doowop22

I Only Had This 04 Tsx For Almost 2 Mos And I Have These Swirls In My Paint. I Hate Them. I Tried The Meguiar's 3 Step Process And It Gave It A Lil Shine But I Can Still See The Swirls. What Do I Have To Do? Plz Help.....i'm New To This Stuff.

Dan Martin

Welcome to the forum!

We have a whole Wash & Wax section for these sorts of posts: https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/

I know there have been numerous swirl removal threads started over there, so browse a bit before you start a new thread.

Good luck!

doowop22

Thanks.....will do!!

Gen4MDX

Checkout www.zainostre.com

They make a product called Z5 that is supposed to remove swirls spider cracks etc, I personally have not used Z5, but those that have say it works well.

aaronng

Z5 doesn't remove swirls. It just hides them. To remove swirls, you need to use an abrasize like Poorboys SSR2.5 with a PC/random orbital. After that, you follow up with a wax or sealant to provide some protection against new swirls. Then you wash properly using the proper 2 bucket and lambswool mitt technique to prevent new swirls. Reapply the sealant every 2 months or wax every month. If you want to use Zaino Z5 after SSR2.5, you need to first use Zaino Z-PC after the SSR2.5.

5o9

IF you can find a good detailer, pay them to do it. Don't even think about the dealers.

If you try it yourself, will be out $300, and I bet it does not go well for you. Maybe an exterior only detail, swirls are gone, and you can maintain it in the interim, getting the pro detail on an annual basis. You will never match the work of a pro, and you would save about ten hours per year of really nasty work.

billlikessuger

http://autopia.org/forum/index.php?

ianS

Why need Z-PC after SSR2.5? Wasn't SSR2.5 and Z-PC are both compound? I have been using zaino for couple years but upset with the Z5 so I just got a bottle of the SSR2.5 to try it out this year. I was told that I can apply Z2 after SSR2.5 and that's what I am planning to do.

VroomVroom

Just a quick comment on the expense. If you're into learning how to do this yourself - and if I can do it, you can - that first detail will be expensive. $300 sounds about right if you want to stock up on tools & product, but you can realistically get much closer to $200. However, every detail after that will be free of out-of-pocket expense, up until the time you need to reorder supplies. Compare that against a minimum $150 charge for a professional exterior detail...every time you want to do it.

I prefer to remove as many swirls as possible, but you are elimating clearcoat as you do it....meaning you don't want to be out there polishing your paint every month or two. To me, this is where the value of a glaze comes in...for making the finish look great between full details.

acn684

i disagree, get the tools urself and learn. PC are very friendly. Important thing is to go slow. Besides, how do you know someone else can do the job better than you?

helraiser

I tried the do-it-yourself approach after using a brush (one that was meant for washing cars though) on my baby. Very fine swirls.

Spent a coupla hours on it then decided I'm just gonna pay a local detailer $60 to give her a wax. Yup, $60 and he said he can get the swirls out and make my NHB look like new again. Going in this saturday morning. Gonna take 3 hours but then I'll have a good looking swirl-free car again!

MattJP

I've used Meguiars Deep Crystal cleaner, then 3M Imperial Hand Glaze followed by Mequiars #26 Hi-Tech Liquid Wax on my dark blue Subaru. The results were amazing. The 3M hand glaze is like magic.
If the swirls are really bad, I'd try a pro like mentioned before and then re-examine how you wash from then on (no auto car washes, etc).

Hope this helps...good luck.

Matt -

acn684

best to use a sheepskin mitt to wash, and also get grit guards for the bucket as well. My tsx has a lot of swirls too =T, i'm waiting to get home so i can use a random orbiter on it. If u guuys look at autotopia, those guys can do wonders to cars with random orbiters.

aznt1217

Or if you don't have an extreme amount of money, and have a fair amount of experience go pick up Deep Crystal Car wash, Meguair's Scratch X, NXT wax, and Gold Class wax and use in that order in the right way. I got rid of 90% of my swirls.

aaronng

If you have any residue left over from any SSR, Z2 and Z5 isn't going to bond to the paint. It won't last as long. That's why people always wash with dawn (yuck) before Z2/Z5. Z-PC is more of an fine abrasive that is compatible with Z2/Z5. It WILL NOT remove swirls. At most, it will remove holograms. I think of it more like the equivalent to SSR1.

In the Zaino system, Z-PC replaces the dawn wash.

aaronng

Those with random orbitals, get some proper foam pads (I use propels) and go at your swirls. It's so easy, and almost impossible to damage your paint (unless you use something that dissolves paint or drop your random orbital on the hood). Just for those who want to know what product does what, here is my process:

Wash
NXT + lambswool mitt (every week or 2)

Clay
Clay magic blue (if I wash weekly, I don't need this. Otherwise as needed)

Clean
Klasse AIO + Blue propel (if I wash weekly, I don't need this. Otherwise as needed)

Swirl removal
SSR2.5 + Yellow or Green propel (as needed, about once every 4-6 months)
SSR1 + Blue propel (if I want it to be perfect)

Glaze (if I am in a good mood or the paint is dryish or feels like plastic)
Meg's #7 by hand. (Meg's Deep crystal #2 is just as good too!)

Wax/Sealant
Meg's #21 + Grey propel (every 2 months. But sometimes I do it every month)

doowop22

Wow!! Thanks everyone for the advice. I may just try a professional detailer at first and then just start washing my car with the two bucket method and with the right tools and polishes. I've been to these quarter manual car washes way too many times. I don't know if those are safe but I will start doing the two bucket method. This red doesn't look good with swirls.

jiggaman

i just started using Zaino recently and i have an 04 NHB TSX and it has done wonders for it. Zaino is really as good as people say.

waterrockets

Go for a drive? Tough to see that stuff from behind the wheel...

(don't have time for such concerns)

acn684

honestly, u ought to consider getting a dual action rotary (note Porter cable 7224? 7242? i forget) cause when it comes to polish and wax applications, by hand, its really tiring. Its great after u do say the first half of the car, but by the time you have to apply the layer of wax, ur sick of it already. Its a good investment early. But consider this...you use about 1/5 less of the stuff you'd normally use with a power buffer. Get some quality stuff, and you can save urself a few trips to a pro detailer. Once or twice a year of polishing with a PC will not harm your clearcoat by much at all. Putting in the wax and sealents with a PC will be much more effective as it can push a more even and more solid coat into the clear. My personal recommendation:

Wash 30 mins: Sonus/Nxt/Pinnacle shampoo
Dry 15 mins: use a Waffle weave pattern microfiber or a synthetic chamoise
Dress 10 mins: tires and plastics.
Windows 10 mins: Stoners Invisible glass
Polish w/ PC remove with microfiber (30 mins): Poorboys SR 2.5 or Optimum Polish
2nd Polish w/ PC remove with microfiber (30 mins): Poorboys SR 1
Final Polish w/ PC remove with mircofiber (30 mins): Klasse AIO
Sealent w PC remove with microfiber (over night if poosible): Klasse Hi Gloss Seal (2 coats)
Carnuba Wax w/ PC remove with microfiber (30 mins): P21S wax.

Should take you about 3-4 hours of work, maybe about a day of waiting, but you'll be swirl free for at least a year if not more. As long as the next time you wash ur car, you make sure everything you use is clean.