Best way to get rid of swirl marks...

[Mattlach]

Well, as the title says...

TYhe previous owner of my car must have put it through one too many car washes (I only use touchless ones, when I am either too cold, or too lazy to do it mby hand)

Either way, in direct sunlight there are some ugly swirl marks on my car, and I am interested in getting rid of them.

Anyone have experience in removing these?

I would imagine some sort of mild abrasive polish, or wet sand could do the job, but this sounds like something out of my league.

Are there detailers that will do this for you? Are they terribly expensive?

Thanks,
Matt

[Alex]

Meguiars Scratch X is pretty good at removing small scratch marks.

If your car is black, give up right now. There is no hope

I find Mother's 3 step system works quite well.

[MURZYN]

have it profesionally buffed if the shop is good they'll get the swirl marks out and it will look like it just got painted the nice shine should stay for 6 months, i get it done once a year as a package with car detailing after the winter
roughly $120-200CAN well worth it

[Mattlach]

Originally Posted by axe

If your car is black, give up right now. There is no hope

I find Mother's 3 step system works quite well.

Ugh, the curse of the black car...

[Mattlach]

Originally Posted by MURZYN

have it profesionally buffed if the shop is good they'll get the swirl marks out and it will look like it just got painted the nice shine should stay for 6 months, i get it done once a year as a package with car detailing after the winter
roughly $120-200CAN well worth it

Interesting. Most detailing shops will do this?

[stromer]

I got quoted $65 for just an exterior buff and wax. I'll be having it done this spring. And its on a black car!

[Teck_II]

Any good detailer should be able to get the marring and swirls out pretty well. Though they are not miracle workers if they are actualy carved in scratches. I'd check in your phone book for a good mobile detailer and ask them too see some examples of their work. I wouldnt just let anyone at my car with a rotary it may look good for a couple days, but they could do more more damage. Ask around to a couple people or maybe look at autopia.org and ask if any pro's from your area (sweden) post there. They may be able to lead you to a respectable pro in your area.

[saabasaaba]

Originally Posted by Mattlach

Well, as the title says...

TYhe previous owner of my car must have put it through one too many car washes (I only use touchless ones, when I am either too cold, or too lazy to do it mby hand)

Either way, in direct sunlight there are some ugly swirl marks on my car, and I am interested in getting rid of them.

Anyone have experience in removing these?

I would imagine some sort of mild abrasive polish, or wet sand could do the job, but this sounds like something out of my league.

Are there detailers that will do this for you? Are they terribly expensive?

Thanks,
Matt

HI

I too own a black car ( 9-3 SS) i found this stuff to work a great deal... got rid of all the swirl marks on my car and i did it myself, here is the product i used:


Mothers California
Gold Clay Bar Paint
Saving System
(more info)

Also here is a website with plenty of dettailing tips:
http://www.web-cars.com/detail/wash.php#mftowels

Enjoy

[rotate]

Originally Posted by axe

I find Mother's 3 step system works quite well.

I agree. Did it last year and it made the paint look new

[Mattlach]

Originally Posted by rotate

I agree. Did it last year and it made the paint look new

Is this a permanent solution, or am I going to have to spend hours claying my car each time I wash it?

I'm not the kind of guy who enjoys spending time washing his car...

[timmehhhhhh]

I agree with the clay bar, and although I don't know exactly what it looks like, my assumption would be that it would be a permanent fix

[SentronicLuva]

Originally Posted by Mattlach

Is this a permanent solution, or am I going to have to spend hours claying my car each time I wash it?

I'm not the kind of guy who enjoys spending time washing his car...

The clay bar treatment will last years if done according to directions. If touchless car washes are used, you should have nothing to worry about.

[eggsngrits]

All claying does is make sure that the car is REALLY dirt free. It lasts as long as the wax that you put on afterwards.

But I second the Mothers -- works very well!

[cryptical]

Originally Posted by Mattlach

Ugh, the curse of the black car...

Mattlach:
My 03 Aero is black also. First time I had it detailed it was LOADED with swirls. Almost made me dizzy just looking at it.

I did use MeGuiar's ScratchX and it worked like a charm. Place I bought it from happened to have it on sale and I ended up buying 3 more tubes of it. Did the same thing to my buddy's black Bimmer last spring...he tried a bunch of different products but the MeGuiar's worked perfect.

I highly recommend it!

[Mattlach]

Originally Posted by cryptical

Mattlach:
My 03 Aero is black also. First time I had it detailed it was LOADED with swirls. Almost made me dizzy just looking at it.

I did use MeGuiar's ScratchX and it worked like a charm. Place I bought it from happened to have it on sale and I ended up buying 3 more tubes of it. Did the same thing to my buddy's black Bimmer last spring...he tried a bunch of different products but the MeGuiar's worked perfect.

I highly recommend it!

Interesting...


What is involved with applying this stuff (I'm assuming its like a wax?), and does it have to be done every time the car is washed to work?

[cryptical]

Originally Posted by Mattlach

Interesting...


What is involved with applying this stuff (I'm assuming its like a wax?), and does it have to be done every time the car is washed to work?

Yes...applies very much like wax and is permanent, doesn't "hide" the swirls. Basically, it's like a mild polish with a bit of abrasive in it to smooth it out. Just do that, then wax over it and you'll be good to go. Here's a link to the actual product: http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguia...-103&store=meg

It won't take out any deep scratches obviously, but I'm sure you know that a black car basically gets surface scratches just by looking at it the wrong way. This just blends those in w/o harming the clear coat whatsoever. Like I said, basically a mild polish w/o a ton of abrasives in it.

I'm actually going to detail the heck out of my car this weekend, and will wash it, clay it and then go over areas of it with the ScratchX and then wax from there. It does a wonderful job and for $5-$7...it's well worth the shot at it.

[cryptical]

Originally Posted by Mattlach

The previous owner of my car must have put it through one too many car washes

Also...most likely the swirls were caused by a bad detail job with someone that either didn't know how to use a buffer/polisher or one that was too slow. Personally, I would much rather spend a few hours waxing by hand then using a wheel. I just like the results better IMHO.

Either way, I'm sure the ScratchX will do exactally what you're looking for. If it's any consolation, TONS of cars have swirls on them...they're just easier to see on black and show up much more

[92-Vert]

I am sure that most of you may know about this site, but for those that may not it's time to check it out.

http://store.yahoo.com/autopia/index.html

Here is another thred that talks about paint restoration it's worth a read.

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/sh...hlight=autopia

Another detailing site

http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=28

Autopias' forum

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...4&pagenumber=1

[finklejag]

All a clay bar does is remove contamination from the clearcoat. Nothing more, nothing less. I been using the Mothers system for about five years now. I usally clay my car every three months. If you park outside, then you might have to do it more often. It takes me about forty five minutes to do my car.

I use Menzerda polish with a Porter cable.