How to remove swirl marks?

[mengz]

munpeng, maybe u can try applying glaze? coz glaze's seem to fill swirl marks pretty well. but like cclems said, after few washes, all ur effort down the drain edi. then u have to do it all over again :)

anyways, how bad is the swirl marks on ur car bro? maybe u could share a pic with us.

 

[munpeng]

Okay, I'll try to take a picture, but I think it's not obvious in the pic coz it's not too serious, just that I am still unsatisfied and finding ways to eliminate it.

Actually how you guys can see the swirl marks? I can see mine bcoz my car is parked under a downlight, so at night under it the swirl marks are obvious, under different kind of light it's not obvious 1. Under the sun too.

 

[cclems]

scratchX should be around rm50+ if im not mistaken, i bought once b4 only so not too sure the price now at ace.
to see yr swirls clearly, at evening or park yr car in a shady place ni afternoon ,use a yellow light spotlight(not white, the brighter the better) and shine on yr paint work.all marks will appear. you'll be amaze to see all scratches under a 500w spotlight.

 

[ace79]

Don't worry bro, u won't scratch the paintwork since ScratchX have diminishing properties. Apply with a foam applicator pad, put product about the size of 50 cents, then apply uniformly 1st to a small section ( work only a small section at a time ), maybe like 8 inch x 8 inch. After that use a microfibre cloth / pad and work the product in until it starts dissappear a bit and also starts to haze. Then take a clean microfibre cloth and buff it off. You need to do at least 3 times, before taking another look at the applied area. By know, you should have been able to remove or drastically reduce the appearance of swirls on that particular area. Then it's up to you, to either continue appliying ScratchX at that particular area, or finish up with DCS #2 ( or the polish of your choice, make sure it's polymer - based ) and then wax ( also polymer - based )

yeah, passionate as in : the same way as your buff off your polish ( normal cleaner polish, not abrasive polish ya! ), but slightly harder la this time.

Okay, I'll try Scratch X, so what's the price? is it Rm53.90? Ace79, you mentioned you apply Scratch X passionately, meaning hard but not too hard to spoil the paintwork right?

 

[ace79]

And another thing, use the Law of Limits yah. There is a point where it's no use to go around, trying to clear off all the swirls / scratches on your car ( unless you have a dual orbiter, or a sanding machine with the approriate products to go with it ), when it's just best to live with it ( yes, my car have plenty of swirls!!! )

 

[munpeng]

Scratch X does bring great result. I repeated the process for 5 times, and finally all the obvious swirls went unnoticed anymore. However, I must say the steps printed at the back are not entirely correct, it says you have to wait until it dries up completely before you wipe it off, but after it dried up, some scratches appear again because the dried up particles sticked to my cloth as I wipe, therefore "drawing" new swirls in the process. So, in the 2nd time I tried, I wipe it off straight after applying it, and the result is much better than waiting for it to dry completely.

Adding up with Featherlite, my bonnet now looked fantastic. Thanks for introducing me Scratch X guys.

 

[cclems]

another success story eh.:regular_smile: .
do not use normal yellow color polishing cloth to wipe off, it will add tiny scratches back without u knowing it. i usually use meguiar's white microfiber terry cloth to wipe off polish and waxes. very easy to wipe and leaves an ultra smooth surface. cost around rm 30.00/piece. no bullshit, try it and u'll know wat im saying and its worth paying for.

 

[munpeng]

I use cotton 1, should be no problem actually.

 

[mengz]

munpeng, get microfibre cloths. seriously they are damn nice to use, and they cleanup damn good. i myself use the meguiar's Supreme Shine Microfiber towel. like wat cclems said, worth paying for. definitely somehting u shud invest in.

 

[ace79]

Mengz : How does Supreme Shine perform compared to Ultimate Wipe? I heard that Supreme Shine doesn't perform when you use it to dry your car, especially after washing. Where did you purchase the Supreme Shine, and how much RMs?

munpeng, get microfibre cloths. seriously they are damn nice to use, and they cleanup damn good. i myself use the meguiar's Supreme Shine Microfiber towel. like wat cclems said, worth paying for. definitely somehting u shud invest in.

 

[munpeng]

I know microfibre cloths have its advantage, I do trust you guys, but still need to consider abit, coz the price tag doesn't look sweet, hehehe.

 

[munpeng]

I have a question, what do you guys use to wash the car?

MF cloths?
Sponge?
Cotton cloth?

Then what you use to apply wax/polish? If I were to buy MF cloth, I think I would use it to wash the car rather than polishing, because I begin to suspect that my sponge was the cause for some swirls, because when there's dirt, we all tend to wash harder and the dirt carried onto the sponge and then "drawing" the swirls. Eventhough I use the hose to wash along with sponge, without using the 2 buckets method, I still worry about it.

