I noticed quite a few swirls and associated light scratches in the paintwork of the Passat the other day, so today I had a go at it with T-Cut, but said scratches aren't really shifting and whilst it looks better than it did, I want to try and get rid of these.
So has anyone got any recommendations as to something a bit more effective at getting rid of said scratches?
I'm wondering whether it might be worth getting it Diamond Brite'd in the near future and wondered if anyone here had bothered having a go at doing this themselves rather than paying somewhere what seems like a fair bit more to do it for them.
Also, has anyone used a 'clay bar' to flatten off these kind of scratches / prep a car for the application of Diamond Brite?
to be honest i think you're better off taking it to a paintshop if it's that bad. did you use a machine on it with the t-cut? can you feel the scratch with your nail? ie can you feel a groove in the paint with your finger nail? if you can then the only way to get it perfect is to respray the panel and close panels.
It's not *that* bad - they're more like very fine swirls in the lacquer - only noticable when bright light is reflected off the paint but the whole car is like it.
No thanks - the last time I did that I ended up having to respray the whole bonnet. ;-)
Clays are more for getting really fine engrained grit off the paintwork - it does leave it feeling smooth as silk though. For a first time something like the Meguiars Quik Clay pack is perfect - 2 clay bars, some wax, and some detailer. Really soft clay so you can't damage the paint.
Basically cut one of the clay bars into 3 (they're much bigger than they need to be). Now take one of your new bits of clay and put it in warm water and kneed it with your hands - trick is to keep it warm as it's easier to work. Now, one small section at a time (like a square foot) apply detailer liberally (obviously said car needs to have been washed and dried first) then just rub the clay on the paintwork (not too hard but then you do have to put some pressure on - just a little though). As you do each bit look at the clay - you'll find it's picking up little bits of crap you couldn't see - then fold that bit into the middle and carry on with the clean bit (may need to put it back in the warm water for a bit if it's gone too cold). Just keep folding it over and carry on till the car is done. Really you only need to clay the top half of the car - because you don't really look at/touch the bottom half of the doors, but you can clay the lot if you like. Be warned though, the bottom will be very shitty heh.
You need something a bit better than T-Cut and ideally it needs to be machine polished to get rid of swirls. Something like Meguiars Dual Action Cleaner polish #83 is what the pro's would use, on a machine polisher such as this -
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I'm starting to sound like a Meg's rep here heh - but I've just bought one of those polishers in with a mate (bottom option with the polishes and pads) - we're doing another mates 03 plate black Civic Type R on Tuesday - it has a lot of swirls so I'll let you know how that goes ;-)
Farecla G3 will get rid of the scratches and the like. The problem is that you need a rotary polisher and skill to get it right - you have to get it reasonably hot for it to break down and to not just produce more swirls.
Diamond Brite, an the likes, are supposed to be bullshit. It's just an expensive sealant / wax and a wash and wax additive for washing. TBH I'd just use Collinite wax and leave it at that for something you actually drive.
The other option would be to use Autoglym Super Resin Polish or RadiantWax (trade version of SRP apparently). I've got a big can of the Radiant Wax and it hides a multitude of sins. If it's really bad, it might not cover it all, but it's by far the best thing for hiding problems that I know of, and it's less aggro than properly cutting the paint back. It does need a decent wax over the top to make it last though.
What colour is it by the way? If it's that darkish metallic blue or black, they're particularly bad for showing swirls and the like.
SRP is quite abrasive - I have some on hand that I use for getting scratches out of the paint, less harsh than T-cut but not by much! My car gets immigrant-washed then Meguires NXT spray wax when I get home.
It's very slightly abrasive. I'd say it's about as abrasive as Farecla G10 - you're not going to go cutting back to the primer with it, but it is abrasive enough to take the edge off marks in the clearcoat. It also fills a
I'd try a polish with lots of fillers - SRP's already been mentioned in this thread (and no, it's not "more abrasive than T-Cut", heck, even the Autoglym paint cleaner isn't). According to a pro detailer over on
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the trick with SRP is to use very little and go for multiple applications. I've done this on the FD which is badly swirled and that certainly made a noticeable difference.
I also found that using proper applicator pads (cheap Turtle Wax microfibre pad in my case for SRP) and then polishing it off with a microfibre cloth instead of using stockinette and old T-shirts does make a hell of a lot of difference.
In fact, if you have some time to spare, have a look at the forums on the above site - while it appears to be full of people who are fanatical about polishing their Disastras (sorry, it's still one when they're done), I certainly learnt a lot about the correct techniques.
Depends if you can be arsed to use polish & sealant on the car on a regular basis or not, I'd say.
Clay bars are for getting crap off, but if you want to give it a try I think I've got some usable clay somewhere in the garage.
onwww.detailingworld.co.uk, the trick with SRP is to use very little and
Ok, noted - guess which of the options I've been using so far. ;-)
Ok... well I'm currently wondering whether or not to just pay someone who knows what they're doing to get it all sorted - I can earn more at work in the same time as it would cost to get it all sorted, in the less time than it would take me to DIY.
