[Rich]

Hey guys,
So I washed, clayed, polished, and waxed my car.
Looks really good - except I do notice what appears to be several small minor scratch in the clear coat in various sections - pretty frustrating considering I thought I took every measure I could think of to prevent this.

Should I use Meguires Swirl X to remove these?
Or are they a fact of life that you can not really help from showing up - especially on a daily driver?

Thanks,
Richard

 

[Kean]

Hey Rich,

This is why I'm a big advocate of doing a test section or test panel prior to tackling the entire vehicle. The idea is to work toward getting a result in that area you are satisfied with. ....constantly re-assessing the finish as you progress with each step (using something like halogen work lights and/or pulling the car out under the sun occasionally). You will then know how the products and your processes are having an impact and also an idea of the amount of time involved to complete the whole car.

If you're doing all of this by hand, you also need to be realistic. The paint on these cars is not exactly what I would call hard (some some GM cars) but it certainly isn't what I would consider soft either. Was there at least a noticeable improvement in the amount of scratches in the finish compared to before? What products did you use?

There are things you can do to avoid scratches by improving your regimen but it usually comes to a point where you have to reach a compromise based on amount of effort/time/money you are willing to invest, the results you are willing to accept, etc. Everything depends on the individual scenario/situation.

 

[Rich]

I used all Meguiars products 1) Ultamite wash and Wax 2) Clay Bar 3) Ultamite Polish 4) Ultamite Liquid wax

Just wondering if you think using Meguires Swirl X to get rid on the minor clear coat scuffs is a good idea?

 

[Kean]

I used all Meguiars products 1) Ultamite wash and Wax 2) Clay Bar 3) Ultamite Polish 4) Ultamite Liquid wax

Just wondering if you think using Meguires Swirl X to get rid on the minor clear coat scuffs is a good idea?

….thanks.

Ok, a couple of things….

Swirl-X is supposedly similar to Ultimate Polish (UP) in cutting ability so I doubt you will find any added aggressiveness by changing. Both are formulated using Meguiars SMAT; super micro abrasive technology but a big difference between the two is that UP has quite a bit more polishing oils in it than Swirl-X. UP is marketed/packaged better as a stand-alone or follow-up to Ultimate Compound than Swirl-X was (which I’m guessing may be phased out at some point. …..not that there is anything wrong with the product).

Note: because UP has a relatively high content of oils, these can have the tendency to hide minor blemishes and/or artificially enhance the result (at least as long as the oils stick around). If you’re ever concerned about how much is being hidden by a polish or want to remove residue prior to LSP (last step product; wax/sealant) application, you can always use a spray bottle mixed with an IPA (isopropyl/rubbing alcohol) and water solution (~ 1/3 IPA:water). Simply mist the panel as you would with a quick detailer and gentle wipe it down with a soft, good quality detailing towel. It could take several wipe-downs to ensure all traces are removed. You can also use something like Prep-Sol or odorless mineral spirits. Typically, I re-wash the car after my correction steps with a heavy cleaner (usually something like Chemical Guys CWC) before I re-assess and apply my LSP. However, I still do a wipe down occasionally as I’m buffing to make sure I’m truly getting the result I want. ….some of it comes down to preference. Wiping down your test panel at least would be a good idea until you get a feel for what the product is doing.

Are you talking about re-polishing the entire car? This is where masking off (using painters tape) a small ~1’x1’ test area on a panel could really help. It may be that you just need to make more passes with the UP. ….or if you really feel UP isn’t cutting it, you can always step it up a notch and go with something like Scratch-X 2.0 or (even further) Ultimate Compound. Just bear in mind that you may need to follow up with those other products with UP or Swirl-X to achieve the result your after. This can be especially true with UC since (IME) it can leave fine micro-marring when applied by hand which requires a finishing polish (like UP) to remove. ….think of it as using different grits of sandpaper on wood. You wouldn’t start out with 1000 grit to remove 80 grit sand marks. You may be able to get them all out with the 1000 but it’s going to take a long time.

I’m not sure if this helps answer your questions. It’s not always cut and dry since you need to consider the amount of time and effort you’re willing to devote to this and (keep in mind) you may never really get the result you’re after doing this by hand. I can spend a few hours correcting a car using my Flex DA polisher and it still may not be 100% (I don’t usually worry about chasing after all RIDS (random isolated deep scratches) since they are spread out and hard to spot ). I guess my point is that you need to be realistic about your expectations vs. the result you are able to achieve in your current situation. ….again, this is where the test panel comes in handy before you commit yourself to the entire vehicle.

The following are a few articles that may help:

(UP would fall somewhere near Swirl-X in the order of aggressiveness):

The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you! - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online
The SMAT PACK - Everything you ever wanted to know about Meguiar's SMAT products... - Corvette Forum


The following is a list of various links on the topic of detailing that I posted on another car forum I frequent. At some point, I will try to create a similar thread here on CT with the same links once I have a chance to reformat it and fix any broken links, add new ones, etc.:

Detailing Library - NASIOC

Hope this helps.

 

[Cuda340]

Just curious...What color is your Challenger? Dark colors, especially black, tend to show every imperfection.

One tip. To avoid swirl marks when you wax or polish your car, always use a clean micofiber towel and rub from side-to-side, not in a circular motion.

 

[huggytree]

i think the paint is soft........Ive owned 2 Chevy's, 1 Dodge and 1 Toyota in the past 7 years...

the Chevy #1 had awesome paint until 30k, Toyota looked like crap at 5k, Chevy #2 still looks perfect at 10k, Dodge has issues with 8 miles on the OD

i bought the claybar, but was afraid to use it...my paint is very smooth.....i used Zaino last weekend and it completely filled in the swirls on my stripes...in the right light i can still see a bit in my paint...im planning on buying their fill-in stuff for swirls with my next order....

i am not impressed with Dodge's paint...from the 2 stone chips i have it appears to be more thinly applied than any car ive owned before too....

 

[Kean]

i think the paint is soft........

....yeah, it's all relative. My reference to "soft" had more to do with what I have observed in the past year with regard to my Challenger's general resilience to scratches and how I found it responded to correction. "Soft" to me is what I had on my last two Subarus. Those are very susceptible to marring and require a light touch even with some of my gentlest towels. ....and there are other models out there worse than that.

The paintwork on my R/T isn't what I would say is as hard as something like the GM's I've worked on but it isn't what I would (personally) describe as "soft" either. ....somewhere in between I suppose (based on my own experience).