I dont kno if anyone else noticed, but the paint on the BlackO G35 really does suck especailly in direct sunlight. I have a lot of swirl marks and some minor scratches. Has anyone brought there car to a detailing place and let them handle. I wax once a month but still see little results.

 

Yes a GOOD detailing shop can have those swirls out in notime(actually a day) and your car can look new, however if you're DIY kinda person get the porter cable (very safe compared to rotary for begineers) and Poorboys Swil remover 1 or 2.25 depending on the swirls you have. I do mine myself and am quiet pleased with the results. Here a few pics of my car after a quick 2-3 hour detail. Pics

 

get the meguirs 3 stage setup

stage 1 is paint cleaner
stage 2 is paint polish
stage 3 is wax

it completely remove swirls and marks.

add in a claybar and 3m scratch remover(in tough areas) before the stage 1 and you will have an immaculate car with better paint than it was new x1000 do it once a year, but make sure to wax every 3 months to maintain.

i did it in may and am about to do it in october. keeps the pop, shine, and fluff going strong.

 

I've been using Menzerna's products and am very pleased with the results. I didn't get all the deep swirls out but I haven't gone very aggressive either. So far I've used the Intensive Polish and Final Polish II on orange and white pads. Follow that up with FMJ by hand or on a gray pad. Finally, I used Migliore wax at last detail and so far I am very, very pleased with the results.

 

Hey Ivory is your car garaged?

 

I bought an '08 G35 last month. Then I started reading all about detailing on this site. Yikes. I had never heard the term clay bar, didn't realize there was a difference between waxing, polishing, sealing, etc.

Never even heard the term swirl before, either. Thought my car was defect-free (except for the orange peel effect [heard of that one before )

Then today I get down to near eye-level with the roof and trunk (with strong sunlight from the side) and notice swirls all over those sections.

I've had the car for 6-weeks. It spends most of its time in the garage and I haven't washed it yet. I assume the swirls come from the dealer prep, right? I was hoping to avoid using an orbital polisher on the car. I figured it would come without swirls and if I went through proper procedures I wouldn't have to bother with the contraption.

However, I guess the only way I can permanently remove those swirls, as opposed to filling them in, is with a polisher, correct? Once they're removed and I properly detail the car I should be free of those rascals, right? If so, it seems like a waste to purchase a polisher for a one-time deal. Or do swirls sometimes find there way on a car even with the most careful of washes?

 

For the most part, you are correct. The dealer almost 99% of the time puts the swirls into the car. Thats why a lot of people ask for dealers to not prep the car when they're sold. You can get rid of the swirls in two ways. A rotary polisher or a random orbit polisher. The random orbit polisher is idiot-proof, it won't burn the paint or anything. The only bad thing is that it can't remove all the deeper defects. The rotary on the other hand takes care of all of that, but you need to be careful as it can't burn the paint if not used carefully. My advice is to get a Porter Cable 7424 to start off with as it should take care of most of the lighter stuff, and then move on to the rotaries. I wash the G once a week in the spring - summer and during the winter as much as I can. I dry it with quality microfiber towels, after a while I still get a few swirls here and there. Thank god we have an IP though. It's definitely worth it imo to get a polisher, because detailing shops charge hundreds for a detail that a lot of the times isn't done right unless you go to a reputable detailer. So if I were you, I'd pick up a polisher and some compounds and polishes and you should be set, you get a lot more satisfaction doing it yourself knowing you did it right. Just my .02

Brendan

 

Thanks for the advice xfator78. I'll order the PC. The microfiber towels, etc. are already on their way.

Wish I had known about this detailing stuff sooner!

Before noticing the swirls I had ordered a light finishing polish that can be applied by hand. Now, obviously I'll have to order something different. I see IvoryPearl's recommendation, but out of curiosity, what do use?

 

sorry, alil late on the reply

yea its i keep it and the wifes car in the garage. I work nights and the car sees day light on weekday mornings at a minimum. gets modest sun on the weekends. it is my daily driver, so depending on weather conditions, it might see rain once every 3-4 weeks since our summer rains are in the afternoon only maybe 3 times a week, and off season rains come in WAVES once every two weeks for a full day.


i wash it good on fridays. and either spray/shammee-----or quick detail/microfiber on saturdays. quick wax every 2 months. full 3 stage every 6 months. swirl marks are to a minimum-pearl pop is to a maximum-and "fluff" is always there. in some shows, i have been asked if its a custom paint job. Thanks Mequires 3stage

 

For stage 1 are you using Deep Crystal System Paint Cleaner? Also, is there a reason you are using 3m Scratch Remover as opposed to Meguiar's ScratchX?

 

I don't personally own one, but I'm a part time detailer/lot boy at the local nissan stealership, and I use the Makita 9227 rotary with Lake Country 5.5 inch pads. We use a variety of Menzerna line and Meguiars line products. If it were up to me, I'd go menzerna, they make good quality products. Make sure to give the car a good wash before and as well as clay, otherwise your just making a big mess. Depending on how heavily swirled your car is, you may only need one compound, and one polish. I'd top it off with a good sealant/wax. My vote for sealant goes to the Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket. We use that on the cars that get treated with the brush that I wouldn't use on the wheels of any of my families cars. They get heavily swirled, etched, and bird dropped on, they sit out for months. Once they get sold, we give them a decent polish and top it off with the Menzerna FMJ. Works well, had customers come back just for details.

Brendan

 

i had the 3m scratch remover lying around. it works well enough. once its used up, i will go with the meguires scratchX.

i only use it if i have some deep scratches. i have only had to do it on past vehicles. so far, the G only needs claybar on dirty upper surfaces(roof/hood/trunk/window sills/maybe tops of fenders). gets that settled in grit out.

then i will meguires 3stage.

 

Completely agree about the Meguir's 3 stage kit. I used it on my last car and the results were great. I certainly plan on using it for this one too....just haven't made it to the 3 month mark for the first wax

 

where can i find 3 stage kit??? my car has a lot of swirls and deep scratches...

 

you don't necessarily need to get a 3 stage kit. Go on detailedimage.com . They're a forum sponsor and I think it's 10% off discount for G35driver members. They carry poorboys world products which are decent, but they also have menzerna. Go check it out.