What to do when even a rotary doesn't "cut it" ???

wifehatescar

wifehatescar

My L5-S1 is killing me!
Just messed around with my fairly new rotary today on a 98 Caravan that was swirled badly.
I need to know if there was anything else I could have do to make it look better...

This pic is a before on the hood...
 
Polishing it didn't help? What kind of polish and pad combo did you use? I don't see why an abrasive polish and a rotary or PC wouldn't make a big differance. Also, whats with the blue tape?
 
This is what I did (believe it or not):
SSR2.5, yellow pad, rotary x2
SSR3, yellow pad, rotary x3
SSR2.5, yellow pad, PC speed 6 x2

This is what I was left with...
 
I'm assuming that you only did the right side of that photo? The right side doesn't look too bad to me. The left side is a nightmare! But if you did half the hood it looks pretty good! Its nearly impossible to have 100% swirl free paint especially under artificial lighting. I think you did just fine.
 
it's definitely a lot better ....I'm not sure you'll ever get perfection from a daily driver mini-van:dunno
 
Yeah, it's much better :) but there are still swirls. I worked most of the passes relatively slow (2-3" per second) at 1600-1800 rpm for 1-2 minutes for a 2'x2' area.

This car made me feel like I had met my match. I have successfully remove swirls *with a PC only* in the past so I can do it. I figured the rotary would kick more arse than this though?

I spent 30-40 mintues on 1/2 the hood. I decided after that I just had time for SSR3/rotary/yellow x1 and SSR1 by PC.

How many seasoned rotary user run into these issues? Honestly, after 5-6 passes with rotary and PC with 2.5 and 3, I figured I had cut enough paint and was leery to cut more. :dunno
 
you guys are too quick posting for my typing ;)

Yes the right side is "done" in the picture. The light is sunlight not a bulb.

I'm just worried what if I tell someone I can make their BMW/Porsche/whatever swirl free and I have this result.

Maybe the swirls on this van were just THAT bad?
 
very possible Steve , and you are right..it's better to leave a few swirls than to go too far and remove the clear...when you start with a better vehicle like a Porsche or Beemer , they will come out much easier, but when you start with something like a beat up mini-van you can't expect miracles:)
 
I think Steve, and Sopranos16 hit the nail on the head................ you might need a bit more aggressive product, and/or pad, and/or machine speed/pressure. To be honest, with the right pad(s), and products, I'm confident that I can remove "any" spider web marks (not necessarily scratches) However, and that's another "BIG" however, you have to decide if it's worth the paint removal to get the marks completely out. There is a "point of no return" when working with paint........... and it's not pretty when you've reached it.

Good luck
 
There is a point where wet sanding can get a better result than machine polishing. Of course, that means that ultimately it wil be polished by machine but there is much less effort and the results are dazzling. But it all amounts to removing clearcoat. I have only worked with 2000 grit but really want to get some 2500 and 3000 grit and see how that works. But what you have there I wouldn`t do anything more.
 
try going up to the megs red pad with ssr2 or 2.5 - 3 if you must. You might get some hazing with the red and ssr3 but you can take care of that by polishing with ssr2.5 or 2 :)
 
Shiete Mang that looks good to me !! And, if the owner ain't happy with that kinda results, then I might suggest that they go back to their previous detailer.

If the owner of the mini-van is gonna incur the cost of the added work, I might try some 3M micro-finishing compound with a cutting pad (foam) followed up with the 3M processes (finesse, mach-glaze, etc) or from the stage you are at now, some BC-2 with a finishing pad -- Just my $0.02

In all honestly though I wouldn't let it bother me unless it looked like this when I was done...
attachment.php
 
What you you did looks great! For a daily driver I would then go to something that has fillers in it then seal. As others have posted, if its not a show piece or somehthing of $$$$ value, move on to the next panel.
 
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The Buick I did looked just like that before I worked on it. I wound up wet sanding the whole car and buffing with a wool pad. You did a real good job with what you used. Like others have said, it's a mini van. While it may look bad to you, the owners will think it looks like new. You may want to put some NXT on that to get the benefit of the fillers and top with EX. I've been using that combo lately and I'm really happy with it.
 
Thanks for the emotional support :D
Yeah, after SSR3/1800 rpm/cutting pad, wetsanding was probably in order.
Here's a full after shot as the sun was setting.
 
dr_detail said:
So, was the customer happy ???
Click to expand...

:yeah

Even though you may not be completely satisfied, I'm sure the customer was.
As others said it's a mini van... not a show car! :wait
If it's carrying kids (I know from experience), it will get a handlebar mark, the windows licked, and someone will spill something inside.
You made a great improvement... of that you should be proud!

"J"
 
The customer was my MIL's boyfriend and the work was a free be (I skipped doing the roof, shhhhh :D), so yeah he was happy.

I did get a couple cool before/after shots like the one avove that will go on my website.

Again, my concern was if the van was instead a nicer car that someone was paying me to remove all the swirls on. I guess in that case it would just not be possible without risk.
 
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