Waxers: step in; need advice

[Sgreg]

Black Z is beginning to get a number of swirl marks that detract from the sweet shine. Paint is generally good. I do not have a Porter Cable random polisher. Can someone please describe a step by step procedure to use to polish out swirls and and restore the finish with elbow power only ?! Thanks. :cheers:

[jonszr1]

its very tough to hand polish out swirls on blk paint .having a blk z i know .but that being said you could try using scratch ex by meguires. do a 2x2 sec use light pressure then seal with a poly seal by them also . a porter cable is to me a must for a blk car. if you get one buy some 3M ultra fina and the corisponding powderblue pad. use as directed on the bottle and you will have a great swirl free shine . you might also try signing on to the meguires site for help

[Sgreg]

its very tough to hand polish out swirls on blk paint .having a blk z i know .but that being said you could try using scratch ex by meguires. do a 2x2 sec use light pressure then seal with a poly seal by them also . a porter cable is to me a must for a blk car. if you get one buy some 3M ultra fina and the corisponding powderblue pad. use as directed on the bottle and you will have a great swirl free shine . you might also try signing on to the meguires site for help

Jon, you are probably right about hand polishing. I tried some Meguires Mirror Glaze and it basically did no good. Nothing like a few hundred RPM's to make a difference. I understand buying the service is pricey. I have heard several hundred dollars to buff out a car. Is that possible ? Seems outrageous.

[bobbyhi]

Check out the Zaino web site. I use this but I have a white car with no swirls:)

[louispf]

Jon, you are probably right about hand polishing. I tried some Meguires Mirror Glaze and it basically did no good. Nothing like a few hundred RPM's to make a difference. I understand buying the service is pricey. I have heard several hundred dollars to buff out a car. Is that possible ? Seems outrageous.
:iamwithstIn the NE especially around sothern Ct. area it is not uncommen to see $300 to buff out a car by someone who knows what they are doing.

[Sgreg]

Check out the Zaino web site. I use this but I have a white car with no swirls:)

Bob, you've got em but you can't see em !! White is the most forgiving color there is. Thanks for the tip.

[ZZZZZR1]

Black Z is beginning to get a number of swirl marks that detract from the sweet shine. Paint is generally good. I do not have a Porter Cable random polisher. Can someone please describe a step by step procedure to use to polish out swirls and and restore the finish with elbow power only ?! Thanks. :cheers:

Personally I have used Adams (swirl and haze remover / Revive polish) on a Z brothers car (1988 Shelby Dodge) and it did wonders on it.

Black, original paint and turned out fantastic.

But I think all the waxes out there are "similar" and there is no best wax out there.

One product I would recommend is "Adams brilliant spray". Great to use right before a car show and if you have black, you will LOVE IT.

:thumbsup:

David

[jonszr1]

i would if i were you ,really think about investing in a porter cable and some pads from meguires . you could get all set up for about 250 and then at your leasure polish your car when ever you wish . also you might pm flynryan on this site his family used to own a detail shop .he is a really nice guy that allways willing to help .also there are vids on meguires that wilol help you to learn to do the polishing your self .

[Paul Workman]

Black? For heaven's sake...at least rent an orbital buffer!;)

I love the Zaino route, but there are several good regimes you can use. Check these two out...Nutting like black when it is "right"....

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x220/6PPC_bucket/Vettes/VetteZaino3.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x220/6PPC_bucket/Vettes/Zaino-vette-smaller.jpg

My Z is red, but you can cannot see the swirls it once had after buffing it with a Porter Cable 7424 and Zaino's PC Fusion.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x220/6PPC_bucket/Vettes/vets5-31002.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x220/6PPC_bucket/Vettes/vets5-31001.jpg

But, unless you just have a butt load of elbow grease...get the PC. A terrific investment!!

(OH! I lied...Zaino is not a wax:mrgreen:)

P.

