Swirl Killer Questions

[SS LeadFoot]

Getting ready to use my swirl killer for the first time. I have had it for a while now. I have the heavy correcting polish and the correcting polish. I was thinking of just using the heavy correcting polish with the microfiber pad. Is this ok or would a newer product work better? Once I get the car looking good with the heavy correcting polish is there anything I need to do before starting the ceramic coating process?

[Dan@Adams]

Hi Seth! I would recommend to do a test spot with the orange Correcting Polish and Orange Foam Pad first, as you may not need the Heavy Correcting Compound and Microfiber Cutting Pad on the whole vehicle. I paint-corrected a friend's red 2001 Camaro SS several years back and some of the car had been repainted. Most of the factory paint was medium range in terms of hardness, and I was able to polish the majority of it with the orange combo, so I would say you would be fine with the products you have and may not need the newer Compound in this case. If your old bottles have been stored in a relatively room temperature area and still seem ok after a good shake, I would say to use them up first.

The Heavy Correcting Compound will make some dust, and it will most likely leave a bit of haze, so I would definitely follow it up with at least the orange Correcting Polish and Orange Foam Pad before moving into the ceramic coating process. If it's a dark color like black or blue, I would recommend our White Foam Pad and white Polish as well, but if it's red like in your avatar, you may not need to do that final finishing polish step. 

[SS LeadFoot]

The products were stored in a garage that does get hot but I hope they are still good. It is going to be on a red car. I will prob just hit it with the microfiber pad and heavy correcting polish then the correcting polish with the orange foam pad. Can't buy the finishing polish anymore so I hope I don't need it. How will I know? This is what I have.

[Dan@Adams]

That should be perfect! Our Finishing Polish was updated and renamed to just "Polish" back in November. It's still white in color to match the white foam pad. We released "Compound" at the same time, which replaced both the Heavy Correcting Compound and Correcting Polish in your picture. 

 

The orange Correcting Polish you have finishes down very nicely with the orange pad in most cases. On a brighter color like your red, or silver, white, etc, the white Polish (or older Finishing Polish) may not be needed. It is typically used on darker colors where the orange combo might leave a tiny bit of haze behind, so the white Polish is the step to get things looking as flawless and most gloss as possible. You can certainly use it on your car, but you may not notice too much of a visual difference as you would on a darker color.

[SS LeadFoot]

Here is what I am thinking. heavy correcting with microfiber pad and then  the foam pad. Then correcting polish with orange foam pad. After that wipe down with detail spray. Then begin the ceramic process.

[Dan@Adams]

Yep, you may find that some areas may not need the microfiber pad, or that if you do use the microfiber pad you might be able to skip the blue foam pad. Just make sure to do a small test area first on the hood or trunk since every vehicle can be a little different 🙂

[Bscott94]

2 hours ago, SS LeadFoot said:

Here is what I am thinking. heavy correcting with microfiber pad and then  the foam pad. Then correcting polish with orange foam pad. After that wipe down with detail spray. Then begin the ceramic process.

Make sure you wipe down with surface prep or isopropyl alcohol before applying the ceramic. Not sure if that is included in the ceramic process or not but I want to make sure it's mentioned. 

[falcaineer]

Agreed with @Dan@Adams above. Every car is different, even same year/make/model/color. I recommend you tape off a 1'x1' section on the hood (painter tape, no locking edges) and start least aggressive; if the pain is swirled, maybe start orange/orange. See if that works with 1-2 crosshatch passes. If not, move up a step, and so on. Doing so allows you to see what most of the car will need, touching up as necessary, and preserve the most paint. It will also save time in the long run. Here's a video from @Adam that further explains the process (products at the new ones, but theory is the same).

 

Hope that helps!

 

 

[SS LeadFoot]

Thanks! I have some spots that are worse than others. My spoiler and trunk are the worst. Back bumper doesn't have any scratches but you can see a little bi and feel a lot that it is not smooth even after clay. Hope to be able to try this on Sunday. I will try and take some 50/50 shots of the spoiler. Might be hard to see the swirls though. 

