CullinS

Hello everybody!

I figured this has to be the place to come in ask questions about washin' and waxin'. Y'all know your stuff, so help me out here. My '06 laguna blue has more swirls than a tie-dye shirt. I don't own, can't afford, can't borrow and don't know how to use a PC, so my options are pretty limited.

I know that a lot of people try to take out swirls by hand. I want to know what you good people think of the different products used to take 'em out. I've seen products like this, this and this, but I'm a little out of the loop when it comes to the jargon of car care. How does a polishing compound differ from compound? Is polish different from polishing compound? Which of the different products removes a couple nanometers of clear coat, and which do not? I have a good idea on the technique to use (thanks youtube!) I just don't know what the hell to buy.

And the last question is one I'm sure you get around here a lot, so I'll phrase my version a little bit differently-

Stereotypes exist for a reason. And as loathe as many of us are to admit it, they often have a basis in fact. Now, the fact that forms the basis is most likely not a "fact" anymore, but some outdated notion, or some attribute long since changed. If I were to say that the Pontiac Aztek is the best looking car made in the last 15 years, you'd probably try to find where I lived and stone me to death. Somebody thinks that, sure. You get outliers in every population, but the majority of the population would probably think we was blind or something.

But back to the point! Cars! Just not the Pontiac Aztek. We will not speak of it again.

Now what I'm asking you all is this; what are the stereotypes of car care product manufacturers? Clicking on "browse by manufacturer" on autogeek makes my head hurt. Too much choice. I want to know general opinions about these companies. Is Meguiare's stuff inexpensive, but not very effective? Is P21S wax not worth the money? Maybe the majority of people thing 3M products are terrible, I would have no idea. I'm not asking "hey wuts the best wax 4 my car," because we'd all be in here arguing and bickering until we were all blue in the face.

But what do you all think? I want good old fashioned stereotypes!

rjohnstonstl

PC's are almost foolproof and there is little or no risk of burning the paint. You will never get the results you desire polishing by hand. Buy a PC, a couple of pads and a good polish (like Menzerna SIP) and you'll be set.

You may also want to consider visiting a detailing specific forum like Autopia.

akimel

Howdy, CullinS. Polishing out a car by hand is hard, inefficient, time-consuming work with often disappointing results. Depending on the condition of the paint, plan on spending several days to get the job done. I would recommend that you pick up two products from your local auto store: Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Meguiar's SwirlX. UC is the more aggressive of the two products. You will also need several foam applicators. I personally prefer foam applicators over microfiber applicators, as they are less likely to mar the paint. You will also need to purchase a dozen good quality microfiber towels.

Always begin with a TEST SPOT, say, 18"x18". Begin with SwirlX. Work it into the paint and remove immediately (do not let it dry). Inspect the surface. How does it look? Are the swirls removed? If not (and they probably won't be), repeat process. If by the second time you have not effected the level of paint correction that you want, now try out Ultimate Compound in the test spot. Inspect. How does the paint look? UC should remove more swirls, but it may leave behind some micro-marring. Use the SwirlX to remove the micro-marring. Do not polish out the entire car until you have the test spot looking good. The test spot allows you to refine your technique and determine whether the products will in fact accomplish the job.

For more advice on how to properly use Ultimate Compound and SwirlX, visit the Meguiar's online forum.

Personally, if I were you, I'd forget about trying to remove the swirls by hand. Either save up your pennies to buy a dual action polisher, pads, and polishes, or simply live with the swirls. Quite frankly, for a daily driver it's virtually impossible to keep a car swirl-free. You can remove them, but in six months time you will find that they have returned. If going the DA route is not feasible, then I'd purchase a bottle of Meguiar's ColorX, which does a good job of actually cleaning up the paint, and it lays behind a layer of protection. You can then top it with the wax of your choice.

Check out this article for a basic wash and wax routine.