I have a Black 09 GT/CS and it has a ton of swirl marks and light scratches. I took it through the automatic touch-less car wash last winter to get some of the road salt off and the 2 guys that work there thought it would be a good idea to rub there brushes all over the dry dirty car. I have already clay barred the car, applied McGuires polishing compound by hand, then McGuires NXT gen 2.0 wax. It has made it a lot better but I can see a lot of the scratches still in the sunlight. I have thought about getting the Turtle Wax Black Box, would this help my swirl and scratch problem? I have also considered getting some kind of buffer, anyone have a suggestion on something I can get locally and not spend a fortune?
Buffer/Black Box question
- Thread starter myoung84
- Start date
DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
It will probably help, but the only way to really get rid of them is to polish them out using a professional buffer or a lot and I mean a lot of elbow grease. To give you an idea it took me 5-6 hours with a Porter Cable 7424 and M205 to get all the scratches and swirls out of mine that the "pro detailer" that the body shop used put in them from washing it with a dirty sponge.
I could have probably done it faster if I would have used a more aggressive polish first then went to the 205 but then again that's 2 full polishings so not much difference IMO
So, no, the black box will not get rid of the scratches only cover them up for awhile and probably not hide nearly all of them anyway
Steedman07
Classified's Moderator:)
You skipped the most important part in removing swirl marks. You went right to polishing compound then wax. Get you some SwirlX and/or Ultimate compound. WHen thats done, then you use polishing compound, then wax it..The polishing compound will get out some light stuff, but not heavy swirl marks and scratches, thats what Swirl X and Ultimate Compound are for..
I'm going to the auto parts store now to get both those products. If I use both which one should I apply first? Can I put both on with a buffer? I haven't buffed a car in a long time, do I apply the product with the buffet then remove with my microfiber towel or do I remove with the buffer too?
Steedman07
Classified's Moderator:)
Use a DA buffer..I would try the Ultimate Compouind with a DA first, and I would remove it with 100% cotton terry cloth towel. If you still have swirl marks(Look at it under direct sunlight), then try the Swirl X. If that doesnt work, then I would talk to a proffesional, cuz I sure am not giving advice on a high speed buffer, lol..The DA is fool proof, it wont burn your paint. In other words, you cant fuck it up with a DA..
DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
Acually, anything that has any cut to it is considered a polish. Ultimate Compound is a "polishing compound" and so is Swirl-X
M205 isn't as agressive as the Ultimate Compound, but both are polishes and both will work great to get out the swirls. However, with the Ultimate Compound, you probably will need to follow up with a fine polish like the M205 after to get it to a mirror finish.
But bottom line, you have to use a polish like M205, Swirl-x, Scratch-x, Ultimate Compound, M105, etc. to actually get rid of the problem. What ever combination you choose is up to you, but if you use something aggressive follow it up with a fine finishing polish to make it super slick. Just like sanding with coarse then going to fine at the end
After any polish you need to use wax or sealant to add protection to the paint.
Polish only gets rid of the scratches, but it has no form of protection
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Steedman07
Classified's Moderator:)
Nice!!!..Remember to apply the Meguiar's polishing compound by hand..You can use the DA for ultimate compound, swirl X and final wax. Just dont use the same buffing pads. What pads did you get?
DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
I hope you didn't get one of the Walmart jobs
If you don't have a professional grade buffer you might as well do it by hand. The cheap Wally world ones do not generate enough heat and friction to effectively break down the polish.
It's like trying to use a golf cart to outrun an S7
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DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
Steedman, I'm worried. . . He says he bought a 10" from an autoparts store. I'm thinking since it's a preset size he's gone and got himself a toy for $30
Steedman07
Classified's Moderator:)
I think you are right. Its one of those big ass tank looking buffers, lol..Well, at least he cant hurt the paint with it, it just wont be very effective..
DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
True, maybe he'll come back on here before he uses it and can go get his money back, lol If not, he's right. . . He IS in for a long day
DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
If the Ultimate Compound doesn't work then the Swirl-X probably won't either considering the level of cut of each.
But yeah, listen to Steedman and start with the Ultimate Compound and take it off with either a TCT or MF I prefer MF, that's all I keep in my shop.
The Ultimate Compound WILL work to get out the swirls, guaranteed!!! But the question is how YOU use it. It's got quiet a bit of cut to it so there is no way in hell it won't work if you use it correctly.
The M205 isn't nearly as aggressive as the Ultimate Compound and I very rarely have to use anything but M205.
I did have one of the cheap buffers and even though it wasn't the professional high speed buffer, it still did OK. It's not 100% fixed, but it's much better than it was with using only the Ultimate compound. I think my master plan is to eventually take it to the body shop and have them paint on some nice stripes and professionally restore the paint.
DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
Do what you will, but for the price of having your paint done one time (which on a black car lasts a couple of weeks, lol) you can buy almost everything you need to get started yourself and then you can do it anytime you want to yourself.
If you do this stuff yourself you'll probably do a better job than you will pay somebody to do, anyway. Unless you're shelling out several hundred bucks at a pop.
I so wish I had some pix of my car when it came back from the "pro" the dealership sent it to (before they asked me)
Swirls all over, I mean the car looked like a hologram, lol I even took it back to them after I spent a day polishing and waxing it and showed them. So, you know what, now if they have an expensive black car, they call me 45 minutes away instead of the guy across the street.
All you need to get started is. . .
Porter Cable 7424 buffer
A backing plate
about 4 pads (2 tangerine,2 finishing pads either black or blue)
a bottle of a good polish M205 is my pick
some microfibers
blue painters tape
pad cleaner (like $1.60 a pack)
Probably $200 ish and you never have worry about it anymore. You can watch u tube videos and learn how to use the buffer, it's easy on a DA, anyway.
Course you'll want to buy more stuff down the road, but with the above stuff I listed you can easily make your car look like its new
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