What Swirl Mark Remover to Use?

[MrElussive]

Hey,

So ever since day one, my black car has had awful swirl marks and hairline scratches...swirl marks are on the hood and the hairline scratches are everywhere! Zaino Z-5 just seems to rearrange the swirl marks and does nothing for the hairline scratches. These paint imperfections used to not bother me as I know that they will come back on my black car, but I still want my paint to look healthier than this, considering all the time I spend cleaning my car.
I want to do a Dawn wash, clay bar, use a scratch & swirl remover, and then maybe tryout CrystalGuard Quick as a protectant (rather than Zaino). Anyways, what scratch & swirl mark remover should I use? I am trying to decide among these three: 3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound, 3M Perfect-It Swirl Mark Remover for Dark Paints, or Poorboy's SR3 Swirl Remover Heavy Duty Compound? Or does anyone have any other suggestions? I don't even understand the difference between the two 3M swirl mark products, they both seem to do the same things! Anybody have any suggestions or recommendations? My car is black; the hairline scratches are pretty much everywhere and are very visible, the swirl marks are mainly only on my hood and are decently visible.

Thanks,
MrElussive

 

[waynestowels]

The best polishes I have found - The Einszett line
I have a list of them on the web site and listed in order of abrasiveness.
Let me know if I can help

 

[flashinthepan]

E-

My brother just got his 95 911 back from being painted ($3500-ouch!), it is black. The paint booth expert commented "with black, lots of glaze and rubbing out" - I think when we see them black show cars shinned up, they are glazed and hand rubbed. luckily for my brother, he has access to an excellent detailer who specializes in Black & dark colors ! He is that good & the paint shops send people by word of mouth to him, he is swamped & doesnt even advertise.

Funniest thing to this story - I went to see the freshly painted car, I swear I could see light swirls in the direct sun....

"Black cars - love & Hate em'- all in the same breath"

 

[waynestowels]

I love detailing black, red and other dark colors

You can really make a noticable difference and if you are not good..., it shows up!!

The Waxpolish Soft is a "next to last step" product.
It is designed to remove AND hide swirls and buffing holograms.

Next step is to protect the perfected finish with Glanz..., it just adds that much more shine!!

The steps, in reverse-
Glanz Synthetic Wax
Waxpolish Soft
Metallic Polish
Paint polish (only if needed)
Clay
Wash

 

[l33]

I own a black car, i use menzerna. The towels you use to dry and remove wax/polish have a lot to do with it. Make sure you use ONLY MF. Don't use the waterblade or a duster, it may work for light colors but not black. Don't use any cotten towels either. The best i've found are the BIG blue for drying, Meguiar's MF or the Ultimate towel for everything else.
Just because your car is black doesn't mean it has to have swirls if taken care of, use the right products.

 

[aNoodle]

3M Perfect-It Swirl Mark Remover for Dark Paints with 100% cotton towels is what I use and it works great.

 

[MrElussive]

Thanks for the responses, guys. I actually ordered before waiting for responses because I got too impatient, lol. I ordered the 3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound (I chose it over the Swirl Mark Remover and over everything else because aside from what the Swirl Mark Remover does, it also removes water spots in the paint, which I have a lot of - basically, it is exactly what I am looking for), and I ordered Lexol Leather Cleaner, Lexol Leather Conditioner, and CrystalGuard Quick.

I'm going to wash the car with Dawn dish soap for a thorough cleaning, then I'm going to clay bar it (I have the Zaino Z-18 Clay Bar Kit). After the clay bar, I'm going to use the 3M Rubbing Compound to "clean up" the paint. That should get rid of the swirl marks, hairline scratches, water spots, etc. Then I will apply a coat of the CrystalGuard Quick (CG Quick) that I ordered. All I have to do is wash the car again, and on the final rinse, spray some CG Quick on a section, wipe it dry, and then move onto the next section. Then I have to rinse the car down one more time to get rid of any CG residue and then dry the car up again. If CG Quick hopefully comes close to -or matches- Zaino's shine and protection, I will stick with it as it is so much easier to use. I will of course make sure to use only microfiber towels throughout the process.
As for the Lexol, since so many people recommend it, I want to give it a try. I currently use Zaino Leather Cleaner and Zaino Leather Conditioner. The Cleaner works great, but the overall process is way too tedious and the Conditioner doesn't work well with my car's leather and I'm not happy with the way the stuff smells.

