School me on Polish and Wax

[FordRacing1]

Ok so I noticed in the light the other day that my white expedition has some nice swirl marks in the paint which bugs the heck out of me and my girlfriends black tribute is kinda hazy and has swirl marks. What do I need to do to get rid of this? What kind is the best? what steps? I guess I would need to polish them then wax?

 

[ghettoracer]

You can get a good compound wax which is abrasive and a good polishing wax and a buffer. Use the compound wax to make the swirls go away. Once the compound wax is done and off the truck, use a new pad to add the polish wax on it and wallah! Swirl-less exterior!

 

[Stoned06]

First use a clay bar to remove contaminants in the paint. Then use a polish/cleaner to smooth it out and polish it. Then use a good wax to protect it. I use the Meguiars line of product and have been happy with them. A DA (Dual Action) polisher will save your arms on a larger vehicle like the Expedition, but they are not cheap. I got my Poter Cable DA on the web and it was $119 which was a very good price. Pads will be another $40 or more depending on how many different ones and how many extras you get.

 

[NC-Expy]

i also, am a HUGE Meguiars fan and have been for many years. never disappointed with their products. you might also like the results of using Nu-Finish products...

 

[joezek]

I'm kind of a detailing fanatic myself, almost an obsession at times....lol. I learned pretty much everything I know from the guys at Autopia.org. It's an awesome detailing forum, very active site, and LOTS of the members are professional detailers that make their living detailing.

For light swirls I'd try to use a random orbital buffer like the porter cable brand or similar, with a cleaning pad.

For deep swirls you really gotta use a rotary buffer and wool pad, with a nice compound that starts off coarse and breaks itself down to a fine compound. 3M makes some awesome compounds as well.

Once the swirls are gone you can finish up with a rotary or random orbital and a foam polishing pad. I personally like to use Klasse All in One for a polish/protectant. It's synthetic and lasts months instead of 2 weeks like carnauba.

I also really like to use Rejex. It's ultra slick/ultra glossy finish and bugs don't stick to it. It usually lasts at least 5 months on my cars. It's not a polish, just a final sealant/wax. It's so glossy that if your paint isn't in great shape, it will expose all the minor dents and defects and make it look not so great.

Hope that helps a little bit.

 

[FordRacing1]

How can you tell if your swirls are deep or not? I know that sounds stupid but I dont know if I could tell honestly

 

[ghettoracer]

didnt you know squished bugs on the front of the truck gives it more horsepower? LOL

 

[NC-Expy]

didnt you know squished bugs on the front of the truck gives it more horsepower? LOL

lmao, nice.

 

[ELVATO]

How can you tell if your swirls are deep or not? I know that sounds stupid but I dont know if I could tell honestly

Normally, if the car has never been polished before, the scratches are probably somewhat deep (though probably not deep enough to require anything more than M105 and a white pad.)

I think the question to ask is how much are you willing to spend? This hobby can get a bit pricey.

 

[FordRacing1]

Oh this is no hobby lol expecially in the humidity that we have. I just want the swirl marks gone for the most part bc im picky and my gf is wanting me to fix the haze on hers. Will polish do both?

 

[ELVATO]

Yes. Are you getting a machine? And, not one of those 10 dollar orbitals - those are only good for spreading wax. Doing it by hand would a) be difficult b) not guaranteed to get good results. In fact, I remember a picture someone took of their car after they had tried using Megs Ultimate Compound by hand. They ended up doing more damage.

That's why I asked how much you were willing to spend on this.

 

[joezek]

I haven't successfully removed swirl marks by hand before. If you're doing it by hand then you may have to try using a filler glaze instead of actually removing the swirls. The filler glaze is temporary, and doesn't really make them 100% disappear. However it will save the costs of buying a machine and possible serious paint damage from misusing the machine.

Klasse makes a filler glaze that's synthetic. It stays on for about 5 months. It's hard to wipe off by hand, but will do the job. Depending on the color, and how severe the swirls are it may take several coats to make them go away.