Swirls

If you have the hologram type scratches as pictured in post #10, refer to my post #5. Get the Ultrafina and the Ultrafina pad and follow the instructions on the bottle. Basically, everything needs to be clean, clean surface, use clean detail clothes. Apply some of the polish to the pad, work section by section, you just need to make a couple of passes. Stuff is designed to be used wet, meaning don't keep buffing till it dries. Couple of passes, then wipe it down with a clean quality detail cloth. One that you know is clean and not going to put the same micro scratches back into it. Stuff works quickly you can do a vehicle in an hour or so with it.
All this should be done with a rotary. Orbital's IMO are useless. I guess you could apply wax with one but that's about it.
 
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these type of swirls are usually caused by compounds with a lot of filler or wrong pad/dirty pad.
i do most of my buffing in the booth . if your in the open your pad will collect dirt quick. keep the surface cleaned and wash your pad often .
 
Update..I give up..nothing takes the swirls out...450$ worth of pads and compound and no difference...like I had not touched it...gonna see if someone else can try..I'm just before re clearing..
 
I talk to people every day that use some of the compounds listed with success.
I cant see where you're getting anywhere reclearing other than starting over.

So two ideas find a painter that will do on a Saturday for cash.

Or buy a clay bar and use it, if you have all the scratches gone the clay bar will get rid of the bust wax and grease car first.
 
Detailers around hear are almost non existent,..if I reclear,I would carry it to someone somewhere so they could start fresh.
 
Detailers around hear are almost non existent,..if I reclear, I will carry it to someone somewhere so they could start fresh.

You don't want a detailer. This is out of their league; you want a painter and start fresh?
If all I have to do is get rid of swirl marks, it would not take me 30 to 40 mins.
But it is your car just hate to see you waste money.
 
Before you reclear, try sanding a 1 or 2 square foot spot with 5000 or 8000, buff with a foam pad, then polish. Those swirls you can't get rid of must be deeper than normal from dirt under or in the original pad, would be my guess.
 
Thx..I'll look at a few body shops and CK out their talent pool..I'll try the sanding idea on a spot I haven't worked to death..
 
@Rbm
Post some pictures of the problem areas and tell us again your exact steps. Start to finish. Did you ever get a rotary? Or have you been doing this with a orbital?
 
How about what I have done 100s of times over the years, so simple and 100% effective.

Over the years riding with jobbers and visiting shops once in a while, we would walk in one, and the manager would say the painter has been trying to get the swirl marks out of that truck bed panel or side of car most common ones for an hour.
I'd say if not going to piss off the painter I can fix the truck quarter in about ten minutes; this got so common that I started carrying my buffer and pad in SUV, did it for years to save time.

The first thing I would tell the painter clean panel with wax and grease remover.

Then put on wool cutting pad on and get me to step 1 compound.

A Da action buffer is not going to
Work period.

I would, if a mid-size door put a 50 cent size compound in center of the door, set the speed of buffer at #4 or 5 a buff door just like your buffing out 1500 sand marks.
When a compound has gone slow buffer down to 2 or 3 and do long strokes like painting the door without adding compound or cleaning pad, do until door looks like you washed it and dried it.
What swirl marks?
Going to step 2 or 3 from ther is your business.
 
Just to highlight something we've been saying in this thread (Barry just said it again) if you have been trying to do any of steps with an orbital buffer that is one of the problems right there.
Clean the car, wash it then use W&G remover to get off any remaining compounds or polishes. Clean your pads. Usually a good rinse with a water nozzle or under the faucet. Clean your detail cloths or get new ones. Everything needs to be clean, clean clean. Make sure you are not getting dust dropping on the car from any unknown source when you are buffing. Tell us steps you took and what products you used. Also what you have. Compounds and pads.
If the issue is hologram scratches like in post #10 that is easy to fix. Tell us exactly what the issue is. You can fix it, no need for someone else.:)
 
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swirls are created by your buffer , not sandpaper . dirty surface , dirty pad . i wash my pad out after every third application . dry compound and dead clear will haze the surface . treat buffing like painting .
a wool pad will develop knots which will leave swirls . spur it each cleaning .
 
Update...I read a shine quote somewhere that if you tried to buff it to death, the clear would get like leather and nothing would help. so I went back to 1500,2000,2500 and sanded again. After sanding the swirls out I used some of the advice given here...seems to be working...I might get happy...who said the virus was all bad !
 
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I've switched off to Menzerna 3800 now, but when I was using all 3M products, I used the 3M ultra fina on a rotary for the final polishing step, (about 6 passes) after #1 and #2, then switched to my DA with 3M Ultra fina on a black finishing pad.....always worked for me.
 

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