Correcting swirls from aggressive clay?

[wolfe]

Hoping I could get some advice on this please.

I'm incredibly careful washing my car, and in 18 months it's only had very light swirls from washing.

Recently I tried Meguiar's aggressive detailing clay, and it's swirled up the paint pretty badly.

I've tried some scratch-X v1 and v2 but it didn't really do anything. I can't 'feel' the swirls with a fingernail and they're not visible unless viewed under bright light or sunlight.

Short of getting it machine polished, is there anything else I should try? Also, if I go the machine polisher route, what's the chances I'll get good results if I pick up a porter cable and try it myself?

thanks for any advice.

[Black Sheep]

You will be able to get rid of them with a porter cable w/ the right pad and polish. Clay bar is an abrasive, so you are going to want to polish right after Wash/Clay/Wash/Polish

[Red Bread]

What caused you to use the aggressive clay? I'd recommend you always start with the lightest level of abrasive as possible.

A Porter Cable or a Flex are both very easy to work with and will provide more consistent results than hand polishing. You can correct swirls by hand, but it takes a lot of work and getting the heat and abrasive break down that even a random orbital can produce is a lot of work by hand.

3M and Meguairs both make good hand polishes, and if you want to avoid the cost of an RO, you can get good results with Menzerna polishes by hand too.

[wolfe]

Thanks guys,

Any suggestions for choosing the right pad & polish? (and even the different types of backing pad). The car is alpine white.

I've been using Zaino Z2 as a sealant and am happy with it, but I believe that's best applied by hand. I'm assuming after polishing you wash the residue off before applying sealant/wax anyway?

Originally Posted by Red Bread

What caused you to use the aggressive clay? I'd recommend you always start with the lightest level of abrasive as possible.

It was really a screw up on my part. My Zaino claybar had been stored in the tub with a couple sprays of quick detailer spray, and when I went to use it, it had broken down (presumably from the spray) and become crumbly.

I had some of this meguiar's clay and decided to give it a try since I'd already stripped the wax and washed the car twice.

[Vrumpkin]

Zaino clay is finicky. Agressive clays are great if you have heavy contaminants but the obvious downside is marring.

Hands down the most effective way to remove the swirls and marring is through machine polishing, weather you do it yourself or bring it to a real professional. Trying to compound and polish by hand is very inefficent and the results are never the same.

I say go for it yourself and see how you do. I reccomend the griots garage 6"polisher, more power and torque than the Porter cable with a better throw as well, the machine feels more planted and vibrates less.

Pads just go to detailersdomain.com their foam is the best and most durable (forum sponsor as well)

Good luck!

[wolfe]

Originally Posted by SD Detail

I reccomend the griots garage 6"polisher, more power and torque than the Porter cable with a better throw as well, the machine feels more planted and vibrates less.
Good luck!

Thanks for the advice. Would you have any suggestions for polish please? The Griot's system was tempting as I believe they offer a full kit with pads/polishes all matched to work together. But, I've been massively disappointed with Griot's tools and products so far so I'd probably buy the machine and get my pads/polish elsewhere.

Is pad/polish combination highly critical to removing swirls or is it not as big a deal as I'm thinking?

[Red Bread]

Menzerna makes some excellent polishes, it's hard to go wrong with them and Lake Country pads. Start out with some white and orange pads and some Menzerna Final Polish PO85U and Intensive Polish PO83 and you can handle the majority of swirls you're likely to get.

[zkeeper]

Too bad you feel that way on the Griots system or prods. I have used a lot and many are fine but did not last as long for the price. GG's does. I found I had great success when I finally quite applying it so heavy. And it lasted longer. The polishes are lighter in aggressiveness, and have worked fine for most of the paint corrections I have done. If I have a heavier job, then its time for the Megs. The GG pads have been great as well. Lake County makes a great set, but actually have some thinner backing than GG--so its preferences for sure. The GG DA, is super. Great throw in rotation, and best warranty. Also agree on above--for home use, less vibration which is great. Nope not connected with GG at all--just like the system for the money spent.

[wolfe]

Thanks Guys,

I know it sounds a bit irrational; I've just been very disappointed with a few tools and products given the price.

With that said, I've been using their red pads with a hand loop backing plate to apply wax by hand, and have found them to be fine. Since the polisher comes with a lifetime warranty, I'd be ok going for that, especially if it's a little better than the porter cable.

Since I already have pads, would there be any downside to going with the Griot's machine, Griot's pads, and Menzerna polish(es)? If this means any kind of compromise I'm fine with getting new pads or different polish instead.

[Detailers Domain]

Wolfe, this kit should work well.

Porter Cable and Meg's DA Microfiber System.

[wolfe]

Wow, didn't know that Meguiar's made whole kits like this.

Thanks for the info.

[Detailers Domain]

Originally Posted by wolfe

Wow, didn't know that Meguiar's made whole kits like this.

Thanks for the info.

no problem at all.