[SS LeadFoot]

Follow up Question. Do I need to was with the strip wash and do surface prep before applying the ceramic coating?

[Dan@Adams]

Strip Wash may not be 100% necessary but it would help to remove any current wax layers or weaken any sealants on the surface before claying and polishing. 

Yes you do want to use Surface Prep before applying the Ceramic Coating. A 4oz bottle of Surface Prep is included in the Ceramic Paint Coating Kit, which should be enough to prep at least 3-4 vehicles.

[SS LeadFoot]

Well since I already  clayed I think I will skip the strip wash. It has been at least a year since I put anything on the paint besides detail spray and washing it.

[Dan@Adams]

Yep, you'll be fine then if the surface has already been cleaned and clayed. The Heavy Correcting Compound will cut through any remaining protection on the surface.

[SS LeadFoot]

Ok so I did the heavy correcting polish with the microfiber pads. It did a really good job removing light scratches and swirls. It didn't do a great job on my trunk though.Made it better but not unnoticeable. All in all i am really happy with the results after the first go. I do have a few questions. 

 

I noticed it was really hard to remove the polish after making a pass. I would make a few passes and it seemed the polish dried. I tried spraying it with detail spray and that worked a few times. Sometime I would just redo the area and that worked. Am I doing something wrong?  

 

Will leaving the white polish on the car hurt it? I plan to do the next step next weekend.

 

How many pads should I be using to do a car?

 

I flung polish everywhere a few times. It won't hurt the window will it? 

 

How can I get dried polish out of little areas like between the emblems? Toothpick?

 

Any advice for doing the orange pad and polish? 

 

[RayS]

2 hours ago, SS LeadFoot said:

Ok so I did the heavy correcting polish with the microfiber pads. It did a really good job removing light scratches and swirls. It didn't do a great job on my trunk though.Made it better but not unnoticeable. All in all i am really happy with the results after the first go. I do have a few questions. 

{Ray}:  I've had a few places that didn't polish up the way I was hoping and it usually came down to the damage was too bad or that I was using the wrong tool for the job.  The other possibility is that you had a dirty pad and needed a clean pad put on.  You may be surprised what a pass with finishing polish or even Revive Hand Polish may do for the trunk.  

2 hours ago, SS LeadFoot said:

I noticed it was really hard to remove the polish after making a pass. I would make a few passes and it seemed the polish dried. I tried spraying it with detail spray and that worked a few times. Sometime I would just redo the area and that worked. Am I doing something wrong?  

 

Will leaving the white polish on the car hurt it? I plan to do the next step next weekend.

 

How many pads should I be using to do a car?

{Ray}: For most vehicles, I plan on 4 pads per product, sometimes it is more and sometimes it is less.  With very few exceptions, the minimum is three pads:  (Hood, Roof, Trunk), (Drivers Side), (Passenger Side).  I usually use an older pad for doing the lower facia, back bumper and any other place that is usually pitted or marked up that might snag a pad.

 

I flung polish everywhere a few times. It won't hurt the window will it? 

{Ray}: I've slung polish more than once, the Orange correcting polish will stain a white shirt if left untreated for a few days.  When you get it on other surfaces, a little detail spray and borderless gray microfiber will usually remove it.  If it doesn't, then I tend to for the Eco All Purpose Cleaner.   If it has been left to dry, Brilliant Glaze does a good job of removing it, especially from the stainless steel weber grill and the inside of the of white garage door.

How can I get dried polish out of little areas like between the emblems? Toothpick?

{Ray}: The majority of the time, a little Detail Spray on a borderless gray towel will remove any marks or dried polish.  Alternately, I have a collection of tooth brushes that I picked up in the dollar store.  They range from super soft to hard and I try to use the softest one possible.  Using a little detail spray as lube tends to work very well by spraying the tooth brush.  The trick is to use just enough pressure to remove the dried "whatever" without marring the surface.  

 

Any advice for doing the orange pad and polish? 

{Ray}: Just take your time, do a section and move on.  Change the pad as you go from major section to section the same as I noted above.  

