Detailing Help - Removal of many swirls - how to and which product/s to use?

Hey guys, I've owned my civic for a couple years now. Its an 05 Civic Vi NH Black.

Being my second car, I haven't really paid much attention of how to take care of the paint job and throughout the years I've been actually doing the wrong thing when washing my car and also when I used to get it serviced at Honda, the noobs there also put swirl marks on my car after their 'complementary car wash'

Before all this I had no idea that using the wrong sponge/mits to clean the car would add swirls to it. I had no idea what caused swirling until I realised one day when my car was under direct sunlight I see a gazillion swirls all over my car.

Now heres my question, I'd like to ask you what is my best approach to remove all my swirls throughout my car? A friend mentioned the meguiars 3 stage wash/polish and wax should remove them, and also read that meguiars scratchx will also help. Is this correct?

I'm also confused as to what a 'cut n polish' is? Is it the same as the above? I'm really confused to what polishing really is. How do I make my paintjob look new again! (Most cost effective approach obviously)

Thanks.

depnding on how deep the swirls are will depend on what you use. Just rem that if you are looking at keeping this car for a while you should use a soft wax type polish. You will just need to rub the soft wax in harder.

If it is in deeper, you can use a harder wax, then polish with a soft wax again. Just rem that the harder the wax the more it is cutting into your paint. Your soft wax tend to sit on top of the paint than cut them as much. Avoid 'cut' polishes unless your not gonna keep the car. They thin the paint alot.

For super bad swirls you will need to get it buffed off with a soft/medium wax. Professional buffer is recommended as i've seen lots of cars buffed improperly and their paint burnt. We use to charge $50 for buffing only but i'm not in that business anymore so you will have to ask around. Make sure you goto a reputable place if your gonna get it buffed

In terms of how deep the swirls are, they are visible to the naked eye, but aren't deep enough for my fingernails to feel the grooves. I think its just on the clear coat surface. Is the meguairs 3 stage kit considered hard or soft?

meguiars scratch x?

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Originally Posted by Limbo

depnding on how deep the swirls are will depend on what you use. Just rem that if you are looking at keeping this car for a while you should use a soft wax type polish. You will just need to rub the soft wax in harder.

If it is in deeper, you can use a harder wax, then polish with a soft wax again. Just rem that the harder the wax the more it is cutting into your paint. Your soft wax tend to sit on top of the paint than cut them as much. Avoid 'cut' polishes unless your not gonna keep the car. They thin the paint alot.

For super bad swirls you will need to get it buffed off with a soft/medium wax. Professional buffer is recommended as i've seen lots of cars buffed improperly and their paint burnt. We use to charge $50 for buffing only but i'm not in that business anymore so you will have to ask around. Make sure you goto a reputable place if your gonna get it buffed

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What the? Stay away from waxes that claim to polish as well. And $50 to buff? That probably just hides the swirls if you are using wax.

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Originally Posted by clem

Being my second car, I haven't really paid much attention of how to take care of the paint job and throughout the years I've been actually doing the wrong thing when washing my car and also when I used to get it serviced at Honda, the noobs there also put swirl marks on my car after their 'complementary car wash'

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Unfortunately the swirls probably came from your washing as the Honda noobs only wash your car twice a year at most.

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Originally Posted by clem

Now heres my question, I'd like to ask you what is my best approach to remove all my swirls throughout my car? A friend mentioned the meguiars 3 stage wash/polish and wax should remove them, and also read that meguiars scratchx will also help. Is this correct?

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Meg's deep crystal 3 step (paint cleaner, polish and wax) will do nothing more than to hide your swirls.

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Originally Posted by clem

I'm also confused as to what a 'cut n polish' is? Is it the same as the above? I'm really confused to what polishing really is. How do I make my paintjob look new again! (Most cost effective approach obviously)

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Cut and polish is supposed to be a 2 step where the cut removes the swirls and the polish removes the holograms from cutting. Too bad that most products that claim "cut and polish" in one go don't do enough of either to fix your swirls. You can't remove your swirls by hand. At most you can hide them.

If you want to remove swirls, go to a proper detailer (in VIC, there is www.finalinspection.com.au). You are not going to be able to remove anything by hand, only by machine.

Cheers for the clarification aaronng,

When I used to take my car to Honda for servicing 10k they always had a 'complimentary car wash' after the service and after I realised there were swirls there I never went back.

Unfortunately I'm based in Brisbane, so i wont be able to go to that detailer, but how much approximately am I looking at to get a cut/polish job done by a professional?

If it comes out to be too expensive I might just resort to hiding my swirls using the meguairs products until I get a FT job to afford a professional job.

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Originally Posted by clem

Cheers for the clarification aaronng,

When I used to take my car to Honda for servicing 10k they always had a 'complimentary car wash' after the service and after I realised there were swirls there I never went back.

Unfortunately I'm based in Brisbane, so i wont be able to go to that detailer, but how much approximately am I looking at to get a cut/polish job done by a professional?

If it comes out to be too expensive I might just resort to hiding my swirls using the meguairs products until I get a FT job to afford a professional job.

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They probably washed your car and took off your layer of wax, thus exposing your swirls.

Look around the forums for recommendations for Brisbane detailers.I'd try http://www.detailparadise.com.au/mod...hp?name=Forums and ask for any recommendations.

Well, the detailer in Melb (final inspection) charges about $295 last time I checked on their website. My friend used them and they did fix his swirling and stuff. Too bad his washing technique just put them back in again.

Aaronng i spent alot of time in the detailing business detailing car for car yards as i use to run one for a couple of yrs. All your waxes cut into your paint that is how they fix the problem.
And $50 for a buff was the price we use to charge the car yards without doing a full detail

as far as i'm aware waxes do not cut into your paint, wax will only add a protective layer to your paint. in most cases cutting product like a compound or swirl remover is the only products that will cut, waxes do not.

i work as a spray painter.. to get rid of swirl marks we use a buff and do a full cut and polish.. its removes swirly scratches..

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Originally Posted by Limbo

Aaronng i spent alot of time in the detailing business detailing car for car yards as i use to run one for a couple of yrs. All your waxes cut into your paint that is how they fix the problem.
And $50 for a buff was the price we use to charge the car yards without doing a full detail

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No, waxes do not cut into paint. What probably happened was that the rotary pad you were using to apply the wax was cutting into the paint.