I started with McGuiar's Swirl-X, and then tried Scratch-X, and when they did nothing I moved up to Ultimate Compound. Maybe it's just because I'm using the stuff by hand, but even the UC seems to be having a very difficult time removing what looks to be very minor spider web scratches in the clearcoat. Originally I thought just a few applications of even the mildest product would remove these things, but they're proving to be very stubborn. I've also noticed it doesn't seem to take much (wind blowing dust across my paint) to leave marks in this black paint. I don't know where they're coming from. I use nothing but clean micro fiber cloths for both washing and polishing. I don't get it. Where am I going wrong here?
Polishes and black paint
- Thread starter grampi
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What kind of car? Sounds to me like your car has soft paint. If I look at my Accord wrong, it will swirl, thats how soft Honda paint is. I use a leaf blower to dry my Accord, the less you touch the paint the better.
You need to polish by machine with the correct pads and polishes.
Trying to correct swirls and marring by hand is a fool's errand...it just doesn't work. Either pay someone to do it correctly or purchase the equipment and learn how to use it properly.
Trying to correct swirls and marring by hand is a fool's errand...it just doesn't work. Either pay someone to do it correctly or purchase the equipment and learn how to use it properly.
Originally Posted By: HARTZSKY
What kind of car? Sounds to me like your car has soft paint. If I look at my Accord wrong, it will swirl, thats how soft Honda paint is. I use a leaf blower to dry my Accord, the less you touch the paint the better.
It's not a car, it's a motorcycle. Since I have such a small area to work with, that's why I thought I'd be able to tackle it by hand, but it's proving to be much more difficult than I bargained for.
What kind of car? Sounds to me like your car has soft paint. If I look at my Accord wrong, it will swirl, thats how soft Honda paint is. I use a leaf blower to dry my Accord, the less you touch the paint the better.
It's not a car, it's a motorcycle. Since I have such a small area to work with, that's why I thought I'd be able to tackle it by hand, but it's proving to be much more difficult than I bargained for.
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Since you are having such a hard time with it... why not bring it to a professional Meguiars detailer? I'm not talking about those guys that install swirl marks on everything at the car dealerships.
I can't imagine them charging you a fortune since its a motorcycle.
I can't imagine them charging you a fortune since its a motorcycle.
If you are looking for over the counter try Mequire's heavy duty car cleaner followed by #7 glaze and you'll be impressed. If you want even better results you'll have to use PC or equivalent random orbiter polisher. I love Griots Garage machine cleaners and polishes - they remove swirls nicely.
Originally Posted By: grampi
I use nothing but clean micro fiber cloths for both washing and polishing. I don't get it. Where am I going wrong here?
Just to make sure we're on the same page. You do know those products have to be worked into the paint. Not left on to dry like wax. And you should be using a quality foam pad not mf to do the polishing. And work the product till it turns translucent clear.
I own all of the products you mentioned and they work as advertised.
I use nothing but clean micro fiber cloths for both washing and polishing. I don't get it. Where am I going wrong here?
Just to make sure we're on the same page. You do know those products have to be worked into the paint. Not left on to dry like wax. And you should be using a quality foam pad not mf to do the polishing. And work the product till it turns translucent clear.
I own all of the products you mentioned and they work as advertised.
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Originally Posted By: sunfire
Originally Posted By: grampi
I use nothing but clean micro fiber cloths for both washing and polishing. I don't get it. Where am I going wrong here?
Just to make sure we're on the same page. You do know those products have to be worked into the paint. Not left on to dry like wax. And you should be using a quality foam pad not mf to do the polishing. And work the product till it turns translucent clear.
I own all of the products you mentioned and they work as advertised.
Yes, I use foam pads to apply the polish, and MF cloths for removing polish/wax and washing. And yes I do know they have to be worked into the paint, which is what I'm doing. I'm just not getting any results.
Originally Posted By: grampi
I use nothing but clean micro fiber cloths for both washing and polishing. I don't get it. Where am I going wrong here?
Just to make sure we're on the same page. You do know those products have to be worked into the paint. Not left on to dry like wax. And you should be using a quality foam pad not mf to do the polishing. And work the product till it turns translucent clear.
I own all of the products you mentioned and they work as advertised.
Yes, I use foam pads to apply the polish, and MF cloths for removing polish/wax and washing. And yes I do know they have to be worked into the paint, which is what I'm doing. I'm just not getting any results.
