long story short...10 hours today workin on my ride (HAS to b a record here)...started at 8, finished right at 6...Dawn washed twice to strip everything...3M'ed the WHOLE car (both arms dead)...Dawn'ed again...Z1,Z2, and Z6...results: about half of my swirlies are gone (even after i applied so much pressure, i was bending the body panels back and forth), so it's looks like permanent damage, unless i pay some $$ for a professional to do it...i'll have to dig up some earlier swirl pics for comparison...back looks much better than front results wise...this sh!t is chalky as hell, esp. in the sun (had no choice since i needed to see if swirls were goin away)

2 pics of how difficult it was to wipe off once dry:

1

 

2

 

just get a orbital buffer... porter-cable or something... their not that expensive...

use a good bonnet with the #39009 on it... it will get them out.

that shit really isnt living up to half its potential when used by hand.


i 3M'd my door sills and rear bumper today.

 

Don't use 3M. Use meguiar's Scratch X..works great and easily wiped off. I've got black and I do it at least once a year before the summer.

Use Dawn, Scratch X, then Clay, wash again, then the Z's...

I usually start around 10ish and finish by 5.

 

go HERE for old swirls

here's what it looks like now

 

more scattered swirls as u can see

 

after reDawning and Zaino'ing...

 

looks pretty good...not as strong with only 1 coat on

 

last one

 

Bottom line question….

Was it worth the 8-Hours and the trouble to strip all the previously applied Z-Stuff ???

Shawn S

 

I think it is worth it. I did a similar procedure today:

1) Dawn wash
2) Z18 Claybar
3) Dawn wash
4) Z1
5) Z5
6) Z6
7) Z2

After not getting as many coats on during the winter rainy season, it just FEELS better to strip off last year's applications and start from scratch.

How many coats on the BB now, Shawn?

 

As of this morning….11
As of right now…..14
It’s starting to get more of that quality shine like my RED car had.
I love that new ZFX stuff. I can do 3-Coats and full wipe downs in about 4-hours.

I’m going to update my photos after my TINT job on Wednesday.
And…..Tackling the painting of my Calipers tomorrow.

Shawn S

 

Hey, looks a lot better. Now come and do mine ;-). I need to do the same. My swirls are getting bad. My next car will not be red thats for sure. I have pretty much decided that I will own a silver audi for my next ride.

 

tell ya what...u get the silver TT, i get the silver 350Z Roadster, and we'll compare

 

I was thinking more along the lines of an S4, although a 250z would be nice too ;-)

 

wow..we have same color of cls..red hot but i do not have time to hand wash it ..not even have time to hand wax it. i just need to find times to clean it up..so nice to see your red cls so clean and shine..really cool

 

I read this and all's I can say is, "it's your own car"...


However, some things to consider:

1. You can remove too much clear coat and lose UV-protection.

2. Using full weight and flexing body panels with polishing compound is not recommended.


When a machine compound is used with an orbital buffer (and correct pad), the machine should gently move over the surface.

The problem with large-scale applications BY HAND is:

Unless you're a marathon runner or just finished Special Forces training, the tendency is to really bear down on some spots -- there will be some places where the clear coat is now pretty thin (possibly too thin) and other places/areas that could have received "more" polishing.



The machine also allows a person to quickly determine what grade of polish to use to get at the deeper swirls without removing too much clear coat. This can generally be done with enough time and energy left to chose the next lighter grade of polish to work a given area.

Scooter: I'm not knocking what you decided to do, but people should know that the clear coat is providing UV protection for the paint underneath, and too much grinding can cause the paint to fade AND its ability to resist UV damage can be impared.

The detailer I know and recommend will only remove a "pre-determined" amount of clear coat. He has left deeper scratches and swirls marks -- in some areas of the clear coat -- to insure that the "improvement" is "permanent" and/or long lived [within the constraints of the owner's care]). He also has some very expensive tools to measure the thickness of the paint and clear coat…

YMMV

 

YES, I use it on small stuff and...

There are some polishes (3M and other brands) other than the #39009 ("3M SWIRL MARK REMOVER GLAZE") for use with machine buffers. (The 39009 can be used with the machine buffer and is pretty mild. However, it does contain "fillers"! )

http://www.carcareonline.com/swirl_r..._10113_16.html

There is a machine version of this product AND there are also other products from 3M and others with different grits...

"3M IMPERIAL MACHINE GLAZE" (for machine buffers)
http://www.carcareonline.com/machine_glaze_10104_5.html

My guy uses (as one of many products):
"3M FINESSE-IT II FINISHING MATERIAL"
http://www.carcareonline.com/finish_matl_1012x.html

Description: "A machine glaze developed for OEM and other fully cured paints. Does not contain silicone or wax. Use with a power buffer and closed cell foam pads to remove wet sanding or compounding swirl marks. Safe for both color and clear coat paints. Follow with a coat of quality wax.

 

I just got some 3M Swirl remover for "dark colors" last night, do I need to reapply Zaino after using this? Does it strip my pervious coats of Zaino?

 

If you "go at it hard enough", YES!

(If you only do a small area, you can just clean it up and keep adding more coats. I highly recommend the ZFX, since you can just continue adding more coats without the Z1...)

 

How you do add the ZFX to the Z2? Do you need a full bottle of Z2 and add this in, or do you measure in a separate container a certain amount of each product??

 

About 4-6 drops per oz. of Z2 or Z5 (I use Z2 most of the time).


When you get the ZFX kit, you get 4 x 2 oz clear mixing bottles.

I put enough Z2 to almost fill-it and check the link on my "ZFX" trials...

Put in the Z2 (or Z5), put in about 10-drops (amount varies depending on your taste, etc) Shake like crazy...


http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...threadid=60783

 

took the car out today in the awesomely sunny weather...definitely an improvement in the LOOK of the paint, despite only 1 coat of Zaino (looks just as good as 10 coats)...there are still swirls, but they're more random small ones...from now on, i'll use Z5 and try to get more out that way, the safer way...still feels like glass, which is good...maybe i will get the ZFX since i can put like 3 coats of Z5 on at once even tho i still think it's a marketing scam

o, BTW...the 3M was able to take out some blemishes from like tree sap and stuff that's been stuck on the car for a long time...the paint actually looks like it's been purified...since the 3M is fairly abrasive, perhaps it acted like a clay bar and got a lot of contaminants out of the clearcoat.