Posted: 1/23/2008 11:12:15 AM EDT
| I've got a black truck. The dealership washed it (after I told them not to, long story for another time). Well there is fine scratches on parts of the truck in the clear coat. They're not deep scratches but fine marks in the clear coat. I see a lot of black cars that have this, Now how do I remove them???? |
Drive it down a gravel road and get it dusty. Not trying to be a smart ass, but how many bright shiny cars do you see that don't have fine swirl marks if you look at them just right. Black is the worst paint for that. Get it dirty. Its a truck, afterall. |
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You need to polish the surface to remove the swirls. I highly recommend ZAINO. This stuff was recommended by some motor sports enthusiasts here at work, and I've been using it on my cars/truck ever since. For removing swirls, I use the Z-PC Paint Cleaner Swirl Remover Polish with my 6" DeWalt right-angle RO sander and two grades of foam buffing pads. Follow that up with a couple of coats of Z-2. The DeWalt and Porter Cable RO sanders are highly recommended, and I happened to have had the DeWalt already. Lake Country makes some really good pads. |
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Wax the truck in the following manner: Apply the was in about 2 foot squares at a time. Use a cross pattern, left to right and up and down. When that section is almost dry to a haze re-apply a second coat of wax over that coat (same cross pattern.) Wipe off immediately and move on to another section. |
I have the same problem with my black '07 Audi A4. I let some hack detailers "wax" it. It depends on how deep the swirl marks are. It might be something a body shop needs to fix. I was told they would have to wet sand the clear coat a bit and then rebuff. All for $600-$800 I am trading the car in later this week and buying a Silver Tundra. 
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I have a black GTO, so I know all about the swirls. I'll give you a quick breakdown. First you need to clay to get rid of any surface grime (after washing of course). This will prep the surface for the machine polish. It will also remove any old wax or sealant on the paint. The machine polish or "buffing" is next. I would recomend a Porter Cable Random Orbital polisher for someone who is just starting. It is very safe and your risk or burning the paint is minimal. You will need pads for your buffer. There are diffrent grades of pads with more aggressive cuts, as well as fine polishes and aggressive compounds. Experimenting with pad/ploish combos is the best way to find something that works best for your paint. After that you can top it with a sealant (leave it and forgett it for a few months) or wax (usually needs to be reapplied monthly). Keeping it swirl free after the wash requires good wash soap, proper mitts, waffle weave drying towls and usually a two bucket method, and you should be good for 6ish months (evenwith those techniques, I see my swirls coming back uaully in 4 months, it's really unavoidable with black paint). I'd suggest checking out autogeek.net for supplies and how too's. They also have a detailing forum with all sorts of hints and product reviews. ETA: This is just a really rough breakdown, there is a ton more to get involved in. If you have a product question or any questions really, you can ask here or send me a IM. |