Does anybody have any experience with CrystalGuard? I have always been so hesitant to try it just because it was $35 for the Small bottle (good for 2-4 applications) and it just seemed way too expensive....but then I scrolled down on the web page and found another CG Quick Small bottle for only $20, but it doesn't include the MF towel. Since I don't need the god damn MF towel and the new $20 price tag for the Small bottle seemed sooo much more reasonable, I pounced on it. If this stuff works well, I plan to apply a new coat once every 2 months (you're supposed to re-apply once every 2-3 months when used alone).

 

[aNoodle]

Hey MrE, I have the 3M rubbing compound too. But realize that it can be very abrasive stuff meant to be used sparingly. The rubbing compound is in alternative to the claying. I do the list you layed out but use clay instead of rubbing compound unless i have some bird droppings or other real imperfections in the paint. Then I use the swirl mark, then i lock it in with wax. BE CAREFUL with the rubbing compound stuff. Just a heads up. You will rub right through the clear coat and to the paint. The swirl mark remover is more of a topical application with less abrasion.

 

[MrElussive]

Oh crap, thanks for the heads up! So I have to use either the clay bar OR the 3M Rubbing Compound, not both, right? Obviously, I'd rather use the 3M Rubbing Compound as clay bar...well you know how it's just as easy as just applying some liquid stuff with an applicator pad. Anyways, can I use the Rubbing Compound on the whole car? I have no idea of how to use it or anything. I just assumed it works like your typical pre-cleaner...wash your car with Dawn, apply a dime-size amount on applicator pad and rub it into the paint, one section at a time, working in circular motions. And then let the stuff haze over (if it even needs to haze over), and buff it off with a microfiber towel...basically just like your typical wax process. I want to do the whole car because I have pesky water spots etched into the paint on some parts of the body, swirl marks on my hood, and hairline scratches all over the place.

 

[aNoodle]

Oh crap, thanks for the heads up! So I have to use either the clay bar OR the 3M Rubbing Compound, not both, right? Obviously, I'd rather use the 3M Rubbing Compound as clay bar...well you know how it's just as easy as just applying some liquid stuff with an applicator pad. Anyways, can I use the Rubbing Compound on the whole car? I have no idea of how to use it or anything. I just assumed it works like your typical pre-cleaner...wash your car with Dawn, apply a dime-size amount on applicator pad and rub it into the paint, one section at a time, working in circular motions. And then let the stuff haze over (if it even needs to haze over), and buff it off with a microfiber towel...basically just like your typical wax process. I want to do the whole car because I have pesky water spots etched into the paint on some parts of the body, swirl marks on my hood, and hairline scratches all over the place.

Well jeez...you seem to know exactly how to use it. Dime size yes. Given your number of posts I assume you're not a newb and you know how to not over do it. Rubbing compoud by 3m is the real deal...it's not some clean-wax-shine-polish-dry-buff all in one spray gimmick you attach to the garden hose.

I was just saying don't apply too much and don't grind it in too much. Yes, it is an alternative to claying. I have done both but I think claying is less abrassive so I only go to the rubbing compound maybe once a year and more often when I have certain spots where clay just doesn't get the job done. I never apply it like wax and let it dry before removing it. I only use a second cotton cloth to remove any compound that was left there after the first one went over it. I don't know about this polyester stuff. I'm also not a big fan of my orbital cuz stuff just goes flying.

