[shadye90]

Whats the best way to get rid of swirl marks/..I got em all over my car..Not noticible during the day but very visible at night under lighting

[Chesmu]

one of these threads had something about Zaino's product for swirl removal. TRy doing a thread search o ZAino...

[dme330i]

If you use the zaino line, try z5. If not, try 3m imperial hand glaze, then finish with a high quality carnuaba wax.

[RyBMW]

You can try 3M Perfect-It Swirl Mark Remover for Light Paints. Meguiars Scratch X and No. 9 Swirl Remover works well also.

[diesel007]

To remove swirl marks you are going to need a true clear coat compound. There are lots of compounds out there some better than others. Basically, the chemicals in the compounds remove a very thin layer of your clear coat to reveal a nice clean surface with no swirl marks. Some products have non abrasive chemicals and simply cover up the spider scratches instead of removing them I stay away from those.
Rubbing the compound on your paint by hand will not give the best (if any) results. You will need a buffer preferably a non-orbital or random buffer. These type of machines will mix the chemicals in the compound more efficiently than you could ever do by hand. Different foam pads need to be used at different thickness, depending on the severity of your swirl marks. I have 3 different types of foam pads for my dual head buffer, one for clear, one for polish, one for sealant. The polish and sealant pads are softer and the clear coat pads are a bit thicker. Here is what you need to do:

1. Clean the car with a good soap.
2. You could clay the car but that has nothing to do with swirl marks, however it will remove oxidation, sap, bugs, and a bunch of other stuff so I recommend it once or twice a year.
3. Wash car again after the clay job.
4. Mix you clear coat compound really good, product from www.rightlook.com has worked great for me. Zanio, and Poorboys products are of equal caliber (not a huge fan of Klasse I use it on my wheels though). After your product is mixed, apply a quarter size dot in the middle of a medium or light foam pad and start buffing. I always start with the roof. Move the buffer back and forth up and down not in circles. It’s best to use a buffer with multiple speeds so that you can start slow and increase speed once the product is mostly on the paint surface. With a random buffer you will not have to worry about damaging your paint because they don't produce much heat. Work a panel at a time, and when the product is dry wipe it off with a clean micro fiber towel
5. Follow with a good polish. The polish will bring life to the paint. The swirls should be removed now so you want to polish the clear coat the same way you did the clear coat compound. I would recommend using a softer pad for your polish. Buffer goes back and forth up and down wipe dried product with a clean micro fiber towel.
6. By now you should have rid the clear coat of the swirl marks and revealed a deep lustrous layer for everyone to admire. Your last product should be a sealant or wax to protect you efforts. Sealant is more expensive but will last longer than wax. If your a nutcase like me use a wax because it will not last as long and you can detail more often.

Anything on top of wax or sealant is purely for show, you should be finished once the 6th step is complete. It takes me 3-4 hours from the first to last step. With a couple of beer breaks and a radio you will be fine. Good luck.

[shimshimhada]

Zaino has ZPC, but I prefer Poorboy's SSR 2.5, followed by SSR 1.0.

[bimmernotbeamer]

You'll need an abrasive polish like Zaino ZPC and most likely a Porter Cable polisher. Products like 3M Imperial Hand Glaze nd Zaino Z5 will only hide the swirls not remove them.

See Detailing 101 stickied at the top of this forum for more information.

[shadye90]

Thanks for all your input guys.. here's an idea...Who wants to remove my swirl marks for me?..I'll compensate you for your efforts!..Yeah..I know..I'm lazy..

[shragon]

3m finesse-it II machine polish, and a porter cable. don't waste your money on 3m swirl mark remover, as it contains a lot of fillers that just hide swirl marks, and those swirls will reappear a few washes later. 3m finesse-it II is a true polish and will take a lot of swirls out using it with a porter cable.

also so that you get a min amount of swirl marks in the future, try to use microfiber towels. when washing the car, i use a sheepskin mitt with the two bucket method and dry with a big blue waffle towel which is microfiber.

good luck with the project.

[325Driver]

What shragon said.

IIRC swirl marks cannot be taken out by hand. A PC or some similar buffer/polisher will need to be used. Everything else on the market that can be applied by hand will only act to fill in the swirls and will not eliminate them.

[impulsebrklyn]

im in Brooklyn and can do it all for you. Can put just about any product you would like on the car as well. Mostly only due PC work unless i need to break out the rotary for the nasty work. If i was you though i would wait for the Spring. Winter can do a number on your paint. If not i think we could work something out. Chris

[BMW_E90]

http://meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner-polishs/Speed-Glaze
does any1 know if this is any good? and if its clearcoat safe?

[BMW_E90]

bump

[diesel007]

Originally Posted by BMW_E90

http://meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner-polishs/Speed-Glaze
does any1 know if this is any good? and if its clearcoat safe?

What do you mean by clear coat safe? The product is as safe as the person applying it.

It depends on the cutting pad you use, and how abrasive the product is. That link gives very little information. A glaze is supposed to be put on after polish to enhance the polish before the sealant and/or wax. It sounds to me like it is a polish and glase in one, which means it's abrasive and if used with an aggressive cutting pad it would remove a bit of clear coat. I really don't care for their products anyways.

[ga-bmwdrvr]

Meguiars #80 is used to correct minor to moderate swirls. It is abrasive but not much. It is best used with a PC polisher. I used their #9 which is a step milder on my car and it came out nice and smooth. Used it mostly as cleaner instead of using Klasse AIO (which is even milder.
As far as clear coat safe, well, it is an abrasive polish designed to correct swirls by removing paint. If you use it with a polishing pad and a PC you should be fine, it is rather mild. Do not use a cutting pad, it is too agressive.
For Meguiars products from most agressive to least:
#83
#80
#9

[BMW_E90]

well i have swirl makes and i have minor scratchs on the trunk of my car.. soo wat do u guys suggest i do cause im new to the whole wax, polish thing.... (dont know anything)

[ga-bmwdrvr]

do you have a porter cable polisher? If you don't you should consider getting one. You will not be able to do much correction by hand. The Meguiars #80 should work well for the swirls asl ong as they are not deep.