 

[cclems]

ace,

like u said i think the supreme shine is like the ultimate wipe, they dont really perform to wipe off dry. i they are meant to wipe off polish & waxes. but i m still using it though.:regular_smile: my trick is after washing my car, before wiping, i pour a bucket of water(hard water) on my car so to get rid of water beads. then i dont have to wipe & squeeze towel so much. hehehe...


munpeng,

i use chenille wash mitt, it claims to avoid unessesary scratches when washing yr car, but for tight areas i still prefer sponge.

 

[cclems]

i m using using meguiars speed wax(spray-on type) meant for lazy buggers. i just need to use the MF cloth to wipe while the rest polishing and cutting job i leave it to the detailer. same goes speed detailer, spray & wipe off with mf cloth.

 

[mengz]

Mengz : How does Supreme Shine perform compared to Ultimate Wipe? I heard that Supreme Shine doesn't perform when you use it to dry your car, especially after washing. Where did you purchase the Supreme Shine, and how much RMs?

bro, i nvr use this cloth to dry my car after wash :P i only use it to remove waxes and glazes. i nvr use ultimate wipe b4, so i cannot comment. anyways, the supreme shine i use to wipe off wax & glaze and it is fantastic!! it leaves a very very smooth and clean surface, and it removes wax & glazes damn easily. b4 this i use 3M's microfibre towel to wipe off wax also not as easy as the supreme shine, even my gf also felt the difference when she use to remove wax on her car.

to dry my car after washing it i use sheep skin chamois. it sucks up water like a thirsty camel!!! drying my car has nvr been easier. my bro bought both of these items for me from the states. the supreme shine is like USD9.99, the sheep skin chamois i forgot what brand already and the price. i know meguiar has them as well. the benefit of using sheep skin is that, its very soft and the tanning process makes it very absorbent and leather will not scratch the paint or clear coat.

p/s: i find all microfibre towels not really absorbent. but they pickup particles like dust, and waxes etc very well. i think this is the main purpose of a micro fibre towel.

 

[munpeng]

Your gf actually do-it-herself? I have never seen any girls polishing or even washing her own car before, my female friends' cars are just awful sights, hahaha.

chenille wash mitt? sheep skin chamois? never heard of it, what's those? Can get it from Carefour right?

 

[ace79]

As I suspected, you got yourself straight from US! I sue MG's Water Magnet towel to dry my car. I really hate swirls, but what can I do about it? Other than sending to a detailer for a full wet sanding? Just live with it lah...got budget, go for a full inside - out Glasurit HS paint lah!

bro, i nvr use this cloth to dry my car after wash :P i only use it to remove waxes and glazes. i nvr use ultimate wipe b4, so i cannot comment. anyways, the supreme shine i use to wipe off wax & glaze and it is fantastic!! it leaves a very very smooth and clean surface, and it removes wax & glazes damn easily. b4 this i use 3M's microfibre towel to wipe off wax also not as easy as the supreme shine, even my gf also felt the difference when she use to remove wax on her car.

to dry my car after washing it i use sheep skin chamois. it sucks up water like a thirsty camel!!! drying my car has nvr been easier. my bro bought both of these items for me from the states. the supreme shine is like USD9.99, the sheep skin chamois i forgot what brand already and the price. i know meguiar has them as well. the benefit of using sheep skin is that, its very soft and the tanning process makes it very absorbent and leather will not scratch the paint or clear coat.

p/s: i find all microfibre towels not really absorbent. but they pickup particles like dust, and waxes etc very well. i think this is the main purpose of a micro fibre towel.

 

[mengz]

bro, but i once saw the supreme shine microfibre towel sold at ACE hardware at Ikano Power center. i forgot how much is the price edi. for the sheep skin chamois by meguiars, i have yet to see it anywhere. maybe u can try other brand? coz seriously, the sheepskin chamois really is damn absorbent. i guess we have to accept the fact tat swirl marks will be on our beloved car. just that, we need to try our best to minimise it lor. and send for detailing like twice a year or 3 times a year to get rid of it fully.

munpeng: hehehe, my gf nvr use to take care of her car, till she got her new car. then i always psycho her to do it. at 1st, i offer to like wax half her car, then she do half. after awhile, she got used to it so she started doing it herself :) the secret was, i told her its good exercise, burn lotsa calories. hahahahaha :P

 

[munpeng]

WAHHH.... You really successfully psychoed her man. Girls are so afraid to get fat man...

Btw, just bought 2 pieces of MF cloth for RM13.90 from Carefour, not luxury 1 but I think they will do just fine guaa. Saw some chamois too, but decided to buy a wash mitten (RM3.50) rather then chamois, coz what I was only afraid is the depreciated quality of my sponge.

 

[ace79]

Ikano Power Centre? Ok, will check it out when I have the time.

bro, but i once saw the supreme shine microfibre towel sold at ACE hardware at Ikano Power center. i forgot how much is the price edi.