 

[l33]

Compound is not an alternative to claying. Clay removes contaminants from the surface of your car by lifting them. Compound removes defects below your paint by abrading a slight layer away. If you had cotaminants on your car before you compound, you'll probably just rub them in a scratch the surface of your car. You should definitly clay before compounding, it will make compounding 10x easier on a smooth surface.

 

[aNoodle]

Compound is not an alternative to claying. Clay removes contaminants from the surface of your car by lifting them. Compound removes defects below your paint by abrading a slight layer away. If you had cotaminants on your car before you compound, you'll probably just rub them in a scratch the surface of your car. You should definitly clay before compounding, it will make compounding 10x easier on a smooth surface.

Good point I33. I suppose it would be a good idea to clay first. But both are in the process of getting the surface as clean as possible for waxing.

 

[MrElussive]

I just called 3M and spoke to some dude over the phone about it. He said that the 3M Rubbing Compound does some of the things that a clay bar does, but not everything. I asked him if I should do both; clay bar first and then use the Rubbing Compound second and he said that would be the best way to go about it. He also said that the application process is somewhat like waxing your car, but without letting it haze. Work in a 2'x2' sections...apply a quarter-size amount (he specifically said quarter), rub it into the paint in circular motions, then immediately wipe it off and move onto the next section.
When I get all the products in and I am ready to get to work, I will clay bar and then use the rubbing compound. Then I will seal all that up with the CrystalGuard, and hopefully my paint will look so seksy.

 

[l33]

True they both clean, but clay cleans the top and compound cleans and abrades paint. You can clay your car as often as you like, but i wouldn't compound it to often, maybe once a year.

The best way for me to explain it is say you dropped a piece of gum on the floor (bear with me). You would clay the gum to remove the dirt, lint, rocks and dust it picked up from the floor. Then you compound it to remove that layer and have a fresh piece of gum.

You don't necesarily have to use a compound, try a polish first if you are just trying to clean the surface and prepare for wax

 

[MrElussive]

l33, thanks for the info. I know the Rubbing Compound is abrasive stuff, which is why I want to use it. I have swirl marks on my hood, hairline scratches everywhere, and etched-in water spots as well. I got my car last August (middle of August) and I wanted to wait a full year until I did the clay bar and rubbing compound, but I want to have great-looking paint for the summer.

 

[l33]

I hear ya man, good luck!!!
Post some before and afters (even if you drive a g35!!!! )

 

[aNoodle]

Good info.

Mr E, when you get all this stuff, you're going to have some weekend ahead of you. Can't wait for the pics!!!!

 

[MrElussive]

Okay, so just an update. I'm going to Florida tomorrow and I don't think the products are coming today - I was counting on that, so I could get everything done today and then leave for FL tomorrow, leaving my beautifully clean car behind.
But since I have the Zaino Z-18 Clay Bar kit, I was thinking I could just wash the car with Dawn today and then clay bar it. Then leave for FL for a week and then when I come back, wash it with Dawn again and then use the 3M Rubbing Compound, and then apply the CrystalGuard to finish it all up. My car sleeps in a garage so when I'm gone for the week, it's worst enemy is some dust. Is this an okay procedure, or should I really do everything in one day?

Edit: Screw it, I'm supposed to wash the car before AND after I do the clay bar, and the clay bar process sounds long and annoying. It's supposed to start raining in an hour so I have no time. I'm goint do it when I get back from FL.

 

[MrElussive]

I washed my car today and later in the afternoon, all the products came in the mail!! I don't have enough time to do the detail process (leaving tomorrow and I gotta pack), so once I come back from FL, I'll definitely do a full interior/exterior cleaning. I'm eager to try the Lexol!! Also, since it was a nice and sunny afternoon and my car was shining like nobody's business (thanks to Zaino), I decided to take the "before" pictures. I want to compare these "before" pictures (strong, fresh coats of Zaino) to the "after" pictures when I try the CrystalGuard. If anyone wants to see these "before" pictures, just let me know and I'll post them up. Thanks !!