Got the PC,used it and still have swirls

judging from those photos it appears you've got your work cut out for you. my car looked a lot like that when I purchased it this time last year, although my paint's a few years older than yours.

last year's strategy was pb ssr 2.5 and ssr 1, mainly with an orange propel pad and I think at one stage I switched to yellow and then back. for each series of passes I dialed it up to six to let the diminishing abrasives break down. not surprisingly, the 2.5 finished so nicely I never even opened the ssr 1. I then used nxt tech wax under #16 X 2.

an unfortunate admission... what I didn't do was upgrade my mf collection to maintain that swirl free finish, so this year I was faced with a ton of swirls in addition to a paint correction project to resolve some touch-ups from the previous owner. frustrating at best.

this year's strategy is optimum compound, polish, and wax. the nice thing about experimenting with these products is that I could simply apply the wax after a trial run with the buffers to protect the paint between sessions, which is nice since it takes only minutes to apply. work times for these products are extremely long - and they don't 'flash' like pb products, so pad selection becomes the primary abrasive concern. I found the compound to be effective at actual correction with the pc, albeit time consuming. the polish works well with correction using a rotary, and works well as a finishing step and gloss enhancer with the pc. another thing I tried was using much harsher cutting pads (megs burgundy) with the pc and polish, but this created an extra step for me (micro marring removal). lsp's this year are collinite 476s x 2 under 845iw x 2, which I'll be finishing up today.

the mf situation has since been resolved, so I'm looking forward to minimizing swirl accumulation this winter. we'll see how it goes.
 
It does look alot better then the first pics but still needs a little more work.

Since you already have Z-PC I'd hit it again with that, but also use a finishing polish like FPII, PO85RD, or SSR1 and follow up with one of those. This combo should get rid of the swirls/spiderwebbing and the hazing left from the Z-PC.


Good luck!
 
blkyukon said:
It does look alot better then the first pics but still needs a little more work.

Since you already have Z-PC I'd hit it again with that, but also use a finishing polish like FPII, PO85RD, or SSR1 and follow up with one of those. This combo should get rid of the swirls/spiderwebbing and the hazing left from the Z-PC.


Good luck!
After looking at the pics together, I agree that it does look better. Is it really worth going over the car again with the Z-PC? Would it help if I added some water this time when polishing with the Z-PC? Im going to work on my car again this Thursday. The problem is that I dont have any of the above mentioned polishes except for the Z-PC and I would have to order them from far away. I was reading through your site and saw that you mentioned 3M Swirl Mark Remover(for dark colored cars) as a finishing polish. I can get that locally. However another problem is that I only have 3 pads. (2) 6.5" orange Wolfgang(LC) pads, which one has already been used with the Z-PC and the white one that came with the polisher. Which should I use with the 3M SMR? Is the white one usable?
 
I've used the 3M SMR and that is basically all fillers. I thought it was a great product until the swilrs mysteriously reappeared. So my advice is to keep going over with the Zaino (I've never used it... and probably never will) until you are satisfied, then move on to the next panel. You may end up doing the same section 2 or 3 times, but that is what it's gonna take. Work slow and keep the PC up around 5.5 and 6. Or you could just keep your car protected now and wait for an order of Poorboys to come in a solve your problems a whole lot quicker and easier. As for pads just wash the one you used with Dawn and hot water, rinse and let dry (or speed up the process by putting it on the PC and turning it on). I personally wash pads after I'm done using them and if i'm going to do work the next week I'd still wash them. Good luck.
 
RedLight_Si said:
After looking at the pics together, I agree that it does look better. Is it really worth going over the car again with the Z-PC?

I think it would be fine, it looks like it removed a majority of the swirls/spiderwebbing.

Would it help if I added some water this time when polishing with the Z-PC?

I haven't used Z-PC so I don't know.

.....I was reading through your site and saw that you mentioned 3M Swirl Mark Remover(for dark colored cars) as a finishing polish. I can get that locally. However another problem is that I only have 3 pads. (2) 6.5" orange Wolfgang(LC) pads, which one has already been used with the Z-PC and the white one that came with the polisher. Which should I use with the 3M SMR? Is the white one usable?

When I first got my PC this was the finishing polish I used...Yes it does contain fillers but it's also abrasive & I've had good luck removing (not just filling) haze left from more aggressive polishes and minor spiderwebbing with it.

The only problem is the orange pads aren't really good for a finishing polish...IMO a bit too aggressive.

Like budman3 said just thoroughly wash and dry the pads.

If you plan to get other polishes and pads, then I'd just wait to do anything until you get them.

Charles
 
Well, I worked the car again yesterday and I think it turned out very well.
I used Z:PC Fusion with PC with the stock 6" white PC pad on 5.5. Then topped it with Z-1/Z-5. There are still some areas that need to be worked more but overall a vast improvement. One thing that I did differently than the other times was to work the polish longer. I dont think I was working it long enough. I worked it till it turned to dust then let off pressure and lightly grazed the surface till almost everything was gone.

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Yeah much, much better. Just like everything else practice makes perfect. Once you start using the machine more and more you'll begin to figure out how long to polish and different attribute of polishes. Good work.
 
If I may, you have my apologies concerning being disappointed after a rain, however, I think alot of us have had this experience.

May I suggest :
1) Do not get frustrated - you'll find the combo that works
2) Wipe down the area you are polishing with a 50/50 solution of alchohol and h20. this will reveal any remaining marring / swirls (although ZPC contains NO fillers)
3) Work on 1 area of choice. e.g. one fender ... until you are happy with the outcome ...before applying your LSP
4) Buy yourself some FPII or PO85RD... imo , these are essential for eliminating the hazing left after polishing a black car
5) brush your pad out with a nail brush after each time you apply more polish to the pad.

I know that it is daunting to have to spend more $ and time, but I would be happy to send you a little FPII so that @ least you can see that the results you are looking for are in reach.

PM ME and I'll send u some FPII (I feel your pain)
 
Well it looks like the Zaino isn't cutting it so you're going to have to step up the products. As I mentioned before pick up some Poorboys SSR2.5 and some more polishing pads along with more Microfiber towels and some 4 Star UPP to go with it. I'm sure you have gained enough info and experience to know how long to work in the products so I'm assuming the Zaino ain't cutting it anymore. I will bet that with more pads and some Poorboys you will not be disappointed at all. Good luck again for whatever you decide what to do.
 
RedLight_Si said:
PC with the stock 6" white PC pad

this hadn't occurred to me. second Scott P, although from what I've read he's understated it a bit. a thread I've read comes to mind where someone used the supplied pad and it flew apart. away from the car, fortunately.

I just looked in a storage bin so I could remember what it looks like, and frankly I'm impressed you were able to get as far as you did in those photos.

you're gonna be surprised by what happens when you run your pc with some proper pads and backing plate and some polish designed to correct paint. if the returning swirls are along the lines of those first photos, you can look forward to some serious improvement with the right products.
 
They didnt come back in full force but they are more noticeable again,see pics. I knew when I worked on it last time that I didnt get all of them,but I thought they were pretty close to gone. I guess the Z-1/Z-5 masked them in the last photos.
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This forum is great. I have never posted at a forum with people so eager to help. Thank you. I think Im going to order some Poorboys SSS,Poorboys (SSR2 or 2.5?) and Poorboys microfiber towels/mitt. For the SSR2/2.5, I have a Lake Country orange pad that I havent used yet, should I get another kind of pad? Maybe something less abrasive since I will be already using the SSR2/2.5. I also need something to top it all off with. I can never seem to get the Zaino to dry and always seem to end up buffing it off before it dries,which might be part of my swirl problem. Something that I can apply and buff off immediately would work better for me. Plus it is getting cold,so anything that needs to dry will be difficult to use. So, I guess Ill stick with the Poorboys and get some Nattys Blue. Looks to be a popular choice. The carnauba will probably set off my paint better than the Zaino too. Not as durable from what read though I guess. Does anyone know if it contains silicone though? I want to try to avoid that. Any other suggestions?

Thanks.
Steve
 
Could you please do us a favor and post pics that are a little smaller. It is really hard to help when we have to scroll to the side and up and down in order to see what you are trying to show. You can still post perfectly useful pictures in a size that is viewable without scrolling. It's not just the pictures either. The text goes the same width as the pictures, so we have to scroll back and forth just to read the posts. It really makes it easier to help if you post smaller pictures. Please. Thanks. Good luck with the swirls. Detail City rocks, doesn't it? :)

Tyrell (admin)
 
The Fuzz said:
Could you please do us a favor and post pics that are a little smaller. It is really hard to help when we have to scroll to the side and up and down in order to see what you are trying to show. You can still post perfectly useful pictures in a size that is viewable without scrolling. It's not just the pictures either. The text goes the same width as the pictures, so we have to scroll back and forth just to read the posts. It really makes it easier to help if you post smaller pictures. Please. Thanks. Good luck with the swirls. Detail City rocks, doesn't it? :)

Tyrell (admin)

Sorry about that, is there a way I can go back and edit my posts and shrink the pics?
 
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