Just picked up my black 2008 Ranger 4x4 from the Dealer a week ago, i am a
constuction worker so my truck is dirty most of the time. so now it is time
to wash it,because swirl marks on black paint is common how do i avoid swirl
marks. I am from Canada we have no touch car washes that spray water and
soap then rinse then dry the vehicle. does a fair job of cleaning the truck but
gonna end up using a wash mit or towel to get it really clean. before i wax it.

 

I use Zaino on my 05 black Mustang, and can still get a swirl free deep shine. I just got a Black Ranger too, so I'm going to try and stick with that stuff. (getting lazy in detailing though)
Without waxing or polishing, swirls are pretty much inevitable. A nice thick, plush mitt or towel will help out, since it can hold dirt deeper inside.

BTW, have you showed your Ranger off yet. I'd love to see it.

 

thanks for the info i guess does not matter what you do you are gonna get
swirl marks on black painted truck , i would like to show off my new ranger
but have not yet figured out how to download my pictures into a thread.I
have the ranger supercab sport 4x4 but really wanted a truck like yours ,but
my dumb wife talked me out of it ,it was not for the extra money.your truck
is hot.

 

last year i took a clay bar to my black paint and it made things look better, plus the paint was oh so smooth.

 

Meguire's swirl mark remover is what you need. I used it once..swirls don't come back now.

 

the easiest product to use is wolfgang swirl remeover and a cutting pad, if they are really bad you will need to use a heavy cutting pad. work your way down though and see what works, claybar will not help with swirls, but will make the paint much smoother, and will look better though

 

clay bar and swirl remover: once a year; polish: twice a year. and you'll be set.
clay bar doesnt remove swirls, but it helps to remove what washing doesn't.
clay bar first before swirl remover tho

 

Here's a quick tip for black vehicles: NEVER NEVER wax or polish in circles. If you do it by hand, do straight lines and where it can be done, try to do them along your line of site. For instance do side-to-side on the doors and front to back on the hood and the truck will look perfect from the front where you usually stand when you are admiring your work. Just never circles (did I say that already?) Have fun.

 

There really isn't a way to not put swirl marks into the paint espicially if you see dirt a lot. BUT, there is a way to minimize putting them in your paint. Obviously, hose down your truck fairly well before you start to get off most of the dirt/mud. I would also strongly recomend looking into a thing called a Grit Gaurd and if you want to be extra careful, get a second bucket. The Grit Gaurd will help keep the dirt from getting back onto the wash mit. Using two buckets allows you to use the first bucket to shake out the loose dirt out of the mitt and the second bucket will be just clean soapy water and your mit will be clean when you go wipe down the car again.

Ok, serious question here. Why on earth would you do ANYTHING to put scratches IN your paint? If you're doing something and it's putting scrathes in STOP!! I have never fully understood this theory of washing/waxing your car in straight lines. I mean, for this thought to work you would have to only look at your car a certain way and at a certain time when the sun hits it just right so you dont see the scratches.


Now, to remove the scratches I would recomend getting some Megiuars ScratchX. Now, you will have to use some work with this but it works wonderfully. If it doesn't get it the first time, hit it up again. Just remember, this is a hand applied product and can not fully remove deep scratches. It can help hide them but not eliminate them.

 

I don't throw out much advice here but it always seems like there's somebody just waiting to pounce... Obviously, you can't predict the exact angle to look at a truck; nor can you just have the perfect lighting. What I was trying to say - and don't take everything so literally 3.9, is that you do have primary angles of observation. You don't often stand in the bed to admire the roof, right? And you don't often hang down off the roof to look at the door. So don't wax the door in an up-and-down pattern just in case scratches or rub marks occur - get it? All of this stuff just is not that important...develop your methods, get 'er done and take a chill pill.
Enjoy, Kimmer

 

thats your answer

 

If you are waxing/polishing whatever, you shouldn't be putting any scratches back into the paint. If you are, stop because your doing it wrong. I dont know how to make that statement any more clear. Your applicator pads should be 100% dirt free and your car should be spotless(seeing as how you should have just washed it)

 

ok i have detailed cars for a couple years... most swirl marks come from buffing.. if you can find someone that really knows how to buff you will get the shine with out the swirls... holding the buffer/polisher flat is the key

 

It's been 3 months since my last wax. So this time I decided to try the Meguire's Gold class wax. Amazing!! My truck is always shiny, but I could actually tell that this stuff was better than the NXT. Didn't buff this stuff off, super easy to take off by hand. AND!!.....No swirl marks what so ever! Try this stuff out!

 

I use a professional product called Machine Bright by Ardex, its specifically made for black

 

Another overlooked tip is using micro fiber cleaning mitt, sponge or whatever and microfiber towels. May not be the complete answer but it couldn't hurt and every ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...lol I sound like an old guy, maybe I am!

 

The way most people wash their trucks cause swirls. Dirty rag. The way I wash my truck is guaranteed not to swirl. I just wait for it to rain, and the truck gets all squeeky clean... Just have to wait a while in West Tex haha...

Meguiars scratch X is full of fillers, so if you are trying to get rid of swirls, then no, it won't get rid of them. 3m intensive polish is good, Zaino ZPC is good, but most products hide the scratches, they don't get rid of them...

 

the only way to actually remove swirls, is to use a cutting compound with a buffer, everything else will help cover them.

Yes not going in circles when doing anything will make them less visable under most circumstances, yes scratch X has fillers, but is not abrasive, and wont remove any clearcoat. Yes microfiber is the best material to use on the paint make sure to stay away from the cheap costco and sams club purchase a good quality towels (I have done testing on CD-R's and the cheap ones have scratched them.

 

Scratch X has deminishing abrassives, thats why you have to work it so hard by hand. It is not a filler, it actually does work the clearcoat but you aren't going to get the same results as you would with a rotary or a DA. I use the higher end MFs and I use pepboys special 15 pack. If you're careful(as in, I make sure they are perfectly clean and they dont have any tags on them.) and use common sense then they work beautifully.

Edit: Ooo!!! I can do the reflection shot too!
(sorry about the dust on it though)

 

I never realized that scratch x had the diminishing abrasives, I just looked and you are correct on that, I could have sworn the stuff i had was just fillers maybee back when i bought it, it was i am not sure its been 6+ years since i used it, I like using wolfgang swirl remover when i am doining clients cars, basically same thing almost as scratch x then. maybee i will try it again and see how it works.

Dave

 

No worries mate, I used it when I didn't have a DA and got tired of workin it by hand on larger vehicles. Smaller ones were OK but not my fav. Its supposed to work with a DC also but I haven't tried it yet.