Chopsie

Say for instance I was going to do a Wash/Claybar/multiple waxes ? Where would this step fit in ?

Then Say I was just going to do a wash/wax, Should the swirl remover be used before the wax ?
How long do they last ?

Never used before, as I have not had any customers comment on swirls. Also with my current car being White, I don't really have the need for it, as there are no swirls in my paint.

as some of you know I am going to buy an Agean Blue 6 MT, and since going to a darker Color, the swirl mark issue may come up.

lokman

In the wash/claybar/wax scenario, swirl remover/polishing goes between the claybar and wax. Some people also wash after the swirl remover/polish step depending on what the remover/polish contains and what kind of wax/sealant you plan to put on top of it (e.g. some synthetic polymers will not bond with oils/fillers in some swirl removers/polishes so the car must be washed again first).

If you're just going to wash/wax, then same as above, use the swirl remover/polish after the wash, and you may have to wash again before the wax.

There are different types of swirl removers out there. Some of the removers fill in the existing swirls to hide them and will eventually wear off. Some may last only a few days while others can last weeks or months (generally the synthetic polymers and sealants). The other way to get the swirls out is to actually polish them out with an abrasive compound, which levels out the clearcoat/paint surface to eliminate the swirls. If you do this and can prevent introducing new swirls, then you can keep a swirl-free finish indefinitely.

There are a lot more complexities involving the products you can use than I discussed above. I learned a lot of what I know from www.autopia.org. I downloaded their detailing ebook (http://www.autopia.org/modules.php?s...download&cid=1) and went from there.

Hope that helps!

Chopsie

Very helpful indeed, I did post over at Autopia also. I thought Clay barring would level out the paint so to speak, as well as remove comtaminants.

I for this leveling out of the paint, would one use a "paint cleaner" or soemthing of that nature ?

lokman

From my experience and what I've learned, clay barring only removes contaminants but does not do anything to level out the paint itself (although I guess one could think of it as levelling out contaminants to the level of the paint).

Some paint cleaners do contain abrasives that help in levelling out/polishing the paint. The key to levelling is the presence of abrasives, and compounds which contain abrasives are generally called polishes. There are many kinds of polishes that have varying levels of abrasiveness depending on the application (i.e. depending on how bad the paint's condition is). Abrasiveness also varies depending on what kind of pad you use to apply the polish. Autopia has many good threads discussing the relative abrasiveness of various polishing compounds - I'd run a search for you but the site seems to be down for nightly maintenance right now.

CLpower

www.bettercarcare.com has some great articles

Vicman17

Hi guys, thought I'd pitch in my 2 cents.

Swirls or spider webs will be more evident on a darker color like blue or black compared to silver or white. You should try the least abrasive product first then work your way up if that doesn't work. The Meg's Professional line (comes in the beige bottles) are meant to be used with a machine (rotary or dual action). There are polishes combined with some cleaners like Meg's #83 DACP or #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 that do even out the clearcoat and polishes at the same time. If you wish to do it by hand, ScratchX is a good product. There are simply pure polishes like the Meg's #5 or #7 Glazes or the Deep Crystal #2 that do nothing but add gloss. Polished surfaces need to be waxed afterwards.

One step you may want to add before waxing is applying sealant. Products like Klasse AIO/ SG, Wolfgang or Meg's #20 are acrylic/ polymer products that are not waxes. They add shine to a prepped (clayed) finish and may last up to six months compared to waxes that only lasts a few weeks. If you live in the northeast, a sealant may be a good idea since wax wears off after the first few snowfalls. Sealant may also be topped with a pure Carnauba product (not cleaner wax) to enhace the gloss and add even more protection.

Paint cleaners do nothing more than remove built up polishes and waxes to prepare the clearcoat for a fresh layer. Cleaner waxes (Mother's, Meguiar's and Zymol all have these) are time savers combining carnauba and synthetic waxes with minor abrasives to cover up (yes, not remove) swirls and add a layer of wax at the same time.

My car is almost 2 years old and I have very minor swirl marks 'coz I clayed and sealed the paint right after I took it home. Claying is pretty much a once (sometimes twice) a year requirement. Right now I have Klasse AIO and 3 layers of Klasse Sealant Glaze topped off (every 2 weeks) with Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze and #26 pure Carnauba Yellow Wax. The Klasse sealant will be reapplied in spring after a thorough claying.

Removing deeper swirls and scratches are best done by a pro detailer using a machine. Preventing swirls is by washing using lamb's wool mitt and preferably not taking your CL to the regular car wash that use rotating brushes.

At the TL site, we have 2 "resident" pro detailers both named Patrick who you can PM for any questions you may have about detailing. They give a wealth of information and are very helpful.

P.S. here is a link to a project of a badly scratched black finish that was properly done. Nice before and after shots.