How to get rid of those scratch swirl marks on paint

D

d0n_3d

Boost is good.
Joined
Jul 14, 2001
My car especially on the hood and front grille area has these really teeny tiny fine scratch marks on the paint like it's been scrubbed with a steel wool brush and I am really annoyed by it...but have never thought I could somehow cover this problem up...

I was wondering...I am getting ready to order some Zaino car polish and was wondering does that Z-5 stuff they call it really work? it says it takes away the scratch marks to a polished finish...have any of you tried it? if not what else should i try? i definitely don't have the money right now to get the car repainted...
 
interesting websites...didn't know there was a messageboard for "men" problems...guess there are messageboards for anything!

how about zaino? anyone have luck with the Z-5 stuff?
 
i used Zaino on my 3rd gen firebird...black and it did a good job...didnt really do anything for the swirls but shined better than anything youll ever see....also used it on my 93 Grand Am GT white and same thing....now i just put some on my GN and it actually took some paint off down to the primer on my quarter panel....im unsure if it is b/c the car is not clearcoated or if it was hit and covered up b/c i just bought the car....anywho i highly recommend it....your goin to have to get the Z1 and i suggest the Z2 and Z? (finish spray) as well as the Z5 because they all work as a team.....so open up them pockets b/c the stuff aint cheap
 
When I bought my car it had 10yrs worth of fine scratches like from leaves and people leaning on the car, etc so I just buffed it with a black sponge pad and polishing compound on low speed and they all came out.. Looks absolutely beautiful now..

You could prolly buff it in a few hours, max.

Godd Luck!
ks:cool:
 
Zaino helps, but only with the most fine scratches. What Zaino will do is create a mirror-like finish that will make you forget all about the fine swirls that are left behind.....However, the more coats of Zaino you use, the more it helps the swirls. Truly amazing stuff.....Just take your time, and follow the directions.
 
3M sells a whole line of products from hand glazes to swirl removers to polishes. Both my brother and Sleeper-6 use the 3M line for their stuff and it looks great when they are done. Its just something else you can look into.
 
Don't put Zaino over the swirl marks, all you'll have is shiny swirl marks. Have the car buffed or buff it yourself. I have the Zaino stuff, and it does nothing for scratches, fine or not so fine. You need a fine compound and a real buff job, not just wax. Like kevins said. Be careful if you do it yourself, you can burn the paint. Zaino is great if you have a good finish to start with, but even on my car, it wasn't any better than a lot of the stuff I used. Not worth the $$$, IMO. If you are uneasy about buffing it yourself, take it to a detail shop or a body shop. When I was detailing cars while in school, I used a very fine compound to buff the Impala SS's we sold. (They were new then) Those cars came out awesome, to the extent that customers would go find my boss and tell him I needed a raise! And the products we used were professional grade, but not $$$ like the Zaino, but very good none the less. Good luck
 
I don't know the number of the 3 M stuff the guy used that painted my GN but it is light grey in color, and he used the light grey waffel pad. It took out all the swirl marks from the wool polishing pad. Keep the waffel pad real clean, keep it in a zip lok bag when not in use. My car has clear cote on it, don't know if yours has been repainted or is factory.
Tarey D.
 
The stuff we have here is:
3M Professional Formula
Perfect-It II
Rubbing Compound
Fine Cut
PN 051131

Its basically a fancy liquid rubbing compound but it does do wonders. My brother used it on a motorcycle plastic after he painted it to postprocess the paint. For the GN you would start there, then go to the swirl remover for dark paints (don't know that part number), and then to the polish. The results will amaze you. I'll send charles (Sleeper-6) a PM and have him post the part numbers (and correct me if I'm wrong) for the whole procedure that way if anyone else wants to try it they can. HTH
 
For GOD's sake don't use a high-speed buffer. Plus don't trust the "local paint guy" to buff it either. At best it'll look good for a few weeks then out come the swirls x 2. If your paint is original it sucks from the factory let alone 16 years of use.

Best formula I've used is McGuires #9 Swirl Remover with a D/A (dual action) buffer. It takes some elbow grease and plenty of cotton or terry cloth towels but after a coat or two of the #9, then McGuires wax you'll be in good shape. Again, original 1987 Buick paint blows so understand that no matter how much you try to polish a turd it's still going to look like a turd, just a somewhat shiny one with orange-peel.
 
Uhhhh Yup!

Alrighty then, I guess it's my turn. I've had great luck using these products by hand and a random action buffer.

Usually you can skip this step, but it's real bad I would clean it up a bit with some 2000 grit wet paper. Be Careful not to go through the paint !!
From there I use 3M Perfect-It II Rubbing compound, #39002. that alone will give you a good idea of how it will look. Next I go with 3M Perfect-It II Swirl Mark Remover #39009. At this point it usually looks great, but it still gets better. A round of 3M Imperial Hand Glaze #39007 will give you a perfect mirror look. Finally a coat of Perfect-It II Liquid Wax will protect it.
So far 3M has become my favorite stuff to work with. It's a little on the pricy side, and the bottles aren't fancy looking, but don't let it fool you, this stuff just plain works.
I have been thinking of trying the Zaino products after the hand glaze, but haven't got around to trying it yet.
 
well for the record my paint is a cheap ass $700 gloss black paint job from earl scheib in chicago...hey i was poor at the time and the factory paint was literally flaking off...one of the worst factory paint jobs i have ever seen...

the paint i have on there now is a clear coat gloss black...the best stuff he had...not great like a $3000 professional job but it is ok looking...it's at least better than stock...but i still have orange peel...

one day when i make some GOOD money for once i will get the whole car stripped and repainted professionally...until then i am trying to make it look as best as i can...
 
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