Jim - You may well be correct. I have a car wash/detail man do mine as where I live is not conducive to doing such work. No shade and a lot of traffic. The next time he is here - next week, I will ask him how he gets the swirls out.

 

Meguairs sells a product called: Meguiars Mirror Glaze #9 Swirl Remover 2.0. They also have a Scratch X Remover product.

Meguiars #9 Swirl Remover cleans and polishes auto paint to a smooth shine! Remove swirl marks and water spots with Meguiars #9 Swirl Remover Car

or



This product should be applied with a DA (Dual Action) Meguiars Dual Action Polisher G110v2. The tool is about $159.99 and well worth the expense if you plan on a DIY detail.



I personally own and use this DA polisher. The key to the using the polisher are the polishing and buffing pads.

One pad is specific for polishing the other for buffing.





Since I have the time and place to complete my own detail work, I would NOT be without these products. While the DA (dual action) polisher is priced at $159.99 it is a great investment if you plan on doing your own detail work.

Over a period of time, you will save hundreds to thousands of dollars doing this work yourself. Besides it is allot of fun especially when you see the end result.

Happy Motoring and detailing.

If you've been helped, please click on the "Thanks" button

 

If you don't need a DA, doing it yourself is easy. Machines make for hell lot more work as you'll to mask every edge...

 

My .02

**Clay barring is recommended about once a year** This PULLS contaminants out of the clear coat that otherwise you can't get rid of by simply washing the car. And polishing the paint doesn't get rid of them either, in fact it will typically drive the contaminants further into the clearcoat. So, yes, clay bar the car, do the baggie tests, and always make sure the paint is contaminant free. This is one of the most important steps in detailing!

After Wash & Clay (Loose Dirt Removal and Paint Decontamination):

Easy Route: Glazes - These contains fillers and gloss enhancers to conceal any minor imperfections in the clear coat. Kinda like makeup for paint. Most of the time they don't last longer than 3-5 months. But they are easy, quick, and look great! You still want to follow up a glaze with a designated protectant such as a wax or a sealant.

Longer Route: Swirl Remove, Polish, Protect - You actually use a polisher with chemicals(cutting & polishing) to physically remove any imperfections that you may have in the paint (swirls, water spots, etc...). After you have corrected the paint, then you would apply protection (sealants and/or waxes). It can be very time consuming to do multiple steps, BUT the results are always spectacular and are true to the quality and condition of the paint!

Machine application of waxes - maybe a little faster than by hand and does spread the wax/sealant out farther, thinner, and more even. With that said, it doesn't make the appearance any shinier or better though...

Machine paint correction (swirl removal/polishing) - MUCH better than doing it by hand. Much faster and much better results. I would never try to remove swirls by hand. It's so much easier just to grab a DA polisher and go to town. 1/2 if not 1/3 of the time it would take you to do by hand. Even if you had to spend 20 minutes taping off everything, you will still save hours by machine paint correction.

P.S. They have clay alternatives now that don't even require you to spend hours clay barring your car. They are called nanoskin pads and they work amazing. It's a synthetic rubber that grabs contaminants and pulls them out just as effective as a clay bar. Plus it takes no time at all. You just simply put the pad on your DA polisher, spray on some lubricant, then polish away. Check them out at Autogeek.net --> Nanoskin Autoscrub Pads

 

What is your opinion on Acid washes like CarPro IronX?

It takes me well under an hour to clay bar the XK.

 

very good info guys! thanks.

 

More info/help, please! - I expect to get a DA for the holidays.
So the Meguiar's W8207 Mirror Glaze Professional Soft Buff 2.0 7" Foam Polishing Pad is used for applying wax and then the same pad for removing? I don't want to "polish" if that means removing the clearcoat - I just want to wax as I would do by hand using Meguiar's NT wax. Is the W68DA DA Backing Plate For Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Pads the correct backing plate for the waxing pads?

 

I would apply the wax by hand and hand rub the wax off with soft microfiber towels that can be found on Amazon or upscale detail sites like autogeek or autotopia. When using the Meguiars NXT Gen wax, (spray or paste) you don't want to let it dry to a white haze or film. Wax the car out of the sun, in the shade or a garage. Without seeing the surface of the paint, I really can't say to use or not use a DA bufffer. I perfer the paste wax vs the liquid product, see below for a link. The paste comes with an applicator for applying the wax by hand.

As for the Meguiars DA buffer, it is a hook and loop tool. The buffing and polishing pads you need to have, have the hook on them. They just simply attach and are held on the DA buffer by the hook and loop method.

When I polish the car using a polishing liquid I use the DA buffer with a polishing pad. When waxing you could use a buffing pad on the DA buffer to remove the wax film. I like to hand buff the wax.

Using a "polishing" product should not interfere with the clearcoat. The polishing product will clean the paint surface for the next step of waxing the car. I highly suggest using a polishing product before applying the wax.

