Hello to everyone. Just picked up my new Lakeshore Slate coupe about a week ago. Had some snow (and salt) about two days after I got it. I took it through a local touchless car wash, and now I notice some really fine swirls in the hood and trunk areas. My best guess is it occured when they dryed the car with towels. Or possible when the dealership detailed it prior to pick=up, as it was about 12 degrees when they did it. The clear coat on these cars must be super soft!! What is the best way to get these out? You can only see them in the right sunlight, but they look bad when you do see them. Will a good wax/sealant take this out by hand? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

The way I get rid of swirl marks is to use a Porter Cable, good pads, and solutions. Some waxes will fill in and you won't see those swirls anymore. However, once you strip the wax, they will re-appear. For me, I'd rather just polish those out.

Since you just got your car, I would re-strip everything and do everything yourself from step #1:

1. wash the car with the 2 bucket system (proper wash mitt, pakshak blue towels for drying)
2. claybar
3. polish the car (I used meguiars #83 cleaner/polish)
4. Apply sealant on the car (I use Klasse Sealant Glaze)
5. Apply good wax. (I use meguiars wax but if i don't apply the klasse, then I use the NXT wax)

-twantrd

 

+1

Here is what I did the second day I got my G35:

1. Using a lambswool washing mitten, washed car with regular Dawn soap to strip the dealership wax.
2. Polished car, with Porter Cable and soft polish pads, with Meguiar's #80 Speed Glaze.
3. Applied Wolfgang Pre-Wax Polish Enhancer.
4. Applied DP Premium Surface Shield Paint Sealant.
5. Buffed everything with various microfiber towels.

Today, 2 weeks later, I washed it again and applied Meguiar's #26 wax this time.
Check with Autopia.org to see what they recommend, and avoid those car wash places.

 

I am sorry to hear about your scratches. You are correct in assuming that the Infinitis have soft clear coats. However, this makes removing the scratches a bit easier.

In my opinion, you have two options for removing the scratches.

1) With a dual action polisher (like the Porter Cable) do a stepped approach. I have used Poorboys SSR2.5->SR1->Pro Polish before with good results. However, I am finding that the FP and FPII set from Menzerna also yields INCREDIBLE results. With any of these products, you need to read up on proper usage and working times.

2) With a rotary buffer and a WHOLE LOT of care, use any of the above products. The rotary will work much faster but has the ability to do some serious damage if not used properly.

The scratches and swirls should come out easily. The only thing that I would try to stay away from is glazing the car. Dealers like to do this as the oil-rich glazes just fill in the scratches. Once you wash it, they are gone and the scratches reappear.

-GT

 

I agree. I have used Menzerna Intensive and Final Polish and it took out most of my swirls on my previous car. I thought that it was too harsh for our soft coats?

 

I would try the FPII first and work my way coarses. I don't think you would want to use something like the Power Gloss unless you are commited to spending a LOT of time removing the marring caused by the product alone.

The FP and IP will not present any problems with the soft clear on the Infiniti if used correctly.

-GT

 

I've used IP, Micropolish (FP2), PO106FF all without problems on my G35. The IP does present some issues as it's dries quickly, is difficult to remove at times, and stains trim. PO106FF is a great alternative to IP as that is my go to polish these days when I work on cars. PO106FF is abrasive enough to remove some pretty bad marring. When used properly you can go straight to a sealant/wax as PO106FF leaves the finish flawless.

I've been mixing PO106FF and FMJ together to make a one step polish/sealant... so far so good.