I washed the car wist dish soap. Buffed the car with Finishing compound from 3M. With 3m Buffing pad it calls for. Hand applied Meguires polish and took it off with cotton towel. The swirls are not bad at all but would like that mirror with no swirls. Any suggestions would be grately appreciated. Ohh and this car has factory red paint, 89 irocz. Any products, not ziano cause i don't have the time and it is a daily driver. So any ideas thanks.

 

I'm not exactly sure which 3M product you used, but if it's the 3M swirl remover, it's pretty mild in abrasiveness. So, usually multiple coats will remove most swirls. Up to 3 coats would be the most I'd try before moving on to another more aggressive and abrasive product.

Other swirl removal products I'd suggest would be Meguiar's #9, 3M Finesse-It Finishing Polish, or more 3M SMR #39009. Like I suggest, very rarely will one coat completely solve all your swirl problems, unless you already have a nearly perfect finish. So, don't be afraid to do another coat or two of the same product before moving to another... It takes a LOT of work to restore a daily driver to a near showcar finish, so be paitent and work progressively over a long period. In other words, don't expect a flawless finish overnight. Hard work and patience pays big dividends in the end...



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*Mike's 1992 Camaro RS 25th Anniv.*
Dark Red Metallic (ext.) / Flame Red (int.)
Flowmaster Crossflow, K&N, 20% 3M Panther Black Tint
JL Audio 3 10", PPI PC2100, Kenwood eXcelon KRC-953H/U, Kenwood / Pioneer speakers
Shine by ZAINO! - Special Thanks to Sal Z!



[This message has been edited by MikeLS (edited May 22, 2002).]

 

What MikeLS said, plus be sure to finish out the product. Buffing is one thing you cannot hurry.
In other words, you have to do small sections and work the product until begins to break down.

Most of these types of finishing compounds are designed to start out more abrasive and finish out very to extremely mild. If you don't work the product correctly, or keep adding product to keep the pad "wet" you may be just creating swirls instead of removing them.
If the product seems to dry out too fast, try misting a bit of water from a spray bottle on the surface to extend the working time. This will help the product finish out correctly.

A talented detailer can actually finish out a car with a quality medium/light abrasive compound by working the product correctly. I can do this, and did so on my black T/A with an electric buffer, a foam pad, and Meguiars Dual Action Cleaner/Polish which is a medium cut compound. I still had to touch up a couple areas with Swirl Free polish, but that took only about 15-20 minutes worth of work. The car looked freshly painted and was totally free of spiderwebbing and swirls. Once you get to this level you really start to appreciate what a good detailer can do, especially how fast they can do it!

For people not very experienced buffing (actually 'polishing'), I usually recommend getting two foam pads and switching them halfway through. This is because most people are not familiar with how much a pad can get loaded with material which increases the cut on the finish, and because many of them refuse to claybar first. Yes the compound will remove most if not all embedded contaminants, but they end up on the pad and often scratch the finish.

Wash your foam pads with warm water, no soap, and look them over very closely for embedded particles. Then fold them in a towel and squeeze them dry (I stand on 'em). If done correctly they will be ready to use again in a few hours time.

Never, Ever use different compounds on the same pad unless you are very experienced. It's ok to take a pad used for light compounds and use a heavier compound on it, but never the other way.

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'97 Trans Am
13.84 @ 98 1.91 60ft on street tires
'88 Camaro V6
www.TeamNWFbody.org

 

Thganks for the replies sooo fast. I used the cotton pad, 3M superbuff. As for the compound, its 3M finesse it 2, #05928. With meguires stage 3 polish. So your saying some2 or three coated osf the compound should get rid of the swirls, if not, go to another product. The buffer i use is a 1400 rpm sander/buffer. They say use a hogher rpm one, but i don't have one and i don't think i've seen one but well see. You say u use a foam pad, Does it matter what i use or what? I worked at paint shop many years ago and they used the same pad as i do. Maybe ill try the foam pad this time.

 

You can achieve good results with the super buff as long as you use a light technique.

A faster buffer would help, but you should be able to get what you want with the 1400. It will take longer. Just don't rush it or keep going when you're tired-you have to use that light touch remember. Just the weight of the buffer, don't push it. Also keep the pad at only a slight angle (as flat as possible), just enough to maintain control.

Foam pads are excellent finishers, splatter less, and enable more efficient use of the compounds. Pads can be abrasive if not used properly or the incorrect pad type is used. If you get a foam pad, use it with the finest (finishing)compound and you'll be set.

Try going over one panel until you get the results you want. If, as Mike suggested, 3 passes don't do it you might try the next level up compound. Follow Mike's advice, he has it nailed. It is always better to start finer. Remember, if you use the next level (harsher) compound you will still have to go over the car again with the finer compound. Anyhow, after you get the panel the way you want you will know what to do with the rest of the car. 'Better to experiment with a small area' principle.

Jeff

 

Ill try it out, after i get the foam pad(tommorrow after work) And ill post here the results of my first buff in training. hehehe lter guys

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89 Irocz G92
L98 700R4 (All B&M and Tci 2200-2400 stall)
Minor bolt ons
Ported Plenum
ADS Super Chip
160' Thermo
All Polyurethan bushings front to back.
Lakewood LCA's and adj panhard. New fan relay heheheh. New Kuhmo 712's. (sweet tire for the price)

 

Thank you Mike and 97BLACK, you guys were right with the use of a foam pad. It took two coats of the Finesse it and man, did she look good. After each coat, i took it outside to see for swirlls, and after the second coat, it was pure red paint with no hint of swirls. I have Meguires polish, and Race Glaze polish. Anyone heard of race glaze, it works very well indeed. Ive been using it for a couple years and the people i used to work for, only use this product. Look it up here on the net and get a bottle, and try it out and tell me what you think. Now , when i apply the polish, do i use the buffer to apply it or take it off or no buffer all all. Just a question, and thanks again for all the helkp.

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89 Irocz G92
L98 700R4 (All B&M and Tci 2200-2400 stall)
Minor bolt ons
Ported Plenum
ADS Super Chip
160' Thermo
All Polyurethan bushings front to back.
Lakewood LCA's and adj panhard. New fan relay heheheh. New Kuhmo 712's. (sweet tire for the price)

 

Hey I'm glad it worked for you! Great news!

I like to apply the polish by hand, but you can try a foam pad. I'd recommend a new pad and use the product sparingly. Keep a spray bottle of water handy if things get dry too fast.

Here's a tip if you do that: Get some 1/2 or 3/4 inch 3M (ONLY 3M!!) masking tape and tape off the panel gaps and weather stripping, etc. As you finish buffing each panel, remove the tape and hand polish those areas with a cotton towel. The polish that remains on the panel will be plenty to polish off the thin strip covered by the tape and will make final detail/cleanup easier.
I buy sheets from the thrift store and cover the car as I progress so I have less splatter and dust to remove and the glass stays clean.

I've seen Race products before, but never tried them.
Jeff