Swirls/micro scratches. Dimwit poster.

[911fan]

All, Dimwit that I am, in washing the car, I seem to have caused swirly micro scratches all over the paintwork which can be seen in the sunlight up close. Is this a common thing to try and resolve, and if so, how so please? Or, am I stuck with it? Cheers.

[Orangecurry]

911fan said:

All, Dimwit that I am, in washing the car, I seem to have caused swirly micro scratches all over the paintwork which can be seen in the sunlight up close. Is this a common thing to try and resolve, and if so, how so please? Or, am I stuck with it? Cheers.

Sounds like a light machine-polish would make a big difference. Either buy one yourself or get a pro in to do it for you. I've used a Kestrel DAS6 with very good results.

What do you wash the car with at the moment?

If you don't have sheepskin 'mitts', I would recommend that you buy some of these to minimise more scratches appearing in the future.

http://www.sheepskinshop.co.uk/productlisting.aspx...

[Technomad]

911fan said:

All, Dimwit that I am, in washing the car, I seem to have caused swirly micro scratches all over the paintwork which can be seen in the sunlight up close. Is this a common thing to try and resolve, and if so, how so please? Or, am I stuck with it? Cheers.

Most of us have ended up doing that at some point, hence the existence of an extensive industry of detailers who can sort it out with a paint correction followed by a full detailing. Check out the dedicated forum: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a... for suggestions for your part of the country.

FWIW, my 911 came with not bad paintwork from OPC, but there were visible swirls and scratches. I had a stage 1 mechanical paint correction done, then a full treatment with GTechniq's products (major jihads are fought over preferred products BTW) and the car now just shrugs off dirt, bird crap and low-flying cats. So very pleased with the result, even if I was very nervous to start with about handing over my P&J to a bloke with an electric buffer and an attitude Fortunately, my local detailer's attitude turned out to be one of obsessive attention to detail, so all was well.

+1 on the sheepskin mitts/two bucket approach.

[911fan]

Cheers. Replies much appreciated. Thinking back, I used lots of spray solution for the claybar, but there might have been tiny grit bits in the clay. Approx how much does the stage 1 detail you mention cost please? Thanks.

[Boxstercol]

I had a 2 day paint correction completed on my 986 Boxster which included some areas of wet sanding to improve the appearance of previously painted panels. From memory it cost about £450. You can get a standard paint correction for light swirls from around £150.

The other option is to spend approx £20 or less on a 'filler' heavy polish / glaze. Although this will not remove them, it should 'fill ' most of them & if topped by a wax or sealant, it should look good for up to 3 months. If your car is a dark colour I can recommend Poorboys Black Hole Glaze, wonderful stuff to use & really good results. Autoglym Super Resin Polish us also good at filling swirls.

I use both of the above on a DA polisher & get really good results. Not brave enough to attack my Porsche myself with compounds so prefer to 'fill' any imperfections with glaze & top with wax.

Have a look at the Detailing World website for inspiration, however it can get addictive!

[elitedetailer]

Hi

This is actually a really common problem and we go through half a dozen 911's a month. On average it takes a couple of days to get rid of most of the marks to a good standard on a 911. If you are in London you are welcome to bring it down for me to have a look at and I can advise you. I can give you some tips etc also if you prefer to sort it yourself.

Best regards
G

[bing]

I've heard good things about elite detailer having said that I got OPC reading to do mine whilst it was in fir some work & it looks ace and swirl free