Eh, long story short here it is.

My truck in sig, brand new black beauty. I hate having black paint as far as maintenance/cleaning.

After I washed it and waxed it, I mean, it's almost impossible not to get little micro scratches and swirls on it. After the wax(3-stage mothers) the truck is awesome looking but in bright sun in direct sunlight u can see some swirls. Is this a normal thing or am I asking to much to get the paint PERFECT?? I used to have a white car and you couldn't see any kind of swirls, I could wash that car with a dirty rag and it would look good! I know that washing it and waxing it swirled it, I mean you have to touch the damn paint.

I had some burned in water spots to, so I used 3M swirl mark remover PN 39009 and that worked well, and actually cut out alot of the swirls. I did it by hand.

My question is, is it wise for me to get a buffer on a brand new truck and buff it down with that 3M stuff?? I know I could get it perfect, but then when I FRIGGIN wash and wax it again, it will get swirls! It's an endless circle, any thoughts?? I'm using a microfiber sponge to wash and one of those microfiber super absorbant towels to dry.............. Should I be using any other washing/drying products(I read as long as it's microfiber it should be good)??
__________________

 

pressed for time, so just a quick reply now .. I am sure RP will add more later, if not, I will fill in my thoughts..

fix what you are donig to cause the swirls, then work on removing the swirls..

It is not just what you use, but how you use it ..

what car wash soap are you using? are you using the correct dilution?

do you use a grit guard, and the two bucket method when washing?

do you rub in swirls, or up down, back and forth when you wash?

do you rinse the vehicle very well prior to using the sponge? get all the surface crap off you can prior to using the wash mitt, and there is less chance of scratching.

I prefer a good wash mitt to a MF sponge, as I have never seen a MF sponge that had enough nap to nake me feel good about using it.

How do you dry it? When drying, do you rub, or blot? Blotting is better. I simply lay my MF towel down, then pick it back up, never moving it against the paint.


Waffle weave Micro fibers are the best to use to dry in my opinion, but only after sheeting the water off, and using a blower, to minimize the drying you have to do .. just becasue you are using a MF towel, doesn't mean you can rub on the vehicle however you want, without worry.


just a few quick thoughts .. I am sure others will add more ..

 

Thanks for the tips. I detailed the truck it came out alright, still some swirls but I can't be perfect.

For right now they don't bother me to much, I'm not going to bother until maybe a year or so I'll have a professional detailer buff the entire truck down.

Brian

 

if you know how to buff, use a foam pad + wax at a low rpm to remove swirl marks in your clear coat. DO NOT use a wool pad or you will make them alot worse.

 

yup...i had a black car back a few years back...black under coat with about 3 layers of clear. what i used was a regular sponge, lots of water and suds to wash, then i used a pneumatic buffer set at a low rpm and used wax shop liquid clear coat polish. to remove i used the buffer again at a slightly higer rpm with a terry cloth pad...that worked...but i did have 3 layers of clear on the car....

just my experience...