Quote:
Originally Posted by Kianfar
My bigger issue is how to get swirls out first, swirls on black paint bothers me so much. Haven't found a solution, been able to eliminate a bit after a few rounds, but I want them gone.
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The only way to get rid of swirls is not to put them on the paint in the first place. Don't polish, wax, wash, or touch the paint at any time in a circular motion. That's why you have swirls. Always do it in a straight line from front to rear. I read a post on here at one time that said it the best, "Follow the direction of the wind". The more precise and anal you are about keeping your waxing, polishing, and washing in a straight line, the better your car will look. I learned how to do this a long time ago, and every car I have had since then has always gotten comments on how shiny they looked. I have a 20 year old van that some people say still looks new. People have asked me if I wax the Boxster every month and can't believe it when I tell them I only do it twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. BTW, it is parked outside year around under a car cover. It is Midnight Blue, just as bad as black for showing swirls. It is not so important as to what kind of wax you use, as it is how you use it.
It takes a lot of patience and time to do this correctly, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. When you step back and look at the car sparkling back at you, that's the payoff for all the hard work and diligence. I've seen people stop their cars in the middle of the street to stare at the Boxster, even though it is 12 years old.
You will need to use a mild polishing compound to get rid of the swirls the first time you do this. This is the hard part, getting rid of the swirls without making any new ones. Then as long as you are anal about always washing, waxing, and polishing in a straight line, the car will always look good. Only an occasional touchup with the polishing compound to take care of those stray scratches will keep the paint looking swirl free. I will never ever use any kind of rotary polishing equipment on my paint, guaranteed to leave swirl marks. If you go around and around by hand, you are doing the same thing.
If you have a plastic rear window this also applies, even more so, except I polish it from side to side, in a straight line. Here's a pic showing the rear window. Not bad for the original 12 year old piece of plastic. (Taken last year, so it was only 11 years old.)
I'm not saying this is going to be easy to do, it will take all of your patience and discipline, but if you are able to do it, your car will stand out from the rest.
