compliment btw .

oggle, For begginers I would get the Porter Cable 7336 orbital buffer and purchase the DM kit from properautocare.com This has been talked about several times, check this sticky thread. Oh also, Z5 will only fill MINOR swirl marks... but from what it sounds like your swirls arent minor so polishing is the only route unless you can live with the swirls.

Jet - Those marks are caused buy using a caked/dirty pad.... you must wash your buffer pads after every use with dawn detergent and water. I like to do it by hand. Also these were made by a rotary buffer (leaving it in one spot too long or pressing too hard), not a dual action polisher like the PC. This is the exact reason i think its so good for beginners. You will not leave those nasty marks and will remove scratches and swirls at the same time!

JustinTRW

I totally agree with David N. Zaino will not do ANYTHING for your swirls and could make them look worse.


Bmms8, nothing in the Zaino line is a "polish". Z-5 itself cannot remove even the most minor of swirls.

bmms8

well thats what they call it, i am going off of their name, and web site, what is the best way to remove scratches, i have them on my car i think the ccd caused a lot of them

JustinTRW

I doubt it was the CCD if it was used properly. Investigate your washing and drying methods. Even QDing can cause scratches. Read around this forum, we talk about removing swirls a LOT.

BTW, you have had scratches on your car from new. In one of the pics you sent me (pics you took the day it came home), I can see swirls in the reflection.

bmms8

whats the cheapest way to get rid of them, i spent all my money on my deck

JustinTRW

A swirl mark remover and lots of rubbing. $10 plus maybe a few applicators if you want to use those to buff with.

BTW, welcome to having a black car.

bmms8

wow, 10 bucks, very nice. what kind of apps, foam??? also, what is a good scratch remover? i know, i love black but still with all the scratches, it looks the best

oggle

I'm thinking about polishing out the swirls using a porter cable and 3M's Swirl Remover polish. My car is still brand new, but the swirls are just bothering the heck out of me.

Is this recommened? Or should I just get a glaze and cover it up?

JustinTRW

3M SMR is a good one to use with the porter cable. It's really up to you if you want to remove them or lessen the appearance with a glaze. A glaze isn't going to last that long however. Just keep in mind that SMR is an abrasive, so don't use it every weekend. I plan on doing a swirl removal every year or so, maybe longer. Saving the clearcoat is better!

oggle

It's weird, but I've read in many places that you should polish your car 1-2 times a year. Now, every time you polish, aren't you rubbing off a thin layer of the clearcoat? If that's so, wouldn't it be better NOT to polish your car unless it's absolutely necessary? If you do it 1-2 times a year, I'd guess you'll have rubbed all the clearcoat off in 4-5 years of ownership.

Am I missing something here?