Luna

iTrader: (6)

Hey guys, I just washed my car today and the swirl marks in my paint are really starting to get to me they are really kinda bad its pretty obvious to me that the previous owner did a horrible job of taking care of the paint. But I just ordered a mothers claybar and I will claybar and wax it on tuesday. Will the claybar take alot of these swirl marks out? Should I use some scratch x after the claybar and before the wax? Also I think this car has probably never been claybared so this could make a really big difference what do you think? Also I know there is all kinda info in stickys but do you all have any advice for claybarring especially seeing as this is probably this cars first claybarring ever. Thanks alot guys

Black98Z28

iTrader: (8)

pick up some polish i recomend Klasse since u get a lot for 20 bucks...and pick up a porter cable or a rotary buffer....and buff out those swirl marks...then get a sealer and put on some carnuba wax it will give it that wet look...i need to do this aswell...hope this helps

Klasse http://www.autopia-carcare.com/kus-kla-10.html

Sealant http://www.autopia-carcare.com/kus-kls-gla.html

and just use any type of carnuba wax...best bang for the buck would be mguiars NXT tech wax

and if u dont have a buffer (orbitals are horrible) pick up one from harbor freight
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46507
or
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92623
hope that helps...

Ell Ess Won

You will keep touching your car after the claybar because it feels so slick. Trust me.

6']['9

iTrader: (2)

Will the claybar take alot of these swirl marks out?
No, only a polisher or a PC will remove swirl marks.
Should I use some scratch x after the claybar and before the wax?
if you do use the scratchx then yes after the clay but before the wax.
Also I know there is all kinda info in stickys but do you all have any advice for claybarring especially seeing as this is probably this cars first claybarring ever. heres an article on detaling clay. Detailing Clay

2000blackta

iTrader: (16)

all of the info above is dead on. i however, didn't have an orbital polisher. here is a link if you don't already have the polisher or don't have the funds to get one that should help out. all of the work in these pics is done by hand.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearance-detailing/340385-new-zaino-swirl-remover.html

Luna

iTrader: (6)

I see you used some zaino swirl remover , have you tried meguiars scratch x? If so how much better is the zaino ?

Oh I had another question, All these products say you should do it out of direct sunlight the only possible place for that is in my garage so my question is will claybarring make a mess all over the garage floor ?( my parents are kinda **** about the garage ) Sorry for the noobie questions but gotta learn somehow ! Thanks guys

Mr Incredible

I did the claybar thing on my car for the first time about a week ago. Here's what I learned...

Wet and soapy is good for claybars as well as for girlfriends. Keep the area you're working on wet & soapy. It's cheap, don't scrimp. Just don't get mixed up and try to claybar your girlfriend.

Work your way around the car a panel at a time. Don't miss any part. Don't go at it haphazardly. Be methodical.

If you don't keep it wet and soapy it will come off onto the car. Pick it back up with the clay bar. Don't press too hard.

Did I mention wet & soapy?

Keep turning the bar over on itself to show a clean area to the car. When in doubt, turn it out.

You'll be able to tell how much stuff you're picking up in a matter of seconds due to 1) the bar is getting dirty, and 2) the surface feels smoother every time you rub over it.

My car was more shiny after the bar and wax than it was in the past. I'm a convert.

KALEL

I washed, clayed, intensive polish, final polish, glaze wax. This is what you get.

