Swirling Paint

[arcwcb]

Hey, I have a 2006 Black GT and The paint is starting to get a pretty bad swirl to it. Unfortunately, it gets worse every winter cuz I have to drive it, it's my only car (college). What should I do to get rid of the swirl? I clay bar, paint clean, polish, wax, etc. twice a year, but it seems like it's gotten especially bad this winter. What do you guys recommend? I don't really want to have it professionally detailed, had the done once and the result was NOT what I wanted (besides, nobody treats your car as good as you would ).

 

[bynumj]

Well there is some good news and some bad news:

Good news:
You should be able to fix the problem if you get the right equipment and detail it yourself.

Bad news:
You have a black car and you use it as a daily driver. You are going to have to invest some real time using that detailing equipment you just bought and spend a weekend (4-6 hours) a month detailing your car to keep it all pretty.

1) Wash the car really good, keep it in the shade.
2) Dry the car off completely, no water left behind. It is easier if you use a blower to get most of the water off and out of the crevices before hand drying it off.
3) Clay bar the car.
4) Use a waxing system on your car. There are a lot of instructional videos on the web. Do not go cheap on the buffer or wax. If it only takes you an hour to wax, you are doing it wrong or cutting corners.
5) Use good clean equipment and repeat steps 1 and 2 weekly. Wax monthly or as needed. Use the clay bar as needed. Enjoy your new found hobby.

I spend $250 a year and have it detailed. However, my car is not a DD and I park it in the garage. I do not drive it in the snow or rain. I wash it as needed.

 

[stanmckinney]

I had the same problems with a 1994 black GT when it was new.
Car was beautiful when it was clean but it never stayed that way.
I won't ever buy black again because of the trouble maintaining it.

 

['08GTcaRED]

+1 to what bynumj said. It will be difficult, but it can be done. Maybe instead of cams you should look into detailing equipment

 

[arcwcb]

I have detailing equipment, Mother's buffer, wax, clay bar, etc I just didn't know if there was a way to keep it from doing that without a monthly ritual of waxing lol!

 

[STANGmole]

Other than preventative stuff (NEVER send it through an auto-carwash, only hand wash and dry with non-synthetic sheepskin mitt and cotton towels) the only thing you can do is to detail it. I'm not sure you should have to do it MONTHLY though as long as you keep it clean and use a car soap that doesn't strip the wax. If your car is pretty swirled you can use a product like Meguiar's ScratchX to remove them. It also helps if you have an orbital buffer.

Be sure your mitt is CLEAN (and like I said, non-synthetic fabric) and don't use the same one you use for the wheels on the paint; it can pick up small rocks and pebbles that scratch.

I've owned SEVERAL black cars and just count yourself lucky that it's a Ford and not GM or Chrysler (Ford paint is much better and less prone to swirling).

I just traded the Black '08 on a Grabber Blue 10. It's sure nice having a car that doesn't show the dirt and swirls so easily. Black is the best looking color when clean and waxed but it's a PITA to maintain...I feel your pain....good luck!

 

[dbrufus1234]

the real problem is tiny little scratches in the paint, the best way to real get them out is with a good dual-action polisher, like the portercable 7424, and good polish, like menzerna. i had a black stang a few years back and there where swirls all over it, but after polishing it got them out. polishing is a much more long term fix, as waxes and clay bar are not abrasive, and they just clean the surface and fill the swirls. or u could always pay 150-200 bucks to get a full 2 step polish detail. ill post some before and after pics when i get home.

check out autogeek.net for some great info

 

[arcwcb]

Does anybody know of a good detailer in the Kansas City area? I don't like trusting other people with my car, but if somebody knows somebody who is good, I'll look into it... Other than that, looks like I'll be waxing a lot more... Does anybody know why the S197s swirl so bad? I had a black 98 stang and I waxed it the same as this one and it hardly ever showed swirls. It was a custom paint job, but I don't see how that could make THAT big of a difference...

 

[09v6]

Blame it on crappy paint and the government. The environmental regulations have watered down (literally) the quality of paints used these days. Now they don't even use solvents, it's all water based paints (garbage). Thank the environmentalists for your swirls.

 

[sixt9coug]

Blame it on crappy paint and the government. The environmental regulations have watered down (literally) the quality of paints used these days. Now they don't even use solvents, it's all water based paints (garbage). Thank the environmentalists for your swirls.

The clear is still solvent. The base is waterborne but that is not 100% true in the states. Ford on an OEM level is still probably around 40-50% waterborne and I don't know which lines are using what.

Clearcoat is still most likely Melamine or a Polyurethane - both solvent products. The swirls have nothing to do with waterborne products at all.

 

[1TUF2005GT]

1. Must have - Get a Random Orbital Buffer from Griots Garage! You can't mess up your paint with this.

2. I typically use Meguirs Swirl remover (#2) followed by Glaze (#7) with the Random Orbital, and then hand wax. This combo does a nice job.

******Recently I read about 3M Ultrafina swirl remover and every thing I've read (including on the Porsche Forums) claim this is the absolute best stuff for permanently removing swirls. I have not tried it yet but will be the next time I need a full detail job.

 

[arcwcb]

I'm really worried about getting an electric buffer like that, I've heard that you can QUICKLY take your paint from bad to horrible...

 

[1TUF2005GT]

The buffer is a "Random Orbital" not a spinner like a sander and it will not remove your paint, it wont "burn" your clear coat, etc... a 6 yr old can use it. Do some research - its the best investment you can make if you want to keep your dark cars looking top notch!

 

[arcwcb]

Really? How do you know which pads to use for polish, wax, paint cleaner, etc. and how do you know if something is safe to use with a random orbital buffer?

 

[STANGmole]

If you use 100% cotton pads that are CLEAN from dirt and debris, and you're not using polishing compound or something (just swirl remover like Scratch-X or cleaner wax) you're not going to fry your paint no matter how hard you try. It's easier to swirl it using a pad and applying wax by hand IMO because it's less random, not as fast, and the pressure more uneven.

 

[GT_FlyBy]

Thank the environmentalists for your swirls.

You're absolutely right. But as long as Al Gore is happy who are we to complain.

 

[1TUF2005GT]

Sorry for the delay. You would get a pad for the random orbital for each of the steps (pad for swirl remover/Ultrafina, pad for any glaze if used, and if you want to apply wax with the random orbital). Also, after every use you can wash them - I actually run them thru the washing machine in hot water, gentle cycle and then let dry on own.

After you use the random orbital and see how easy it is along with the superb results you'll never go back to any "manual" polishing nor will you pay someone $200 to do your cars!

 

[68keyblr]

If you are interested in learning the art of paint correction, I recommend you sign up over at Meguiar's Online and start reading up. Lots and lots of good info there.

I happen to be a paint correction specialist and I run a paint correction/detailing business. Here's a few black cars we've worked on:

1967 Ford Pro-street Mustang:
1967 500+ HP Pro Street Mustang - InfiniteDetail - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

2010 Ford Fusion (black):
2010 Ford Fusion Sport - Tuxedo Black Metallic - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

2007 Lexus IS250:
2007 Lexus IS250 - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

2004 Chevy Suburban (Sorry it's a chebby):
2004 Black Suburban - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

If you get a single piece of equipment, I recommend a Porter Cable 7424XP or a Meguiars G110 V2, both are electric DA polishers which are very safe for the paint but have enough power to remove defects.

Good luck