Nice ride.....the black looks awesome when it is clean. I am going to try a few different waxes and let you guys know how they work out. I'll do them at night, in my garage, under a flourescent light. Let's call it an experiment.

Wash
Mothers PreWax Cleaner
Mothers Sealer/Glaze vs. NXT Tech Wax vs. EagleOne Nano Wax vs. Mothers Reflections.

Let's see how these 4 waxes do with getting hiding swirls.

 

That will be interesting. I am going to take a stab and guess than NXT fills them the best. Can't wait for the results.

 

Actually you never removed the swirls, you just covered them up. There are other products out there that actually remove the swirls and you would need to buy a PC 7336 to do this. Portable Cable. All the info is at autopia.org.

 

Well 90% of the swirls and fine scratches are gone on my car. If they were still there, they would have come back a month ago when my Meg #26 carnuba wax would have broken down. I really don't use anything that fills in the scratches/swirls though I will in my next detail round.

I'd love to get a PC, but I don't have $150 to buy the PC and all the pads required. My $20 random orbitial does pretty dang good though.

With that said, this is defintely my last black Nissan. I can't get over how easy this paint chips. My front bumper and leading hood edge looks sand blasted compared to my wife's silver 98 Legacy. I can't wait to get the Aero bumper with some fresh paint.

 

I am going to try just the hood tonight....figure it should take me under an hour. I'll also supply pics for the nay-sayers...haha! Oh, I will definately take some before, mid-progress, and after pics of what I have done. I have this huge flourscent light outside my house, so everyone should see what I am dealing with.

 

One more quick question - do you have a clear bra? If not the chips are going to make you insane if a little swirling does. Just fyi.

 

Any wax will fill in scratches and swirls just by the nature of the product clinging to any clear coated surfaces. Very few products actually have ingredients in them designed to fill in swirls and scratches By far the best product I have ever used or seen for filling swirls and scratches is the Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze. This Glaze uses kaloin oils or china clay which actually clings to these imperfections and has a tremendous shine in it that creates such a shine that it looks nearly flawless. This product has been very popular on show cars this year. I've used it personally with amazing results.

 

With my Mustang, it had Metallic Silver paint, and on more than one occasion I had the front bumper and hood repainted becuase of the rock chips. However, that car was bought and this is a lease. There is really nothing I can do about rock chips and investing the kind of money needed for the clear bra doesn't work with me, again since I am leasing. Just chalk it up to wear and tear!!

 

OK, bad news.....I did just the hood. I am not going to bother posting pics because for one, it was too dark and two, nothing changed. I started with Mothers Prewax cleaner. That just seemed to dry up really quickly and cause a haze which I have never seen on anyother car I have detailed.

So I wiped all of that off and moved to using the 4 polishes. I divided up the hood into for sections. I used EagleOne's Nano Wax first, then Mothers Reflections Polish, then Meguier's NXT Polish, and finally Mother's Sealer/Glaze. As I wiped each one off, I saw no change in the spider-webbing, as it was still there....neither totally buffed out or filled. Total dejection at this point.

So I cleaned the hood off again with Mother's PreWax. I then applied 2 coats of NanoWax and a final coat of EagleOne Wax-As-U-Dry onto the car just for some wax coverage. It looks a little better, but not what I wanted.

So now I am back to square one and a few bucks lighter in the wallet. Not sure what else to do as far as waxing by hand. I am not buying a PC (yet) cause I don't have the money. Am I doing something wrong?? What else can I do??

 

First, which NXT do you have? Paste, liquid or spray?

NXT might require a little working to fill in some of the fine swirls. Apply it in layers and work it very lightly, don't scrub or anything, but press reasonably firmly down so it works in, then move on to the next panel. Let it sit until it hazes, you'll know it's dry when you can wipe your finger acrss it and it comes right off and doesn't smear

Either way, you're not going to notice a huge difference just using fillers. I use an actual glaze, which is designed to fill, and I do it by PC, and it still doesn't eliminate swirls entirely. NXT does fill well when applied correctly, but it's still by hand and it's still just filling, so you're not going to have a perfect finish when it's done.

 

I have the liquid NXT.....but I think I was rushing when I did this. I have been reading autopia's Perfect Shine thing in there e-book. I am going to try this again Wednesday night, but this time on the whole car.

ScratchX
NanoWax
Mothers Sealer/Glaze
Mothers Reflections Car Wax
Mothers Reflections Top Coat

I am thinking the Sealer/Glaze is a step I don't have to do....that one is open to interpretation. Help me here....PLEASE!! I have been detailing my cars for years now and have never been this confused!

Quick Edit: Will the ScratchX or NanoWax remove the wax that is already on the car or would I have to clay bar it again?? I clayed it only a week ago, so I think doing that again would be a waste of time.

 

Hey guys, this is my first post on this forum. I have owned a g35 for about 9 months (liquid silver).

As you can already tell by my name, I am a professional automotive painter. I have been in the trade for about 14 years. I have never, nor have I ever heard of someone wet sanding a car to remove swirl marks. It is a good way to ruin your paint job. Don't even consider it!! Wet sanding is something better left to the professionals-- you will sand through the clearcoat in a heartbeat.

The best way (actually the only way I would do it) would be to use a high speed buffer with a foam pad. I would start with glaze (always start with the least abrasive method). If that doesn't remove them, then you would have to use rubbing compound. What the swirl marks actually are are light scratches, if they are slight, then they can usually be filled by glaze. The problem with glaze is that it is only a temporary solution, it will eventually burn off and the swirls will come back.

Rubbing compound has really come a long way since I started painting. I really like 3M products. They have a compound called Perfect It III that works really well. Use this with a foam pad followed by glaze (with a different pad) and your swirls should disappear. Now, after you have "opened up" your paint with compound, you have to protect it with a good quality wax. I like paste wax, it just seems more durable. Always wax your car when the water stops beading up.

Now that I told you the best method of removing swirls, I must tell you that using a high speed buffer without experience is a quick way to burn-through your paint job!! Just ask my neighbor about his porsche-- and this was after he attended a 3M buffing seminar!!

I would not recommend anyone trying to buff their car with a buffer unless they have been properly trained. This is better left up to the professionals, I mean if anyone could do it, we would get paid minimum wage!

I just wanted to tell you the proper way it is done. You could find a detail shop with trained workers that could remove them for a reasonable price. I would go this route if you want the swirls removed, not just temporarily filled in with glaze or wax.

If you go this route, I cannot stress the importance of having your car protected with a good coating of wax. Black cars are beautiful, but they are a bi*&% to maintain!!

Good luck!!

 

Good advice. I was a little ??? at the wetsand to remove swirls thing too, but I have sen folks color wetsand, of course that's entirely different. I do think amateurs can use PC's, but I don't think that's what you meant when you said buffer. I think you're referring to rotaries, which can damage paint very quickly.

Bananamo - if you're intent on doing this by hand only I would not skip the glaze. Of the five products you listed it is the mostly likely to fill your swirls, which is what you want. ScratchX will remove wax already on the car, as it has abrasives and requires a lot of elbow grease to use properly.

 

Thanks for the help....I really don't intend on using a buffer/rotary/random orbit or whatever, they are costly and I don't wanna screw up this new car's paint anymore than it already is.

Picus, thanks for all the help....I am going to try this Wedneday night after work. That is going to be one long *** day. I wish I could do it over the weekend, but I am going to be out of town and since I am driving, I want my car to be as nice as possible. Lesson for next car though...NO BLACK!!!

 

Yes picus112, i did mean a rotary buffer. Best left up to professionals, trying to remove them by hand is a lot of work. But it would probably be a labor of love!!