Best scratch/swirl removal

Looking for some opinions on the best paint scratch and swirl removal product available for some very fine scratches. After doing some research on a few FB groups I was told that the 3D One, Sonax, Jescar, Griot's and Meguiars Ultimate are some of the best around and according to Amazon they are all rated well with Sonax having the best rating. Anyone have any suggestions?

Sonax perfect finish on yello foam pad with DA worked well for me. Beautiful car by the way

A lot of people like Sonax perfect finish with a Meg's MF finishing or cutting disk (depends on how bad your swirls are).

Check out this vid as an example:

How does the Sonax compare to Griot's Garage's products? I plan on buying a orbital polisher and they have a deal for $199 that includes the polisher, two of their products with pads.

BTW....thanks for the vid link!

NitroBiz wrote

How does the Sonax compare to Griot's Garage's products? I plan on buying a orbital polisher and they have a deal for $199 that includes the polisher, two of their products with pads.

BTW....thanks for the vid link!

I can't personally speak to Griots products. If you haven't used a DA before - watch LOTS of YouTube vids on how to, etc. It's all about technique.

The pad type is also very important. I'm sure Griots has some good ones but again I haven't used theirs personally. I'm sure they're fine. Just get the right level of cut for the swirls on your car. I've even used Chemical Guys hexlogic pasa with great results. People also really like Rupes, Lake Country, Meguiars.

This all brings up the importance of doing a small test spot on your car before fully diving in. Try a few pad and polish combos and see which results are the most satisfactory, if so, then do the rest of the car

SoCalRPM wrote

I can't personally speak to Griots products. If you haven't used a DA before - watch LOTS of YouTube vids on how to, etc. It's all about technique.

The pad type is also very important. I'm sure Griots has some good ones but again I haven't used theirs personally. I'm sure they're fine. Just get the right level of cut for the swirls on your car. I've even used Chemical Guys hexlogic pasa with great results. People also really like Rupes, Lake Country, Meguiars.

This all brings up the importance of doing a small test spot on your car before fully diving in. Try a few pad and polish combos and see which results are the most satisfactory, if so, then do the rest of the car

That is all good info....thank you. I don't necessarily have any swirl marks (another detailer told me that they are Starbursts), they are just small fine scratches I can see under the lights.

I just went though a big paint correction and CQuarts coating this past week and used Black Fire products. I used Black Fire One Step with a green pad for light scratches and it worked amazing. Check Auto geeks forums for amazing information on detailing.

Vedubin01 wrote

I just went though a big paint correction and CQuarts coating this past week and used Black Fire products. I used Black Fire One Step with a green pad for light scratches and it worked amazing. Check Auto geeks forums for amazing information on detailing.

Cool! Thank you. I'm starting to believe that everyone is going to say good things about a lot of good products and not one is the very best. I will definitely check out the forum.

NitroBiz wrote

Vedubin01 wrote

I just went though a big paint correction and CQuarts coating this past week and used Black Fire products. I used Black Fire One Step with a green pad for light scratches and it worked amazing. Check Auto geeks forums for amazing information on detailing.

Cool! Thank you. I'm starting to believe that everyone is going to say good things about a lot of good products and not one is the very best. I will definitely check out the forum.

Autogeeks is the way to go IMHO. They have all the products and advice you could want. I got their forum favorite kit a while back and I had nice results. As you said, everyone has their favorite products, mine is Klasse's lineup (their all in one polish is my favorite). Here it is on my old Subaru.

If you want PERFECT paint on an M3 here's the recipe (This of course assumes your car is 10ish years old, never paint corrected before and has the swirls and scratches typical of a car this age): (post decon) Sonax Cutmax with URO MF cutting pad. Buy like 4 of them at one go and don't let them get too hot. Prime each pad at the start, and swap them out after every 2x2 area to let them cool off (make sure you have some compressed air and/or a brush to clean them after they've taken their turn. Run your DA at full speed, 1" per second, 4 passes per 2x2 area. Anything other than a scratch through MOST of the thickness of your clear coat is now gone. You'll have a very slight haze but that'll go away on the next step. Come behind it with a URO black finisher pad and the Perfect Finish. 2" per second, 4 passes. Your car now has brand new looking paint. Perfect Finish is an amazing product, and if you can settle with 80% swirl/scratch removal this one product with TWO step MF pad application (still going for the cutting pad first and the finisher second) will get you that. But if you wont settle for anything but microscopically perfect paint you can't leave out the Cutmax. This is only for the hard BMW and Merc clear (I've done it on both) Don't @ me that this is too aggressive for your J car's soft paint. I already know, I have a Toyota for a DD.

