How do I remove swirl marks on black Pilot

[pesco]

My O5 Pilot got hit by a roof tile during the most recent hurricane. When it was repaired, they went nuts with the buff wheel. Now I have swirl marks and the relationship with the body shop has been severed because of poor and extremely lousy service. How do I get rid of them myself? Suggestions, anybody? It is black and it shows everything.

[cwa107]

Originally posted by pesco
My O5 Pilot got hit by a roof tile during the most recent hurricane. When it was repaired, they went nuts with the buff wheel. Now I have swirl marks and the relationship with the body shop has been severed because of poor and extremely lousy service. How do I get rid of them myself? Suggestions, anybody? It is black and it shows everything.

Ugh - I feel your pain. Black shows swirls so easily. Swirl marks are actually light scratches themselves, so you treat them like you would any scratch. Try Meguiar's "Cleaning Wax" - it works wonders on most paint defects. You should be able to pick it up at any autoparts store, Wal Mart, etc.

Any good polish (not necessarily wax) should do the trick, just take it easy and I don't recommend using a buffer when you're trying to take out swirl marks. I've always had good results with Meguiar's products.

[waynerd]

I used Mequires Cleaner Wax on my dad's black Silverado a while back and it did WONDERS. He'd never waxed in the 4 years he owned it, and dried it with a terry towel Afterward, just a few swirls showed. but it looked like a big black mirror.

You might try claying, too. It seems to work on my Redrock, might on black, too.

[cwa107]

Originally posted by waynerd
I used Mequires Cleaner Wax on my dad's black Silverado a while back and it did WONDERS. He'd never waxed in the 4 years he owned it, and dried it with a terry towel Afterward, just a few swirls showed. but it looked like a big black mirror.

You might try claying, too. It seems to work on my Redrock, might on black, too.

I'm not sure claying is a great idea when you're trying to clean up something caused by an abrasive. Clay bar is great for taking out contaminants/oxidation/stains, but it's more likely to cause swirl marks than remove them - at least in my experience.

But I do love that Meguairs Cleaning Wax. I used to use their Deep Crystal three-stage system, but I've found that the Cleaning Wax does just as good of a job, with a lot less elbow grease!

[ED27]

Originally posted by pesco
My O5 Pilot got hit by a roof tile during the most recent hurricane. When it was repaired, they went nuts with the buff wheel. Now I have swirl marks and the relationship with the body shop has been severed because of poor and extremely lousy service. How do I get rid of them myself? Suggestions, anybody? It is black and it shows everything.

If the swirl marks were caused by a buffer, you'll have a hard time getting them out by hand. The biggest problem with buffers is improper technique. If you use a random-orbital buffer (Porter Cable makes a good one) and the proper pad you'll be fine. There are different pads depending on the purpose (i.e. polishing vs waxing, etc.). The basic steps are:

1. Wash thoroughly
2. Prep the surface (clay)
3. Polish (repeat if necessary)
4. Wax

If you want to stay away from the buffers, Meguiar's makes a great product that you can apply by hand (http://www.meguiars.com/?auto-paint-cleaners/ScratchX). The latest waxes also help hide scratches better than before through the use of special "fillers". Products available locally to you are Eagle One's Nano Wax and Meguiars NXT Wax. Here are a couple of links that will also give you a lot of information on how to detail your car:

www.properautocare.com
www.GriotsGarage.com (pricey products but a lot of good info)

[moe-jiller]

One other Tip I did not see in the other post;
If applying, by hand, what ever corrective process you select - rub the paint surface in the following pattern - horizontal surface (hood, roof etc..) front to rear (Not in a circle, Not side to side), and vertical surfaces (sides, tailgate, etc..) up and down (Not in a circle, Not front to rear). This applies to all 'rub' processes - clay, wax. removal, and any followup process. Detailers for show display use this technique because the eye perception is not as sensitive to a linear, cross axel, mono-directional pattern, as compared to a non-linear swirl / circle pattern.

Also reference this and other 'Detailer' sites: http://autopia-carcare.com/

[borg]

moe-jiller offers great tips on waxing & preventing swirls......what I do is a bumper to bumper rubbing motion, side to side, never circular(havent tried up down). Seems to work well on my wife's black 05 TL.

[ericsgr]

If they seem pretty visible Mcguires Scratch X is great stuff too!!! I have taken out some pretty deep scratches on my black Pilot with it. You can try the wax first though. Mcguires cleaner wax IS great stuff!!!!

[sjlee]

Scratches are inevitable on all vehicles... unfortunately darker colors show them off more.

Swirl marks are common on vehicles where buffing is done in a circular motion. You could do as borg suggested and buff going side-to-side instead of a circular motion. The scratches will still be there, but they will be less noticeable.

[N_Jay]

Removing swirl marks is 50% teh product you use and 95% the skill and technique.

Take it to a GOOD detail shop. They will do a job that you can not duplicate.
It will cost you between $100 and $200.
It will save you:
1) $20 to $40 in polishing products
2) $25 to $50 in polishing equipmnet
3) 2 to 20 hours in polishing time
AND
4) The trip to the detail shop when you explain that the swirls are still there!

[pesco]

Thanks, everybody. I will putting Mr. Elbow to work this weekend. I appreciate the input. The details shops are not an option anymore ( Already been to two, they fix one thing and leave another). To make a story short, it came out of the Body Shop with swirls, overspray over half of the truck, and a couple of minor scratches. They had to paint the hood, front R fender and driver door because they damaged the truck in the shop ( and they were not going to tell me about it). Anyway, the insurance co. and them are still duk'n it out. Once I finish getting my house repaired, I will look into my options.

[ericsgr]

I dont think there is any need to bring it to a detail shop. Get some Mcguires Scratch X and go to town on it. I think it will do a good enough job that you will be satisfied. I have taken out much deeper scratches than swirl marks with it. Just may take a bit of blood sweat and tears on your part but it'll do the trick.

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by ericsgr
I dont think there is any need to bring it to a detail shop. Get some Mcguires Scratch X and go to town on it. I think it will do a good enough job that you will be satisfied. I have taken out much deeper scratches than swirl marks with it. Just may take a bit of blood sweat and tears on your part but it'll do the trick.

Good luck.

Any product that is capable of taking out swirls (or scratches) is just as capable of putting them in.

That is where technique and practice come in.

As for the Detail shop making things worse. I did not say "Any Detail Shop", I said a "Good Detail Shop"!

[kevm]

Originally posted by N_Jay


Good luck.

Any product that is capable of taking out swirls (or scratches) is just as capable of putting them in.

That is where technique and practice come in.

As for the Detail shop making things worse. I did not say "Any Detail Shop", I said a "Good Detail Shop"!

A good detail or body shop may have you wait 6 months before trying to rub that stuff out. You do have fresh paint remember.

If the tile damage was an insurance claim, you may have some recourse through your agent. Make them aware of the ppor job and see if you can have it re-done. Always wait 6 months before heavily waxing or buffing any new paint surface

[ED27]

Originally posted by kevm


A good detail or body shop may have you wait 6 months before trying to rub that stuff out. You do have fresh paint remember.

6 months is a little long....most of the wax/polish manufacturers recommend to wait 30 to 90 days (depending on weather conditions). Aftermarket paint manufacturers may have different curing times. I would find out who the shop used and then ask the manufacturer directly what the cure time is.