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
If you are looking for over the counter try Mequire's heavy duty car cleaner followed by #7 glaze and you'll be impressed. If you want even better results you'll have to use PC or equivalent random orbiter polisher. I love Griots Garage machine cleaners and polishes - they remove swirls nicely.
Is the Heavy Duty Car Cleaner more or less harsh than the Ultimate Compound?
If you are looking for over the counter try Mequire's heavy duty car cleaner followed by #7 glaze and you'll be impressed. If you want even better results you'll have to use PC or equivalent random orbiter polisher. I love Griots Garage machine cleaners and polishes - they remove swirls nicely.
Is the Heavy Duty Car Cleaner more or less harsh than the Ultimate Compound?
Here is a very good write up by an absolute pro on removing marks/marring both by hand & by machine. It is lengthy and in depth but may help you achieve the look you want:
http://www.detailcity.org/forums/autogeek-net-sponsored-forum/27419-man-versus-machine.html
http://www.detailcity.org/forums/autogeek-net-sponsored-forum/27419-man-versus-machine.html
Having you tried Meguire's M105? You can make lot of improvement using it by hand. It will not remove deeper scratches but the difference between a side which is M105'd and the one which is not is very striking. I have played with TurtleWax, 3M, Kit made compounds and M105 is really heads and shoulders above the rest.
- Vikas
- Vikas
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Having you tried Meguire's M105? You can make lot of improvement using it by hand. It will not remove deeper scratches but the difference between a side which is M105'd and the one which is not is very striking. I have played with TurtleWax, 3M, Kit made compounds and M105 is really heads and shoulders above the rest.
- Vikas
Again, I need to know where this product stands in terms of agressiveness compared to what I'm already using. I have McGuiar's Swirl-X (which is the least aggressive scratch remover they make), Scratch-X (which is the next step up in aggressiveness), and Ultimate Compound (which is even more aggressive). I really believe I currently have the products I need to do the job, I may just not be using them correctly, or I'm not staying with it long enough.
Having you tried Meguire's M105? You can make lot of improvement using it by hand. It will not remove deeper scratches but the difference between a side which is M105'd and the one which is not is very striking. I have played with TurtleWax, 3M, Kit made compounds and M105 is really heads and shoulders above the rest.
- Vikas
Again, I need to know where this product stands in terms of agressiveness compared to what I'm already using. I have McGuiar's Swirl-X (which is the least aggressive scratch remover they make), Scratch-X (which is the next step up in aggressiveness), and Ultimate Compound (which is even more aggressive). I really believe I currently have the products I need to do the job, I may just not be using them correctly, or I'm not staying with it long enough.
Grampi, save yourself the frustration. Use some meg's swirlX/KIT Scratch Out , and then follow up with Eagle 1 Nanowax (liquid). Keep it fresh by dusting off the bike and using E1 Nanowax spray.
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Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
If you are looking for over the counter try Mequire's heavy duty car cleaner followed by #7 glaze and you'll be impressed. If you want even better results you'll have to use PC or equivalent random orbiter polisher. I love Griots Garage machine cleaners and polishes - they remove swirls nicely.
Is the Heavy Duty Car Cleaner more or less harsh than the Ultimate Compound?
NOT at all. It's a chemical cleaner with mild abrasives that break done finer and finer. It really does work well. One of the few Mequires over the counter stuff I still stock. VERY safe to use.
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
If you are looking for over the counter try Mequire's heavy duty car cleaner followed by #7 glaze and you'll be impressed. If you want even better results you'll have to use PC or equivalent random orbiter polisher. I love Griots Garage machine cleaners and polishes - they remove swirls nicely.
Is the Heavy Duty Car Cleaner more or less harsh than the Ultimate Compound?
NOT at all. It's a chemical cleaner with mild abrasives that break done finer and finer. It really does work well. One of the few Mequires over the counter stuff I still stock. VERY safe to use.
If you are trying to get rid of "Spiderweb" cracks, its time to either wet sand, buff, and polish. Or you need a reapplication of clearcoat. No amount of rubbing an buffing will get rid of them. Eventually you'll rub right down to the basecoat and then you'll have zero shine.
Originally Posted By: ionbeam22
Grampi, save yourself the frustration. Use some meg's swirlX/KIT Scratch Out , and then follow up with Eagle 1 Nanowax (liquid). Keep it fresh by dusting off the bike and using E1 Nanowax spray.
