Could someone explain paint swirls to me and ways to remove them?

Also, I just purchased some Meguires clay, and was wondering if I made a mistake and should of went with Mother's after reading through some posts.

 

there all about the same. Just the diff amount of clay they give you.

Im going to clay my car tomorrow.I got the Clay Magic Kit.

 

Swirls are minor scratches in the clear coat. They usually look like concentric circles. Washing and drying are what cause most of them. They can be removed with a polish either by hand or by PC or rotary.

 

The clay won't remove the swirls, but it will remove contaminants and this will make the polish and wax more effective in removing the swirls. Also makes the wax easier to apply and remove and maximizes the shine.

 

I just completed a complete detail to my car, took me atleast 4 hours...dont ask.

But i didnt really know what i was doing when Polishing. I used Turtle compoun Polish, but i didnt know how much to use, if the towel was supposed to be wet.. etc. because alot of the minor scratches/blemishes wouldnt go away.


Can someone write up a Polishing Tutorial? wax too maybe.

Thanks

 

Could anyone recomend a good polish? I was looking at Nu-Finish and wasn't sure if I should go with that or what.

 

There seems to be confusion between waxing and polishing. Polishes contains abrasives which will remove the swirls and light scratches in your clear coat. You're actually removing a very thin layer of clear coat when you polish. A wax (or sealant) is applied once you polish out the swirls/scratches and provides protection. Unfortunately, some waxes/sealants label themselves a polish when they have no polishing ability at all. For instance, Zaino says "polish" on the bottle but it's NOT a polish but a sealant (an excellent one by the way).

When you polish, you can do it by hand but it's very time consuming and hard work. Your arms will be very tired and sore when you're done! Most people that polish use machines such as a Porter Cable dual action polisher (a.k.a "PC") or a rotary polisher (these are only used by people that really know how to use them as you can easily damage your paint with a rotary). Polishing is relatively easy using these machines. If you want to learn more about using a "PC" check out this link: http://www.guidetodetailing.com/arti...p?articleId=47

 

I'm well aware of the differences. My budget won't allow me to buy a rotary or a PC at the moment, so I was going to do it by hand (I do not mind the labor) and needed to know some good brands of polish that would be worth it and I could really use a guide if anyone has written one.

 

Yes, bump to that.

 

Here is my problem:
As you can see from the photos, there is an extra layer of paint on the door from something and I was curious if polish could clear this up as well? Perhaps it is too much and a PC is needed?

 

Wolf-Strong, try a clay bar on that paint first. It may remove some of it. For what remains, I think a PC or rotary will be needed. Even then, it may not remove it all.

 

Yea, i think the paint is fading. Maybe because the sun?

Thats how my spoiler and passenger bottom side doors look.

 

No I know it is paint ontop of the clearcoat...accident

Do any of you guys have experience with that Powerball thing by Mother's. I was thinking it must be good if used with the Mother's Polish since it is...well...Mothers'.

EDITED*

 

I actually cringed when I saw your pics! Like someone said before, try claying out as much of the paint as possible. It's tough to get off paint on top of clear coat without damaging the clear coat.