 

[SS LeadFoot]

Thanks for the reply Ray. I will prob hit the trunk 1 more time with a fresh pad. How do I know when to add more polish to the pad?

[The Guz]

18 hours ago, SS LeadFoot said:

Ok so I did the heavy correcting polish with the microfiber pads. It did a really good job removing light scratches and swirls. It didn't do a great job on my trunk though.Made it better but not unnoticeable. All in all i am really happy with the results after the first go. I do have a few questions. 

 

I noticed it was really hard to remove the polish after making a pass. I would make a few passes and it seemed the polish dried. I tried spraying it with detail spray and that worked a few times. Sometime I would just redo the area and that worked. Am I doing something wrong?  

 

Will leaving the white polish on the car hurt it? I plan to do the next step next weekend.

 

How many pads should I be using to do a car?

 

I flung polish everywhere a few times. It won't hurt the window will it? 

 

How can I get dried polish out of little areas like between the emblems? Toothpick?

 

Any advice for doing the orange pad and polish? 

 

 

What vehicle are you working on? 

 

You should be working an area about shoulder width apart.  What speed on the tool?  How much pressure?  

[SS LeadFoot]

The Guz we have similar cars! I am working on my Grand Prix GTX. The SS is near perfect

 

I am working on a small section at a time. I start the tool on 4 then on areas that need correcting I speed it up till 6. Very little pressure.

[The Guz]

I haven't used the swirl killer other than holding it in my hands on display at the Anaheim location.  But the philosophy should still be the same.  Microfiber pads in my experience like to be used on a slower speed with slower arm speed like speed 4 and just the pressure of the machine.  Also microfiber pads like to be primed with product to get all of the fibers coated with product.  Higher speeds and pressure will dry up the product along with the temperature and humidity one is working in.  

 

Shrink your area shoulder width apart on slow speed and see if that helps.  I have found the paints on Grand Prix's to be on the medium side and correct fairly easy even with a foam cutting pad but still need a polishing step as compounding usually leaves micro-marring behind.  

 

Have you done a test spot to see if you actually need to go this aggressive?  You could probably go straight to polishing after your correction step.  You asked about the number of pads needed.  About 6 pads for cutting and 4 for polishing for an average size car like the Grand Prix.  

 

The Camaro on the other hand has hard paint and microfiber and compound is usually needed to remove deep defects.  

[SS LeadFoot]

I will try this tomorrow. I higher speeds seemed to take away the other scratches but were not as bad as the trunk. If the swirl killer doesn't work I think I will throw in the towel. I want to try and do the ceramic coating this weekend or next.

[Dan@Adams]

Sorry I missed the replies to this thread over the weekend. 

 

Is it the Polish or the Heavy Correcting Compound that is drying on the surface? Heavy Correcting Compound will tend to do this, as it is more aggressive and will also dust some. It can leave a hazy appearance as you work in it - do 2-3 passes in each direction (left-right and up-down) in your work area. Wipe off as much as you can without straining or using too much effort to possibly scratch the surface, then the orange Correcting Polish and Orange Foam Pad will take care of the rest. The orange Correcting Polish and white Polish (current formula) should be very minimal effort to easily wipe them from the surface. 

If polish is slinging everywhere - there's a few possible reasons. Before you power on the machine, always spread the compound/polish around on the panel in your 2-foot by 2-foot or smaller work area. Only turn the machine on and off when the pad is contacting the paint surface - if you turn the machine on in mid-air, it will instantly sling polish everywhere. If you pull the machine off of the surface too early when powering it off, this can also sling polish. Make sure to always "walk-off" the machine, meaning that when you disengage the trigger or click the power button off (on the Mini), you continue to walk the pad on the surface as it slows down and stops. You need to keep the pad moving, because if you shut the machine off and keep it in one spot, then you will have a large buildup on polish in that area and it will be more difficult to wipe away.

 

You do not want to keep the white Polish on the surface for very long, especially if you aren't planning to do the next step until the weekend. Leaving it on the surface for 10-30 minutes might be ok in some temperatures and humidity, but best practice would be to remove the residue after you finish polishing a panel. For example, if I'm polishing a door and I have it split up into 2-4 sections, I will do one section, wipe away the majority of the polish while just leaving a small outline of the edge at where I stopped. Then when I go to the next section on the door, I know where to overlap the previously polished section. Then I'll wipe down the full door when I'm done.