[Kevin]

I wouldn't go the zanio route but i would check out http://autopia.org/

[RICKYRJ1]

At the very least you will need a Porter Cable. You will not make a dent in it w/elbow grease. AutoGeek has some top of the line products. As a black car owner myself, I feel your pain. How you wash the car makes a big difference on the paint condition.

[Paul Workman]

How you wash the car makes a big difference on the paint condition.

YEP! To say nothing of the paint preparation - which removing swirls is but a part.

P.

[tomtom72]

Greg, on black don't waste your time trying to do it by hand!

I would suggest that even a ROB Porter Cable isn't going to do much in a short /one time going over. The ROB's do not generate enough heat to break down the abrasives enough to do all the work with one pass. They require multipule passes. The newer Flex machines, a new version of the ROB, has more power and will do a better job quickly. They're big bucks, $300.00 range vs the Porter Cable for about $100.00. Oh, and that's without pads & all the rest of the stuff. The other alternative is an orbital & wool pads, but that requires the "technique" to have already ben mastered. Orbitals are not for us beginners, but in the hands of a pro, it's two passes and you're dunn. No swirls and a glass surface.

You can get some correction with the regular Porter Cable to the extent that you round over the sharp edges of a swirl mark enough so the light doesn't get caught and the car will not "blaze" or "sparkle" in direct sun. The swirls will be there, they just will not catch the light. Using an P/C ROB you can jsut make a few passes till the swirls don't catch the light, but I would not say to try to remove the swirls. For that you will need an abrasive first, then the finish looks like chit, followed by a fine polish to get rid of the damage left by the abrasive polish.

If you know a body shop, go ask them if they have a guy that they can hook you up with to get it done. Consider that if you buy a Flex and then get enough pads so you can work without stopping you will spend enough cash to let the pro do it with an orbital. Once it's swirl free you can take care of it till it gets bad again, and then go back to the same pro to get it fixed again. The real key is to modify your wash & detail techniques so you don't put as many swirls back each time you "wash & detail" the car. If you do the wash & detail correctly you could have 5 yrs between trips to the orbital guy.

:cheers:
Tom, another black car owner with tons of "stuff" in the paint.:(

[Aurora40]

I tried some Meguires Mirror Glaze and it basically did no good.
What's the actual product? Mirror Glaze is their professional line, not an individual product. Almost all are made for machine use, the ones for hand use are not going to correct much of anything.

Also I second all the opinions, it will be extremely difficult to correct swirls on a black car by hand. If you are absolutely insistent, and have infinite time, I would start with something like Meguiar's Scratch-X or whatever similar product your maker of choice has. Work a small area, like 6" x 6". You will have to work it a lot to get any swirls out, as well as to break the polish down to finish nicely.

If it improves, keep trying this. If it stops improving, you are pretty much done and just need to repeat that x100 over the rest of the car. If it gets worse, you are doing it wrong and need to re-evaluate.

[Sgreg]

Thanks for the comments, guys. Black is made for an orbital polisher, I guess.

[Kevin]

where in texas are you I may know someone to work on your car

[Sgreg]

where in texas are you I may know someone to work on your car

Kevin, I am just south of Houston. If you or anyone else knows a shop you trust in this area, I would appreciate the name. If I can get the the swirls under control, I can prevent them. Used too many Turkish towels for drying over the years and not nearly enough microfiber. Black is hard to maintain but is stunning when clean and shiny.

[Kevin]

Kevin, I am just south of Houston. If you or anyone else knows a shop you trust in this area, I would appreciate the name. If I can get the the swirls under control, I can prevent them. Used too many Turkish towels for drying over the years and not nearly enough microfiber. Black is hard to maintain but is stunning when clean and shiny.

I may know someone, I'll get back to you

[RICKYRJ1]

Kevin, I am just south of Houston. If you or anyone else knows a shop you trust in this area, I would appreciate the name. If I can get the the swirls under control, I can prevent them. Used too many Turkish towels for drying over the years and not nearly enough microfiber. Black is hard to maintain but is stunning when clean and shiny.