Before:







The GOODS:









All of this was done today

00firebird

iTrader: (3)

i dont know what these guys are talking about the only thing better than the orbital buffer is the rotary but if you dont know how to use that you can do more damage than good. but to hurt the car with the PC 7336 or 7424 (same machine different size backing plate) you almost have to try to damage it. ive probably spent about 300-400$ on detailing supplies so far, but its worth it. cheaper than a new paint job, and if you do it right it can look just as good. i would reccomend getting the porter cable 7336 or 7424, (around 100$), an easy abrasive polish to work with, id recommend poorboy's SSR 2.5, (about 12$ )and then SSR1 after that, all poorboys products are very easy to work with. and then a sealer wax and you're all set. you'll also need some pads for the machine, (around 8$ each) get an agressive one to use with the ssr 2.5, and a lighter polishing one for the ssr1.
once u do all this ul want to work on maintaining it, get some quality microfiber towels, www.pakshak.com is a good place, and a good place to get all the stuff i mentioned is www.exceldetail.com, ive ordered from them, very fast shipping. and of course you should be able to pick up the PC at any local hardware store. when i got into all of this i knew about just as much of you, it just takes time and effort.

here are some old pics of my car,




heres some recent ones

KALEL

He's right. I used a porter cable, Menzerna polish, and microfiber towels from pakshak.com(great stuff)

DO NOT GET AN ROATARY BUFFER! YOU CAN TAKE THE PAINT OFF IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL!

DanDan

iTrader: (2)

I use Scratch X and love it! Ive never tried Zaino but i think i might, because everyone gives it an A+

317indy

The reason you have so many swirls is because you wash and dry it with the wrong products.

Black98Z28

iTrader: (8)

yep....or rubbing the paint when there is dirt on it...using non-cotton towels etc...

Luna

iTrader: (6)

It was all swirled up when I got it, I only wash it with a sheepskin mitt and dry it with those absorber towels, I think most of the damage was done by the previous owner

cthomas

A few tips when using the claybar...... Break the clay into 1/3 peices instead of using the whole bar, the main reason for this is if you EVER drop the clay you MUST throw it away, do not reuse it if it ever hits the ground. As mentioned above use plenty of lube either soapy water or the detail spray that comes with it. Also don't forget to do your windows (especaily the windshield) it will make them look and feel like new by getting all the contaminates off, just like it does the paint. If you don't have a PC, then ScratchX is a good choice for getting the most swirls out by hand, when you use scratchX though you have to work it hard, the abrasives break down fast, so rub it really hard when you apply it and try using a peice of terry cloth instead of a foam applicator (it's alittle more aggressive) you may have to apply it 2-3 times to get all the swirls out, but it will take them out (clear coat is very hard). A PC and polish will be much easier and faster, but this will give you giood results by hand. Then after all of this you need to wax of course, if your buying OTC then NXT is one of the best products out there IMO.

2000blackta

iTrader: (16)

i'm not saying that doing it by handis better. all that i am saying is that if he didn't want to go out and buy a PC or something else, he could get more than acceptable results doing it by hand. just giving him another option. your car came out amazing by the way! have you tried the zaino swirl remover with the PC yet?

2000blackta

iTrader: (16)

there is no comparison between the scratch x and zaino. i personally haven't used any of the other scratch removers that are mentioned in this thread, but judging by the pictures i would say that any one of them would be a good choice. and nope, you should be fine claying in the garage.

KALEL

Scratch X will only hide your swirl marks, not remove them. A terry cloth is not fine enough to apply it. It can in fact ADD marks to the paint. I had used Meguiar's professional line(including Scratch X) when I first polished my car. I got maybe 30-35% of the swirls out. After using Menzerna I have no swirls, and even some of the nastier scratches came out. About 85-90% of all marks are gone. You can see from my pictures what results I have. I even took a high intensity light and placed it right up on the car to show any remaining marks.

Luna

iTrader: (6)

I knew that scratch x only covers it up ( like fills it in right?) and it eventually wears away but if I use a synthetic wax over the scratchx it should last at least as long if not longer than the wax right ? of course I would put carnauba wax over it because I don't like the way synthetics look but is that a good idea or not ?

Chris95Z

iTrader: (3)

the swirl marks will not go away right away, you will need to keep up on doing a quality job with washing and waxing over time to remove the swirl marks, if you are not experienced with a buffer don't bother as it can make things worse easily. Invest in some good microfiber cloths a quality polish and some good carnauba wax.