G3 and a lot of elbow grease or a rotary polisher - they occasionally pop up Aldi and the likes for £20, or it's the same thing as an electric sander. What you need is 0-3000RPM and some sort of speed control, along with a decent mop. You want the kind of polisher that looks like an angle grinder - not the ones with two handles on the side of a motor.
Looks very much like my cheapo polisher that works perfectly. You could use the white mop that comes in that kit or a Farecla G-mop (the kind that comes with the threaded bit glued on - the velcro ones are cheaper in the long run, but it's a very long run). I have some in the shed and could post you one for what I paid for it.
Then you want some of this:
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The next thing you need is a bit of confidence. People will tell you that it is very very easy to burn through to primer. It's not. I've done it a couple of times, once when I'd not had much practice, and once when mopping my car after respraying it. Not a big deal for me as I could fix it up myself.
Anyway, here's how you do it:
1) Damp mop, dry car, squirty bottle full of water.
2) Spin the mop up to get rid of excess water.
3) Put some compound (about 10p sized blob) on the mop, and spread it about the panel.
4) Start polishing.
The thing with G3 is that it breaks down as you polish. If you keep adding water to "lubricate" it, all that actually happens is that the panel stays cool, the polish doesn't break down, and you keep polishing your car with an agressive rubbing compound, and get massive swirls / buffer trails or eventually burn through. The idea is that you keep going over the panel as it breaks down, so you get one swipe of good cutting, one swipe buffing out the cutting marks, and another swipe to give a good shine (hypothetically speaking, your swipes may vary). The panel will get warm, and if it starts looking really dry, squirt some water on.
Experience will give you the right combination of speed, water and pressure to remove the marks you want and give the finish you want. It's important that you get used to moving the buffer as if you tilt it a lot, the edge will dig in, and it'll pull across the panel. And the edge is spinning faster than the centre, so if you dig it in, it'll cut faster. Basically you want to hold it flat, perhaps with a slight angle to help you move it the direction you're going. If you've use a DA sander, you'll have some idea already.
TBH this is all a bit pointless as if you're unlikely to do it more than once, paying a man is probably the best option - £50 and he does it VS £50 and you do it...
It sounds like you'll be paying a man then, and my last post was useless ;). You won't remove the kind of marks it sounds like you've got without a machine or a lot of effort.
You're not the only one. The funny part about it is that using a proper applicator, it's taken me a lot less time to apply the polish to the car, not to mention a lot less polish as well.
I'd try that option before going for something a bit more abrasive or even getting a proper detailer in.
Probably, if they're good. On the site I mentioned, someone documented a detail on a M5 with a special order paint job that had been worked on by someone who didn't know what they were doing. The 'before' pics weren't pretty.
Fair enough. For me, it makes a change from having oily fingers :).
Ok... I'll take a trip down Halfrauds at the weekend.
Aye... well my prior comments regarding a buffer and the subsequent respraying of a bonnet are a testament to that. ;-)
In all seriousness, it's more to do with the fact I don't have that much time to myself as it is of a weekend (1), so I'd rather just pay a man who can to do a decent job of it to do it for me unless I can find a method to get it sorted that won't take up too much of my time.
(1) Aside from family duties, I've ended up helping out at some of the rolling road days being held down at the dyno my mate is running - quite interesting, or rather a bit more interesting than listening to some gimp whining about their IT issues.
Aye... well this is where I fall down due to previous experience - hence why I'm debating whether or not to pay someone I can sue if they f*ck it up. ;-)
So, assuming be it by my fair hand or by a third party who knows what they're doing, is it worth getting it Diamond Brite'd once all the swirls are polished out?
I've bought a kit of the muck they use to do this, so it's something I can do rather than paying someone to do it.
for putting stuff on. They are slightly more expensive than the basic Halfords ones - but they're still not what you'd call a lot of money :) And the good thing is they don't fall apart in the washer, and those microfibres have a thick side and a thin side - so you whip the wax/polish off with the thick side then pass over again buffing with the thing side. I also recommend one of these -
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makes you wonder why the f*ck you ever bothered arsing around with a chamois :-) Halfords sell the Meguiars equivalent and possibly the Autoglym one as well - all do the same thing.
I've used Specialist Vehicle Detailing on eBay before - very good they are.
Just to check - you do use a mitt yea, not a sponge? Sponges are what gave you all the swirl marks in the first place :-) I've got this one -
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available in Halfords - but any decent Sheepskin/Lambswool mit would be ok. All this stuff does add up, but it does also last longer, doesn't damage your paint and is washable without falling apart. Don't use the mitt on your wheels - that's where you can still use your sponge :) We'll get into how to clean your wheels in another post ;-)
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