chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

right im not over religious when i wash my car, but i have a good full bucket of different products that i use when she gets a good going over. thing is afterwards, my scoob still has swirl marks. i was wondering if a machine polisher may get rid of the density of them. im no pro detailer, but id like my car a little less swirl-less.

heres a typical wash etc for my car.

rinse top of car inc. roof, bonnet, front/rear screens and spoiler with hose. then wash using two bucket method with autoglym car shampoo. i use a mircofibre sponge, very good to be honest.

rinse the top with hose and wipe down with meguiars microfibre chamois (not the leather ones).

i repeat this for each side. i do it in sections to stop the drip marks if the suns on the car when washing.

i then rinse the wheels with hose, spray autoglym wheel cleaner, rub with a sponge, and hose off. wheels are left to drip dry.

then go round the black bits with black in a flash and buff off. i do this first incase it gets on the paintwork.

then i apply a coat of autoglym super resin polish to the whole car with a clean cotton cloth, and follow my way round the car with a microfibre cloth to buff off with.

then do the windowns inside and out with autoglym glass cleaner, and sometimes the outsides with the super resin polish (not the windscreen obviously)

do the backbox with autoglym metal polish.

wheels are usually left alone as i cant seem to polish them without them looking patchy... ideas?

anywho am i doing something wrong. all this will take around 6 hours if im really into it, and all the cloths i use are always clean and washed. if somethings looking raggy i replace it.

would a machine polisher be any good for me. as said im not looking to go pro, but the swirl marks are a bummer after all that effort.

suggestions and comments welcome. view my scooby to see the canvas.

cheers

andy

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Hmm, couple of things instantly strike me as not good with the routine (which otherwise seems to be well thought out and careful). Firstly, microfibre sponge? Highly likely to be causing fine scratches and thus swirls; my advice is to switch to a lambswool mitt asap. Secondly, applying any products with cotton is an even more likely cause of fine scratches and thus swirls (check out this guide and magnified images of the effects of terry towels and cotton on modern paint finishes - http://www.autopia-carcare.com/micro...ls-part3.html). I would strongly recommend switching to foam pads for applying your products.

Deciding on whether to invest in a machine or not is a tough one. All in, a proper set up (Porter Cable 7424 plus transformer and pads) is going to set you back around £150-£200. However, it is undeniable that such a machine does a lot more work, and will allow you to almost fully correct the defects in your paint. By hand, with a decent hand polish like Menzerna Intensive Polish, the best you can hope for is around 80%-90% correction when using a good applicator, such as the white side of a German Pad. Working with lesser cut products and flimsy pads won't get you anywhere. If you can afford it, the machine option is worthwhile in my opinion, but if this is a no go for whatever reason, then Menzerna Intensive Polish and a decent applicator will get you a lot further on than where you are now with the finish.

Wheel-wise, after cleaning them up to perfection, I would focus on protecting them with a coat of Poorboy's Wheel Sealant every 4-6 weeks. This goes on easily, and buffs off cleanly; it certainly doesn't leave a patchy finish. An added bonus is that it helps to prevent brake dust from bonding properly, thus making wheel cleaning much easier, even using just normal suds.

Hope that helps, I think swapping your mitts and applicators will make a big difference to your results in the future, and the Intensive Polish is worth a go if the machine option is too expensive.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

thanks for that, a real insight there to what i may be doing wrong. the main reason i swapped from a mitt to a sponge again was when wiping down the car it was a bugger to rinse in the second bucket so to speak, and i found the sponge to do all the work easier. but your the pro, so next time il invest in a proper mitt. any ideas if places like halfords do them, or is it maybe an internet jobby to order one?

when i tried out meguiars nxt polish it came with a foam applicator pad, used that and it was rather good, but the polish sadly want. maybe my method but it was really greasy and after a good buffing still left streak marks - very noticeable on a red car. hence the swap over to autoglym which i have had no problems with. is this because autoglym is just polish and meguiars is more wax based?

hopefully a machine polisher will be within my reach, especially when my cars been repaired, and after getting the wheels refurbed too, il definatley look into the sealent options.again poorboys ive never used, is there a particuler method (without being ott and **** ) where i can protect me wheels, or is it just a case of washing wheels as said, the autoglym wheel cleaner, and then an application of the sealent?

appreciate your advice anyway, always best to learn from the pro's

andy

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Hi Andy, you can get Megs mitts in most Halfords branches, but also online for a pound or two cheaper from us - Polished Bliss - Professional Vehicle Detailing - Services, Products and Advice. Funnily enough both the Megs NXT wax and Autoglym SRP are synthetic sealants; Meguiars are awful for misnaming their products in confusing ways. My guess is the oil content in the NXT was probably to blame for the streaking, does happen on red with some products. To protect your wheels, spend a little time cleaning them properly, then dry and add a coat of the sealant (wipe on, allow to haze, then buff off). Thereafter, avoid strong wheels cleaners, top up the Wheel Sealant with a fresh coat every 4-6 weeks, and you should find you are able to clean up the wheels perfectly well with just normal suds as part of the wash process.