So over the winter I got into an accident and my truck had to be repaired. The whole driver side along with my tailgate was repainted and looks flawless. The only problem is that over the 2 years I have owned the vehicle, the original paint has got some nasty scratches/swirling. The scratches are on the clear coat and not through the paint so I know I will be able to get rid of them; my question is how? The truck has also taken on this horrible swirling and I want to get rid of that too. Please point me in the right direction as to what products/processes I need to go through to get rid of this horrible mess. I have looked through a lot of the threads and it seems as though Scratch-X has helped a lot of people but I believe RP said at one point that it would be unrealistic to use that on a whole truck. I also have noticed a lot of people talking about #80-83 but its hard to follow after you guys go on and on explaining stuff. Please help this poor fellas black truck shine again.

Below are the best two pictures I have right now to show what I'm talking about

 

How far do you want to go with it? Are you willing to buy a PC? Have you changed your washing/drying methods? Otherwise, why waste all the time getting rid of the swirls only to have them come back a few months later.

 

I started using the two-bucket method during washing and I don't touch the truck after I rinse it off, only blow dry it with leaf blower. I'm willing to spend up to $150-200 on products to get this looking good. You figure its a double figure investment...gotta keep it looking good

 

That almost looks bad enough for a buffiing.. I had a black F-150 a few years back that I could no longer wax the swirls / scratches out. I ended up taking it to a detail shop that used a highspeed buffer with an assortment of compounds to make it shine like new again.. Cost me around $200 if I remember right.

 

Yea I think it's pretty bad. I was thinking about bringing it to a shop and having them do it but thought I would get opinions first. It's pretty bad, I really don't know what happened cause I've always been pretty cautious and very particular about my truck. I guess black is just the wrong color to get.

 

Do you wash and wax it in the sun or when the paint is hot?

 

How long ago did you start to use the 2-Bucket wash? I'm hoping you already had all the swirls before starting. Have you always used a leaf blower to dry? It really looks like you dried with a regular towel.

$200 could get you the products to do it yourself but it might be a good idea to see how much it'd cost you to have it detailed because those are some pretty nasty swirls.

 

I never used to use the two-bucket method before so yes the swirls were there before I started using said method. I used to use an "absorber" to dry the truck but just recently switched to a leaf blower. All of the swirls were there before I got my head together and started using the correct methods for washing the vehicle.

Oh yea, I never waxed in the sun either. I knew enough not to do that

 

Check out www.autodetailingsolutions.com for all of your PC needs. .

 

The first thing to decide is whether you want to address the problem yourself, or pay to have a pro do it. It sounds like you have identified and corrected the cause, so if you have a pro do it, you will probably be able to maintain it well enough to keep it looking good for a bit of time after that.

If you want to do it yourself, then you will need to stock up on products, tools, and knowledge.

From just loooking at the pics, it doesn't look like it is beyond you doing it yourself, if you have the desire ..

I would think that with a $200 - $250 or so initial investment, you would be able to deal with it yourself, and keep it looking that way going forward.

If you are interested in doing it yourself .. let us know .. and we will point you in the right direction.

 

I just ordered a kit from auto geeks for light swirl and it cost about 250 for everything, but the also had a kit for heavy swirls for the same price. www.autogeek.net

 

I am more apt to do it myself if I think I am capable of doing it. I have never really done much body work as I am more mechanically inclined. I mean I could put a suspension lift on easy but I've never taken on body work. I figure if I invest the money and learn the proper techniques, I can keep this truck looking better for a longer duration rather than just paying someone to do it once. Ultimately, I would like to do it myself so that I can do the same thing in the future iif need be.

 

you can do this yourself but you won't get the results you are looking for without a DA.

If you do that, I would wash, clay then use Meguairs Speed Glaze or #80 on it...may take two apps or more, but be careful. Then follow with a quality sealer or wax.

I am really surprised RockPick hasn't jumped on this topic.

 

I don't mind buying the products and a PC to do it, I just need some of your knowledge to point me in the right direction. Per a recommendation above, I'm thinking about maybe buying this package http://www.autogeek.net/xmtpocaswrek.html. Will these supplies do the trick??? Then all I need is a wealth of information on the how to apply

 

check this thread out.

(RP--how's that sticky coming along??? Maybe we'll also need a D/A and rotary usage section...)

==> You will definately need a D/A if you don't want sore arms. A great site to look at is this one.

Check out their D/A combo deals--great buys for the $$$. (direct link to those)

Good luck. Once you decide what you want to get, let us know so we can help you with that individual product system.