I've already tried the McGuiar's Swirl-X, which isn't aggressive enough. Which is why I've moved up to more aggressive products such as Scratch-X and Ultimate Compound. And why would I use Eagle 1 wax when I have a far superior product in Duragloss?
Grampi, save yourself the frustration. Use some meg's swirlX/KIT Scratch Out , and then follow up with Eagle 1 Nanowax (liquid). Keep it fresh by dusting off the bike and using E1 Nanowax spray.
I've already tried the McGuiar's Swirl-X, which isn't aggressive enough. Which is why I've moved up to more aggressive products such as Scratch-X and Ultimate Compound. And why would I use Eagle 1 wax when I have a far superior product in Duragloss?
Originally Posted By: bustednutz
If you are trying to get rid of "Spiderweb" cracks, its time to either wet sand, buff, and polish. Or you need a reapplication of clearcoat. No amount of rubbing an buffing will get rid of them. Eventually you'll rub right down to the basecoat and then you'll have zero shine.
When I describe the marks I have as "spiderweb" they're not cracks, they're actually tiny little scratches (maybe even microscopic) like those you get on your car's paint from using a snow brush to brush off snow. They certainly don't go all the way through the clearcoat.
If you are trying to get rid of "Spiderweb" cracks, its time to either wet sand, buff, and polish. Or you need a reapplication of clearcoat. No amount of rubbing an buffing will get rid of them. Eventually you'll rub right down to the basecoat and then you'll have zero shine.
When I describe the marks I have as "spiderweb" they're not cracks, they're actually tiny little scratches (maybe even microscopic) like those you get on your car's paint from using a snow brush to brush off snow. They certainly don't go all the way through the clearcoat.
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
If you are looking for over the counter try Mequire's heavy duty car cleaner followed by #7 glaze and you'll be impressed. If you want even better results you'll have to use PC or equivalent random orbiter polisher. I love Griots Garage machine cleaners and polishes - they remove swirls nicely.
Is the Heavy Duty Car Cleaner more or less harsh than the Ultimate Compound?
NOT at all. It's a chemical cleaner with mild abrasives that break done finer and finer. It really does work well. One of the few Mequires over the counter stuff I still stock. VERY safe to use.
How is "not at all" an answer to is it more or less harsh?
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
If you are looking for over the counter try Mequire's heavy duty car cleaner followed by #7 glaze and you'll be impressed. If you want even better results you'll have to use PC or equivalent random orbiter polisher. I love Griots Garage machine cleaners and polishes - they remove swirls nicely.
Is the Heavy Duty Car Cleaner more or less harsh than the Ultimate Compound?
NOT at all. It's a chemical cleaner with mild abrasives that break done finer and finer. It really does work well. One of the few Mequires over the counter stuff I still stock. VERY safe to use.
How is "not at all" an answer to is it more or less harsh?
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: ionbeam22
Grampi, save yourself the frustration. Use some meg's swirlX/KIT Scratch Out , and then follow up with Eagle 1 Nanowax (liquid). Keep it fresh by dusting off the bike and using E1 Nanowax spray.
I've already tried the McGuiar's Swirl-X, which isn't aggressive enough. Which is why I've moved up to more aggressive products such as Scratch-X and Ultimate Compound. And why would I use Eagle 1 wax when I have a far superior product in Duragloss?
You aren't going to get rid of fine surface hazing with an agressive compound, you need something ultrafine and soft. I wouldn't be surprised if after using the Meg's ultimate compound, you now have a paint surface with "compounding haze".
E1 Nanowax liquid does a good job of filling in surface blemishes.
Originally Posted By: ionbeam22
Grampi, save yourself the frustration. Use some meg's swirlX/KIT Scratch Out , and then follow up with Eagle 1 Nanowax (liquid). Keep it fresh by dusting off the bike and using E1 Nanowax spray.
I've already tried the McGuiar's Swirl-X, which isn't aggressive enough. Which is why I've moved up to more aggressive products such as Scratch-X and Ultimate Compound. And why would I use Eagle 1 wax when I have a far superior product in Duragloss?
You aren't going to get rid of fine surface hazing with an agressive compound, you need something ultrafine and soft. I wouldn't be surprised if after using the Meg's ultimate compound, you now have a paint surface with "compounding haze".
E1 Nanowax liquid does a good job of filling in surface blemishes.
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