[adamsd11@hotmail.com]

Basically I need help. My BMW has a lot of massive swirls and surface scratches with it being Black I notice them all the time and they're really bugging me.

I want to give my car a good detail. Its in the garage for a few days so now is the best time to have a go. I've got a rotary machine polisher to use (not sure of its brand) but I've seen it used and its fairly good.

My questions are basically what do I do? I've seen all sorts of pads, polish, compounds etc. I want to find some sort of product(s) that will be able to help me. I have the Autoglym clay bar kit that I will use to prep the surface but after then I'm kind of lost.

I've got, swirls and scratches and the black is slightly faded when I look in certain light. Ive seen pictures of detailing before and after an I really want to have a go because it looks so much better in the end.

I don't mind taking a lot of time or spending a bit of money. Someone must be able to help me?

[Otruba_843]

The first question is do you know how to properly use a rotary buffer? In the wrong hands, things can go really bad.

[adamsd11@hotmail.com]

I've watched numerous video on YouTube about the differences between polishers and how they should be used but never used one yet

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by adamsd11@hotmail.com

I've watched numerous video on YouTube about the differences between polishers and how they should be used but never used one yet

Go to the junkyard and find a few panels off of cars with decent paint. Practice with the rotary on those panels first before you try it on your own car. Using a rotary is an art on car paint and it takes a lot of practice before your results will actually come out perfect.

[Mark e90]

I had the same problems when I recently bought my car. Very severe swirls and looked horrendous. Here is some pics of mine and the results I got from a good detail.

What I used:
Meguires clay bar kit
Chemical guys - V34 + V36
Chemical guys - hybrid V7 sealant
Meguires carnauba wax

Used rotary buff with chemical guys orange waffle mop.

[adamsd11@hotmail.com]

That looks so good! How long did it take you to complete? looks like thats more than likely what I will be purchasing. That is exactly what I want.

[Mark e90]

Originally Posted by adamsd11@hotmail.com

That looks so good! How long did it take you to complete? looks like thats more than likely what I will be purchasing. That is exactly what I want.

Done it over 2 days. I washed, clayed, and the machine polishing done the first day then sealed and waxed the 2nd. So I'd say roughly 8-10 hours.
I'm a trained spray painter and have been using rotary polishers for years. However don't be scared of the rotary it's not hard and so long as it's not fresh paint you are buffing I don't see you having any problems some tips I would give would be
* clean/clay panels before buffing(don't want the buff catching any grit or tar that will just cause more swirls)
*Do not lean heavy on the buff moderate pressure is needed but try and just let the buff do the job
*machine 1 panel at a time.
* if you are using a brand new pad rub a little polish into the pad and a little spray of water can help the pad to flow.
* use good quality microfiber towels to prevent further scratches

Just take your time the chemical guys v range is amazing stuff and I don't see any reason why you shouldn't get the same results.

[adamsd11@hotmail.com]

I will let you know how I get on mark! Looks like the car will be in my garage for about a week or so now so I have a fair bit of time to have a play. Cheers

[romanonj]

I would stay away from Rotary polisher unless you want more swirl marks.. To get rid of swirls, you need either high speed orbital polisher

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-polisher.html

Or get a professional dual cone counter rotating polisher

https://www.simonizdetaildirect.com/...Head_Polisher/

In either case, orbital polishing with good compound is the only way to get rid of swirl marks. And it may take a few rounds to get rid of them completely. It is pretty hard to damage your paint with orbital polishers, but not impossible. So with extra care and time your car will be as new again.

[psnt1ol]

It takes a bit of practice to finish down swirl free with a rotary. I am not saying it can't be done.... It requires skill. Are you willing to learn by trial and error on personal vehicle???? This is a question only you could answer.

I reserve the rotary for the really nasty stuff and I do this when I am 100% certain that the car has enough clear ( Paint gauge ). I do find that I often have to use a Dual Action Polisher afterward to refine the finish on a dark color car.

These days....I rarely use a rotary. A force rotation dual action polisher such as the Flex 3401 or the Rupes 21 DA w/ a 5 inch backing plate are my machines of choice.

Before (Hood)


After (Flex 3401, LC Hybrid white pad, Sonax Perfect Finish)

[Mark e90]

It's upto you. You can see the results I got with the rotary and CG V range. The only way I can see you could permanently damage paintwork with a rotary is by burning through the paintwork but I have only ever seen this done with freshly painted panels. You would need to be a complete idiot to burn through "old paint" that is well cured. Granted it does take a while to get the feel of it. When I first started my 4 year apprentice ship machine polishing is the first thing that they teach you ( on fresh paint ! ) and same goes for all apprentices.

What I would say is run a bit of masking tape down the panel you are starting with, polish right upto the tape with whatever method you are going to use, peal the tape off then you can see exactly what kind of difference you are making.

[Elliott@DetailAddict]

Originally Posted by Otruba_843

Go to the junkyard and find a few panels off of cars with decent paint. Practice with the rotary on those panels first before you try it on your own car. Using a rotary is an art on car paint and it takes a lot of practice before your results will actually come out perfect.

+1

I remember when I had to learn it, it took some time to get used to. I'm sure if I used the rotary for the first time, nothing bad is going to happen (since I had plenty of experience with other polishers), but I wouldn't get the finish/correction I wanted. Best to just work on a junkyard piece than yours. Once you feel more comfortable, then try it out on your car.

[Mark e90]

How you getting on so far ?

[sd_luis]

use 3m three step perfect it line its very efficient and removes swirls.
step 1: perfect it compound
step 2: perfect it machine polish swirl remover
step 3: ultra fine polish

[adamsd11@hotmail.com]

So I've had a go, didn't order any chemical boys as I wanted to try it ASAP. Got some g3 paint renovator and I've just done the whole car. Most swirls have been removed however some scratches are still there. I'm going to go over it with some super resin autoglym when I've for another pad for the polisher and that will do for now. Any tips on getting scratches out? Cheerz

[sd_luis]

If you end it with the super resin polish you will get some swirl marks again
(trust me it happened to me and I applied it by hand)