When you are ready to dry off the car, use a leaf blower first. Then dry it off with a MFT using a quick detail spray. This will limit the contact with the paint thus limiting swirls. Remember the Corvette has a very hard clearcoat so choose your product wisely, Grasshoppa! :mrgreen:

[Kevin]

The original guy I had in mind is 250 miles away but I've found two other guys in your area who do just as good of work as the guy I had in mind http://www.mobileinq.com/ is one and I'm waiting to hear back about the other. I would have no problems letting either one work on my car.

[Sgreg]

The original guy I had in mind is 250 miles away but I've found two other guys in your area who do just as good of work as the guy I had in mind http://www.mobileinq.com/ is one and I'm waiting to hear back about the other. I would have no problems letting either one work on my car.

Kevin,read over the website and it looks pretty good. I have always been a little suspicious of the mobil guys. But what could be easier ? Price seems in line with others. If you come up with the other name, please let me know. I would like to get this work done soon. Can't have my baby looking trashy !!

[tomtom72]

I'll offer this up fwiw, Greg:

Go check out the Car Care section @ CF, and the autotopia forum. There are coupla guys in TX. One comes to my mind, goes by the handle ZANE-O, or ZANEO. He's a pro and even if he isn't in your neck o the woods he might be able to hook you up with some one local to you.

I'm just offering this suggestion if Kevin's stuff doesn't pan out for you.

:cheers:
Tom

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Keith,

Where are you? Don't be shy.....you are still the "King" waxer. :worship:

[Hammer]

Go to www.adamspolishes.com (http://www.adamspolishes.com)

There are numerous videos that go over the products and how to remove swirls and bring your paint up great. I've use most the other stuff and I really like the Adam's stuff. You can fork over around $300 now, and be able to keep you car looking great, or fork over $200-$300 everytime your car needs polished. It does take time and patience though. Anyone who has seen my cars can tell you, they look better than the rest.

I recommend this kit that gives you what you need to take care of your cars paint.
http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-338-adams-complete-7424xp-dual-action-car-polisher-kit.aspx

This kit gives you everything to care of the car inside and out except the Porter-Cable.
http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-85-adams-complete-detailing-kit.aspx
You can get that on this site.
http://www.tools-plus.com/porter-cable-7424xp.html

Good Luck, whatever you decide.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/HammerZR1/ZR-1%20No%20473%20April%2009/100_1309.jpg?t=1251342836
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/HammerZR1/ZR-1%20No%20473%20April%2009/100_1320.jpg?t=1251342902
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/HammerZR1/ZR-1%20No%20473%20April%2009/100_1313.jpg?t=1251342975
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/HammerZR1/ZR-1%20No%20473%20April%2009/100_1316.jpg?t=1251343032
Wouldn't want to forget the best shot of all.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/HammerZR1/ZR-1%20No%20473%20April%2009/100_1314.jpg

[Kevin]

cornershop@gmail.com is the email of the other guy I was told about who does detailing in your area :)

[Sgreg]

cornershop@gmail.com is the email of the other guy I was told about who does detailing in your area :)

Kevin, thanks for all your help. I met with Jason of Mobileliq Detailing. Drove about 35 miles to see me. Very nice guy and seems to know what he is doing. Looks to be a one step polish and wax. Jason will get started late this week or early next. Glad to get it done. Thanks to all who have posted comments and suggestions. :cheers: :handshak:

[Kevin]

Kevin, thanks for all your help. I met with Jason of Mobileliq Detailing. Drove about 35 miles to see me. Very nice guy and seems to know what he is doing. Looks to be a one step polish and wax. Jason will get started late this week or early next. Glad to get it done. Thanks to all who have posted comments and suggestions. :cheers: :handshak:

Glad to hear that you're getting it taken care of and i was happy to help