Swirls in paintwork

[Jim Bowen 1]

car is sat outside in the sun, looks amazing apart from when i stand at certain angles is those horrible swirl marks all over, lots of little circles.

 

what causes this and can you polish them out by hand?

 

any tips?

[Riley 0]

The main source of swirl marks is from washing and using things like mutton rag to polish the car etc...

 

Always hose the car down before you wash it,and always use the best wash mitt you can afford.Its all about prevention of further damage when washing.

 

As for removing them,it can be done in various ways.

Try something along the lines of meguiars scratch x first...but give the car a few goes with it.Dont keep polishing/waxing while using it.

Just wash as often as you can until the paint comes up.

 

Neil.

[Jim Bowen 1]

i went about car last week

 

did

 

-wash

-clay bar all over

-t-cut polish

-waxed

 

the swirls were there before & after so what ever i did hasn't helped, has made the colour of paint alot deeper tho and now shines deep green, so was worht while

 

if i do the scratch x, will i need to redo wax afterwards?

 

any tips on applying it? small circles, big circles, no circles?

[Riley 0]

Sure m8 :)

 

Best to go in straight lines,this way you are working against the swirls rather than following them around the paintwork.And never press on hard,especially with something like t-cut.Just let the products do the work.

Very important to use the correct implements to apply/remove products too.

 

If you really want to try and bring them out,dont carry on waxing the car for a while...Just concentrate on one job at once.And wash carefully as often as you can inbetween...(always hosing the car down first/very important)

 

Hers mine,i cant remember the last time i waxed it... :)

Just carefull washing and use of scratch x over a few weeks now.Will be moving onto a polish soon.

 

 

Neil.

[Riley 0]

Ps:You will end up with a slightly shiny finish still,as when the swirling is removed the light dosn't refract all over the place,hence a smoother,more reflective finish.

 

Neil. :)

[Jim Bowen 1]

excellent thanks mate, i'll be buying a wash mitt, and the scratch X this weekend :)

 

so just

 

rinse

wash

scratch X

then leave till next wash?

 

i have the Meguiars applicator pads, little round spongey ones, and the microfibre polishing cloths already

[jedi-knight83 0]

to effectively do it, you will need a machine polisher.

 

You could try something like Autoglyms Super Resin Polish. This contains a low cutting agent and lots of fillers that will mask the swirls. It wont remove them but will do a very good job in hiding them. Then use a good wax or even AG Extra Gloss Protection to protect the fillers otherwise they will only last a week or so.

 

Good luck... you can always give me a call like we discussed ;)

[Riley 0]

3corsameal,Aye,thats the way m8 8)

 

Try to stick to the routine as often as you can,washing every couple of days if you can manage it.

 

Washing it while practising a routine like this is important while the paint is more subseptable to the elements.But the scratch x will work better each time and keep the paint fresh.

 

Best off applying/removing from one panel at a time too,as it does dry pretty quickly.

Sure you will know not to do it in direct sunlight also. :)

 

Neil.

[Ice White Socks 0]

I got the basic Swissol Onyx wax which came with some sort of pre-wax cutting compound. I had a rear quarter with bad swirling- and when the light caught it it looked awful (I think hologramming is the technical term)

 

I cut the panel back rubbing only in straight lines and then used the wax- it came out like a new panel :)

[Toad 0]

With regard to cutting the swirls out, when I was at uni, I used to have to take metal samples to a mirror finish before etching them with acid. To polish them up we would turn the sample through 90 degrees every time we changed grades until all the old marks were gone, then change grade, turn through 90 etc. I hadn't thought about the relavance of these techniques until now. Eventually you'd work down to 1 micron diamond polishing paste, that was super fine, the samples looked lush!!!

[jedi-knight83 0]

technically...

 

this is swirling

 

 

and this is hologramming

 

 

swirling is due to a poor washing technique and hologramming is a poor polishing technique or where a high abbrasive is used by hand and isnt broken down properly.

 

Which swissol cleaner was it you used exactly? Swissol do 3 different pre wax cleaners and the harsher ones should be done by machine to be effective. The hand one works similar to AG super resin polish and fills the swirls. A very effective tool but not to be confused with removing them.

[Jim Bowen 1]

well i definately have hologramming then, is also a little of small scratches, i think most of this was done but previous owner.

[jedi-knight83 0]

if its hologramming and not swirling then you shouldnt use a hig abrasive.

 

Use a finishing polish on a finishing pad with a rotary or PC and it'll remove the hologramming and leave a deep crystal finish.

 

When i do defect removal i use a harsh compound on a cutting pad to get rid of the deep swirls but it tends to leave the paint finish dull (although it will not have any defects now) then finish with Menzerna 106FF for instance on a softer finishing pad. this will remove any holograms (also known as buffer trails) and bring the shine right back up

 

then all is left to wax it to protect the new improved finish

[Slangwerks 0]

3Corsameal - I agree with riley in most respects, but if you do decide to remove the swirls by hand using Scratch-X then you will need a few things:

1) Patience - VW paint is usually very tough, even when machine polishing, so you will have to do the same section 4 or 5 times to really start getting the defects out

2) Applicators - meguiar's foam applicators are good, but Sonus professional hand applicators are better and easier to use for swirl correction by hand -have a look at http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk for some.

3) Pressure - Scratch X contains diminishing abrasives, which work by starting off as large particles to cut the paint, then as you work the product they break down, leaving a nice smooth finish. To get them to perform properly you'll have to use a lot of elbow grease, or 'use a bit of passion' as Meguiars say. Products like T-cut don't have dimishing abrasives, so Riley's right about these - the more pressure you use the more chance you have of going through to the primer! :shock:

 

Don't know if it's been mentioned but you'll have to wax etc on top of whatever product you use, as when you're 'cutting' paint the first things to go are the top layers, so wax/sealent etc will be removed.

 

As I said, VAG paint is tough, especially by hand, so a lot of people opt to fill the swirls instead of cutting them out, as Jedi explained. If you want to permanently remove swirls and not just temporarily 'fill' them though, it might be worth paying a detailer to machine polish your paint to give you a perfect finish.

[Riley 0]

Aye,vw paint is very hard... :twisted: all the more fun if you enjoy this kind of thing though :lol:

 

If using scratch-x its definately worth sticking with it for a while to get the best from it...and also to get the best from each product you use afterwards...

 

If you put the time in from the very start,then you really will get the best from your cleaners/polishes and waxes.

Mines had 4 complete once overs with scratch-x now and just correct washing methods as often as i can.The results speak for themselves really...

 

As slangwerks says,its important to get the finish protected,there's no immediate panic if you wash often...but once you have done with something like scratch-x then you can give it a few paint cleanings,polishes and then waxes.

 

Dont use a paint cleaner before scratch-x as it tends to stop it breaking down as well as it should.If you use a paint cleaner after scratch-x it will remove any abrasives left behind,and prepare the paint for a polish.

 

These days its a choice of either having it done by a valeter or just doing it yourself if you find it theraputic like me :)

 

Cant wait to move onto the next stage with the rado,always been the same with any car but im at a 'happy' point with the G60 at the minute,finally!!! yeeeeah :lol:

 

 

Neil. :)

[ardandy 0]

Scratch X will take you days to do by hand. Probably more effective to get someone to do it for you or invest in a machine polisher yourself.

[Riley 0]

Aye,the choice is the individuals really :)

 

Still a hell of a lot of enthusiasts out there who enjoy minting there motor 8)

I enjoy using the scratch-x or any other product to just see the results gives me a buzz,i just love it :lol: