I need help, I've added a zillion swirls

U

UFgatorEE

New member
I am using a PC with the SFX pads and Optimum Polish. I've been using the SFX-2 pad (a light cutting, swirl removing pad) with the optimum polish. It's removing the waterspots and adding a good gloss to the paint, but it put in a bunch of swirls. It's not as bad as the picture shows, but the swirls make my car look silver instead of dark blue/green.



I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm using the PC at speed 6, which I read that most people recommend. I've tried slow, I've tried fast. I can't get rid of the swirls. I thought I maybe had some dirt in the pad, so I damn near surgically washed it. I let is soak in a hot bucket of water, sprayed it out, wringed it out, and let it dry on my bed (where only I go). After it was dry, I put the pad in a ziploc to keep it clean. I wiped down my trunk just before I went to polish (after I washed it, of course). It didn't help. I don't know what to do. I almost think that my pad is defective, if that's even possible. I tried using the OP on the SFX-3 pad (finishing), and it added a good gloss, but didn't remove the swirls.



I am at a loss for what to do next, other than do nothing. I need some suggestions about what to do. I am open to have somebody come to my house/me go to their house to show me technique and evaluate the pad. I just want to figure out whats wrong.



I know it's not the best paint job, good thing I didn't pay for it...lol. I have spray lines all over and I assume orange peel on the trunk. I figured I'd pratice on this paint before my uncle and I repaint my car.



IMG_0424reduced.jpg




And a pick of my car. This picture was taken when I first bought it and the paint job was about a month old. Unfortunately it doesn't look that good now, which is why I bought the PC.

Frontcropped-1.jpg
 
UFgatorEE said:
IMG_0424reduced.jpg




And a pick of my car. This picture was taken when I first bought it and the paint job was about a month old. Unfortunately it doesn't look that good now, which is why I bought the PC.

Frontcropped-1.jpg
Click to expand...



Mother of God... Did they put that on with a roller?





It looks like a crappy one stage repaint from Macco or something... I'm not sure you can do much with it, if it's getting repainted then I'd just wait.
 
Yeah, it looks like the problem is your crappy paint, and not so much your PC usage.



Personally, I don't like the optimum polish all that much. I have a similar problem where I can get the OP to remove some defects, but it leaves smaller micromarring all over the car. When I'm finishing with the OP it looks like there is a white film or haze on my car if you look at it under the lights. I usually have to go back over it with a finishing polish and a glaze to fix the defects and get the gloss back.



If you're sticking with the Optimum Polish/light cutting pad, I would recommend using something after it. Most people recommend using the OP with a less aggressive pad, but that hasn't worked well for me. Try following the OP with something like XMT 1, SSR 1, or Menzerna Finishing polish
 
It's a fresh bottle of OP, so I'm going to stick with it, already spent too much money on PC investment...lol.



Yeah, I noticed that the OP with the finishing pad didn't do much. I have Klasse AIO I was going to use on the finishing pad after the OP/light-cut, then follow that with the KSG. Is the KAIO good enough, or should I get the SSR-1 as well, then follow with the KAIO/KSG? I haven't tried the KAIO yet. I was disgusted with what happened that I didn't want to continue. What pad should I use the SSR-1 on, a finishing?



Most of the car doesn't look too bad, just the horizontal surfaces look like hell. I don't know what paint he used, but if this makes a difference, I always get color on my pad after I go over it. That makes it a single stage, doesn't it? I'm not versed on painting methods.



You know, come to think of it, I tried the PC on a side panel and I don't remember getting swirls, although I never checked it with a halogen after, just a bad angle in the sun. I'm just mad that I put in a whole bunch of swirls when it was decent before, not good, but decent.



I'm very happy for the comments. I didn't want to tackle my mom's mini-van or any other vehicle until after I had finished my car because I was afraid I would do the same thing to them. Good thing hers is grey...LOL. BTW, all of your comments about the paint really lifted my spirits. I always heard that it's difficult to ruin the paint with a PC, I thought I just royally sucked. Thanks all.
 
Definatly a single stage paint and I wouldn't doubt if it was one of those $50 paint jobs with paint rollar.



Because those tend to be REALLY soft, I would try Meguiar's DC#1 or ScratchX if that isn't agressive enough. Then use DC#2 as a polish and top of with your wax of choice. I have seen this do some AMAZING things on single stage paints.
 
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