[Dan@Adams]

1 hour ago, SS LeadFoot said:

I will try this tomorrow. I higher speeds seemed to take away the other scratches but were not as bad as the trunk. If the swirl killer doesn't work I think I will throw in the towel. I want to try and do the ceramic coating this weekend or next.

If the trunk has heavier imperfections, work in a smaller 1-foot by 1-foot area at a time, using the speeds that The Guz suggested - about speed 4-4.5 with slower arm movement, moving the polisher about 1" per second or so - almost like a slow-motion movement. Do 50% overlap with a small amount of downward pressure on passes as well, just a little bit more than the weight of your hand on the machine - not too much that it prevents it from oscillating and rotating. Make sure to monitor the temperature of the panel. Feel the panel every so often with the back of your hand to make sure that it is not getting too warm or hot - heat is what will cause clear coat strike-through.

 

With the Microfiber Cutting Pad, brush it back up after every work-area when you power off the machine. When you apply Compound to the pad, I like to spread it around on the pad with my finger some before even putting it onto the panel, to help distribute the Compound more evenly across the pad face.

[SS LeadFoot]

24 minutes ago, Dan@Adams said:

If the trunk has heavier imperfections, work in a smaller 1-foot by 1-foot area at a time, using the speeds that The Guz suggested - about speed 4-4.5 with slower arm movement, moving the polisher about 1" per second or so - almost like a slow-motion movement. Do 50% overlap with a small amount of downward pressure on passes as well, just a little bit more than the weight of your hand on the machine - not too much that it prevents it from oscillating and rotating. Make sure to monitor the temperature of the panel. Feel the panel every so often with the back of your hand to make sure that it is not getting too warm or hot - heat is what will cause clear coat strike-through.

 

With the Microfiber Cutting Pad, brush it back up after every work-area when you power off the machine. When you apply Compound to the pad, I like to spread it around on the pad with my finger some before even putting it onto the panel, to help distribute the Compound more evenly across the pad face.

 

This is what I was doing. I will have to slow down but I was brushing the pad every section sometime twice a section. I only have 1 orange pad and 1 more microfiber pad left. Can I reuse the white microfiber ones? I rinsed them out in the sink after I was done.

[Dan@Adams]

7 minutes ago, SS LeadFoot said:

 

This is what I was doing. I will have to slow down but I was brushing the pad every section sometime twice a section. I only have 1 orange pad and 1 more microfiber pad left. Can I reuse the white microfiber ones? I rinsed them out in the sink after I was done.

 

Yep, absolutely! You can reuse all of the machine pads. I have some pads that are 5 years old now. I wash them after every use. I use some Eco All Purpose Cleaner or Microfiber Revitalizer & Brightener to scrub the pads with my thumbs or the Pad Conditioning Brush, then rinse very thoroughly with water and squeeze them until just clear water is rinsing out of them. Then I like to let them air dry or I'll use the Blaster Sidekick to dry them out - this seems to create less dust during the next use too.

[SS LeadFoot]

I was able to get all the correcting compound off the car. I'll attempt to do the trunk again tomorrow then hit the car with the correcting polish over the weekend. After I do that can I wash the car with the mega foam that I have then apply the ceramic prep?  

[RayS]

It looks like Guz and Dan were able to give you the data needed.  As for cleaning the pads at the end of the day, I follow Dan's method with Eco All Purpose Cleaner, lots of water unless they rinse and the MicroFiber revitalizer followed by air drying.   I have used same pads for years and when they do get snagged or start to come apart, which is usually the velcro coming off, then I cut them apart to get under the door handle and the other odd spots that you can get to with a machine. 

 

When I buy pads, I try to get them when there is a good sale and buy 4 of each color.  The part of going this route is that you don't have to purchase them very often and you know that the group was all from the same manufacturing lot so they should work exactly the same.