If using the DA buffer and pads, apply small amounts of the product, quarter size or a small "X" pattern of product. Don't soak the pads with product. Be sure to lay the DA buffer tool on the surface of the paint then start it up. Don't start and then apply the buffer to the paint. Use light to moderate pressure. Be sure to check the speed setting of the DA buffer tool. I like number 3 which is middle speed.

I like the $22.00 Meguairs NXT Gen 2.0 paste wax. here's a link.

http://www.autogeek.net/mg12711.html

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotiv...-wax-20-paste/

It is a great product. I bought a can of the Pinnacle Synergy Wax for $195.00 for a small can, and the end result using the Meguairs vs the Premium Pinnacle Synergy was no different in application of water beading after a 6 month period. I feel spending $195.00 for wax is a waste of money. I learned a lesson on that item. You may want to considering using Pinnacle Souveran wax, which is alot cheaper in price vs the Synergy. Here's a link to the Souveran product.



Here's a great link to the Meguiars Automotive products.

http://www.autogeek.net/allmepr.html...Fc1AMgod0WoABg

Hope this is what you are looking for in regards to help.

 

I always wanted to use that smiley

But if we're making product suggestions, Sov211 turned me on to Victoria Wax Victoria Wax which uses your own body heat to liquify and then smooth into the surface with your fingertips. It's like rubbing sunscreen on your beauty's back.

 

Gregory (sov211) over in Victoria B.C. really knows his stuff. Listen and use his suggestions, you won't be sorry.

 

I've used a few different waxes and find Colinite's waxes to be the longest lasting with great water beading.

Collinite Auto, Marine and Industrial Wax Products Official Site » Collinite

 

Here's the random orbital polisher I opted for. Reviews are stellar, I love mine and its now on sale for $99 @ Amazon

 

This is a "great price" on the Porter Cable DA buffer. If your serious about doing some of your own detail work, I would concur with Leeper that this item is a very attractive bargain.

 

Iron X is a great product. What this does is it actually breaks up the airborne chemical compounds and ferrous (iron-containing) particles that penetrate your clearcoat and eat into the paint's sublayers. Iron X will actually bleed a reddish color when it is breaking up iron particles, but if you don't see any red, that's always a good sign that your paint is iron contaminant free


2 step decontamination:
1. Iron X (aka Iron Remover)
2. Clay Bar (aka contaminant remover)

 

Good to hear you are recommending it. I have been using it for 2 years, but never ran into anyone else using it. Makes clay bar go MUCH quicker. I actually bought the IronX in the gallon container after using the first bottle. Stuff smell a bad as something can smell.

I find if you don't buy auto detailing supplies in the large format, you end up skimping on proper use or it costs many times more in the end.

 

Back to the OP, I've got a silver 2011. It hadnt been detailed before I bought it and the paint had a lot of chips and marks and was rough in a few places, like overspray. I usually polish with Meguairs Techwax 2.0 (whatever) which makes it gorgeous but you can still feel the imperfections.

I decided to clay it, which I've never done before. I watched the Meguairs video series first, bought 2 quick clay kits (only used 1, but I've got one left for the wheels when I get my strength back) and set to work this morning. The quick clay kits have a bottle of detailing stuff and one clay bar. It didnt seem enough when I opened it, but they go a fair way. Good wash first, then clay, then another wash, then the Techwax. Tiring work, actually, took me about 3 hours.

The amount of crap that was taken off by the claybar is amazing. A lot of what I thought were stonechips werent, the finish is like new. I have silver, so I didnt need to polish between clay and wax whereas I saw from the video that with darker cars you can.

The microfibre cloths are pretty useful, so grab those as well.

Really worthwhile.

 

When washing the car for a detail, I like to use dish washing soap like Joy as it really strips the wax off and is a "joy" to use. Not recommended for normal washing; only when detailing is required.

 

Great job Bruce, as recommended .... and you saved allot of money by the DIY detail and sounds like the results were great. The clay bar process is quite amazing and the finish is a glass like super smooth paint surface. I have always been a fan of the Meguiars NXT Tech 2.0 wax either spray or paste. I prefer the paste, but the spray application is a bit easier on the arms.

Shoot us a few photos of the finished detail work, so we all can see the spectacular results.

P.S. If you buy the "Mother's" brand California Gold Clay Car kit, in the box you will find 2 clay bars. Also a great value on Amazon. Here's a link to the product.
In addition thee are several sellers of clay bars on eBay. Be sure to buy the "fine" bar.



Also, if your new to the clay bar and are a bit unsure of how to use it, you might want to use the Nanoskin Sponge application. Here's the link to that product.....

 

See the photos: clay bar, 3M Finesse-it polish, multiple applications of Victoria Wax, melted into the paint by hand (on a Jaguar, this is an auto-erotic experience). Buff with a microfibre cloth to polish the surface of the wax LIGHTLY, not to remove the wax! This is the best wax I have found and I have many years of concours experience, and I have tried just about every wax available.