I have read the car wash thread which didn't go into much detail about my problem.
Saturday was the first really sunny day I've had with my car since buying (used). I was really disappointed when I noticed very heavy swirls on the bonnet and around the wheel arches particularly. Some areas look as though they have been rubbed down with sandpaper and the paintwork has lost it's shine. In normal light it looks great. It's obviously been in a car wash every week for 3.5 years since new.
Question is, how do I clear the swirls? Is a good old T-Cut and wax the best method? Or is there a particular product I could use? The car is black and non-metallic.
Thanks in advance.
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First try using ........... 3M Imperial Handglaze. It's made for the job in question. And excellent stuff it is - I've just bought a new bottle for myself and one for my mate. You'll probably only get it in specialist car paint and body finishing suppliers. It's about £9 for a litre. I wouldn't be without it just as a *very* mild abrasive to clean the paint if it hasn't been done for a while - and it removes swirl marks. It's particularly good on dark colours. It was recommended to me by a bodyshop years ago and I've used it ever since, usually prior to a coat of Autoglym Super Resin polish, followed by Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection.
The next most abrasive is T-Cut, and then Rubbing Compound. The latter is, of course, very abrasive and only for bad defects (as a last resort) and for rubbing down new paint.
KB.
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Found this on the internet, might be of interest. Don't know which product he refers to, but I'd try the Handglaze first.......
From: TFalkenber@aol.com
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 9:14 PM
To: lmgunter@worldnet.att.net; 928@list.928oc.org
Subject: Re: [928OC Public] Swirl Marks in Paint
larry,
i just did my car this weekend. in the past i used 3m imperial hand glaze
followed by meguiars carnuba and the results were pretty good. this time i
used mothers scratch and swirl remover first, then meguiars polish, then
meguiars carnuba wax. came out way better than before. i don't see any of
those annoying swirls under the street lights (and my car is black.)
one thing to make very sure of is to use 100% cotton terrycloth or flannel to
apply and remove. if there is any synthetic it will scratch the car. to
tell if it's 100% cotton (it may not be even if it says so) light an edge on
fire. it should burn clean and not melt at all (thanks to carcareonline for
that tip.)
also, take your time.
KB.
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Solid black must be the worst for seeing swirl marks ;-(
After seeing that Discovery program with Mark Evans restoring the E-type jag, I bought a bottle of the same 3m machine polish they used (you can use it by hand) and it worked ok for me. The web site can give a list of stockists - I\'ve not seen it in any of the usual retail places. tinyurl.com/8y2h
Martin
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Thanks to you all, it seems like 3M is what I need. I only found a list of marine stockists in my area on the 3M website and nothing was turned up by Google. Anyone from Essex who knows a stockist? I'll keep looking in the meantime.
Cheers
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Is Romford any good for you?....... Car Colour Services, Mawney Road. Or Dysons Road, Edmonton/Tottenham border. Or Quality Car Paints, Katherine Road, E7. Otherwise Yellow pages under Paint, Varnish, Laquer. (Or under Cellulose Enamel & Laquer).
KB.
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Actually, you might get it at the Marine outlets as they use it on hulls (the painting of).
KB.
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Thanks KB - Romford isn't too far. I'll give the marine outlets a ring too as Woodham Ferrers isn't that far (I don't think).
Cheers
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Car Colour Services Ltd. Paint distributors. Telephone and fax. Tel: 01708 705005 Fax: 01708 732168. Address. 92-94 Mawney Rd Romford Essex RM7 7JB
They keep it on the shelf as a stock item...... I rang them a week or so ago.
Is Southend too far? There must be several Vehicle Paint and Body Refinishers Suppliers in the area.
KB.
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Southend would be perfect - I live in Rayleigh.
I'll see who I can find, many thanks.
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There's a large vehicle paint place on the industrial estate in Sutton Road, Southend - just the Rochford side of the cemetery.
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Thanks, I'll have a look.
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Worth an update on this I thought. I used the 3M Imperial Handglaze followed by Autoglym Super Resin Polish and the results were impressive. It hasn't been quite as sunny as it was earlier in the weekend but from what I can tell the swirls are much reduced. 3M cost about £11.50 for 1 litre (enough to last ages) and £9.99 for the Autoglym. A small price to pay for a very shiny car!
Thanks for the good advice.
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I wonder if you feel there should be a separate category here in the Back Room devoted to " Car Polishing"?
Just a thought.
Rob P
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Sorry to revive this thread again but I'm a little disheartened now.
Having reported that the car looked great, after about 3 weeks (and not been washed yet), it has reverted to dull paintwork (albeit with fewer swirls).
Should I have used Meguires wax on top of the 3M + Auto G polish? I assumed the Auto Glym polish would protect the finish but it doesn't appear to have.
: (
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Anyone have any ideas on the above query? Thanks.
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did you use a top coat after the polish like gloss guard or extra gloss protection? maybe thats what you did wrong?
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No, I just used the 3M then the AutoGylym polish, I thought the AG would protect it.
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Can't find any mention of the colour of your car in the above thread. It's not red is it? Red is (or at least was) one of the worst colours for fading.
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No, the car is black and non-metallic.
It did look good...
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Use AG extra gloss protection on it after you have polished it. Or TW gloss guard. The finish should last then.
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