the only downfall of having a black car, i guess...still, cant beat the looks of a shiny, black ride. anyway, ive tried Meguires cleaner wax, and it seems to work okay. have any others tried anything that worked good for them?

 

Vegas,

This question has been discussed very extensively! If you'll try the search feature (I used 'swirl black' and pointed at this forum) you'll get a lot of info immediately with no waiting :

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=swirl+black
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=swirl+black
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=swirl+black
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=swirl+black
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=swirl+black

 

There's no one answer to that question unfortunately. Every paint is a bit different (some are softer or harder than others) and everyones' swirls are to a differing degree. A detailer can't just throw the same product and pad at every car and expect the same results. We must use different grits of polishes and sometimes different pads to get results.
That said, you have to determine just how bad your marring, i.e. swirls, are. If they are similar to holograms, then a very fine polish like Meguiar's #9 2.0 will work if you attack them via a terry pad , or foam pad, in straight lines with LIGHT pressure. You may have to work the polish a few times to see results.

Remember folks, there is no "wipe on wipe off' product that will cure paint concerns. Most of the time it takes a machine and heat to soften the paint, and break down the abrasives, to get results, so anything you do by hand will be harder and take much longer. Be ready for that, it's time consuming and your arms will be sore.


If you have "spider webbing" type of circular swirls, like this;




Then you'll have to cut the paint a bit harder to level them. I would use a light-cut product such as 3M Machine Glaze, 3M Finesse-It II Finishing Material, or even Kit Scratch-Out. Work them in the same manner, in straight lines, with medium pressure this time. Repeat until you strat to see results, then finish polish with the Meguiar's #9 and LIGHT pressure. You can also use 3M Swirl remover. They make one for light colors and one for dark colors.

The deeper the swirling is, the more you have to cut paint to get them out, and that requires a judgement on just what abrasiveness you need. You want to avoid going TOO abrasive, because that means removing more paint than you want, and also means more steps and finer polishes to remove the micro marring that heavier abrasives cause as they remove paint quicker. You need to find that happy medium, and it's sometimes trial and error.No matter how you approach it, you ALWAYS have to finish with the finest polish avaialable, unless of course you are starting with that very fine polish. But even if you do ONLY use a very fine swirl remover like Meg's #9 or the 3M S/R, you must use very light pressure with your final passes, to avoid getting those "hologram' type swirls.

If you use a machine, the same applies-you finish with LIGHT pressure and VERY SLOW rpms.


This can be difficult for some to understand in whole, but if any of it's confusing, I'll try to address it clearer if possible.

Here's the breakdown;

VERY LIGHT SWIRLS/ HOLOGRAMS; Use Meg's Swirl remover #9 or 3M, or Mothers etc. By hand, back & forth, no circles. Work it with light pressure. 1 step.


MODERATE SWIRLS; Use a med-cut polish like 3M Machine Glaze, 0r Finesse-It II, or Scratch Out by Kit, work with medium pressure, no circles. Work repeatedly till results are found. Finish with finer swirl remover and light pressure. 2 steps total.

HEAVY SPIDER WEBBING/ DEEP SWIRLS; 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound . Work in straight lines, moderate pressure. Finish with Scratch Out, 3M Machine Glase or Finesse- It II F/M. followed by a fine swirl remover. 3 Steps totalWax or sealant of course when done. You can apply a hand glaze to hide swirls also, prior to wax, but NOT prior to a sealant (the sealant won't stick to a glaze due to the oils in the glaze).

That's the general rundown, twith SOME of the available products ( there are many other brands and polishes that work too )many variables to say each will work every time. Best of luck, let me know if you need further info.

 

wow,

thank you for the in depth answer. it really helps a lot, and ill try and figure out what degree of swirls i have. its hard to believe that i can have that many swirls with such a new car, but those are the downfalls of having a black car i guess.

 

Yep, you got it.

The other thing to consider is that getting MOST of them out is probably most realistic. If you aren't completely perfect in your care (and even sometimes when you are) they can get put back in, so it's more resonable to NOT remove too much paint in your quest for perfection, simply because perfection is a wicked master and it's a full time job on black. Chasing after them on a constant basis could shorten the longevity of your paint if you use cutting compounds too often, on the deep ones.

If you get them reduced, using a glaze with fillers to hide them, or a polymer like Meguiar's NXT or Zaino Z5 is IMO a good approach. Just shoot for 80% to 90% removal via abrasives, then the latter options to hide what's left. Cheers.