Obv I didn't include the protection part. I use the same Gyeon surface prep, and then because you've done what I consider a ONE TIME paint correction, you're going to want to not screw around on protection. I do Gyeon MOHS. Can't risk having to do this kind of correction again, ya feel?

Meguiar's M205 has been one of the most popular products for fine swirl removal for 10+ years. I think that says a lot.

I'd reserve M105 for heavy swirl removal or on paint that has never been polished. No use removing more clearcoat than you have to.

Megs 205 is a very fine product, and was able to sit at the top because Perfect Finish wasn't widely available in the US until a few years ago. Still brand familiarity with Sonax isn't nearly as strong as Megs.

butte2butte wrote

Megs 205 is a very fine product, and was able to sit at the top because Perfect Finish wasn't widely available in the US until a few years ago. Still brand familiarity with Sonax isn't nearly as strong as Megs.

Speaking of clear coat, I have this "cloud" on my roof that my friend seems to think it was bird poop left on there to long from the previous owner.

Griots still makes good products, if you dont have a DA polisher, Griots is a good starter unit.

My steps are : Wash -> clay -> wash -> iron-X -> rinse -> dry -> tape off/ remove trim pieces. Then use their Orange med cut pad with Griots BOSS Fast Correcting Cream, followed by the BOSS perfecting cream on a white or yellow pad. This should have you ready for a top coat or sealant of your choice.

This should be good enough for most imperfections. For deeper scratches, you may need a heavier cut compound and wool/microfiber pad. But i would start with the steps above and re-evaluate the paints condition, and whether its good enough for your personal satisfaction. The above usually takes me about 18-30 hours depending on how anal im being, and whether its my personal car, or a clients.

BayE30 wrote

Griots still makes good products, if you dont have a DA polisher, Griots is a good starter unit.

My steps are : Wash -> clay -> wash -> iron-X -> rinse -> dry -> tape off/ remove trim pieces. Then use their Orange med cut pad with Griots BOSS Fast Correcting Cream, followed by the BOSS perfecting cream on a white or yellow pad. This should have you ready for a top coat or sealant of your choice.

This should be good enough for most imperfections. For deeper scratches, you may need a heavier cut compound and wool/microfiber pad. But i would start with the steps above and re-evaluate the paints condition, and whether its good enough for your personal satisfaction. The above usually takes me about 18-30 hours depending on how anal im being, and whether its my personal car, or a clients.

For the heavy scratches with wool/microfiber pad, what would you recommend? I realize that I'm going down a rabbit hole because I am the same way, I want perfection!

NitroBiz wrote

Speaking of clear coat, I have this "cloud" on my roof that my friend seems to think it was bird poop left on there to long from the previous owner.

That looks like bird poo etching in the clear coat. You might be able to compound it out with Meg's 105 or a similar heavy-cut compound. If that doesn't work, wet sanding followed by compounding is the only thing that has worked for me.

BFZ4M wrote

That looks like bird poo etching in the clear coat. You might be able to compound it out with Meg's 105 or a similar heavy-cut compound. If that doesn't work, wet sanding followed by compounding is the only thing that has worked for me.

I've heard a lot of people recommend Meguiars #105, is it that good? I ended up going with Griot's two step process when I purchased their G9 and adding their Fast Correcting Cream with white pad.

I wouldn't know where to start with the wet sanding...could you forward me a link to do that?

NitroBiz wrote

I've heard a lot of people recommend Meguiars #105, is it that good? I ended up going with Griot's two step process when I purchased their G9 and adding their Fast Correcting Cream with white pad.

I wouldn't know where to start with the wet sanding...could you forward me a link to do that?

For me, Meg's 105 has been really effective on heavy scratches and swirls using a microfiber pad. It does create a lot of residue dust though.

Here's a good video about wet sanding from Larry at Ammo NYC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=fgHd1twCHYM&feature=emb_logo

NitroBiz wrote

butte2butte wrote

Megs 205 is a very fine product, and was able to sit at the top because Perfect Finish wasn't widely available in the US until a few years ago. Still brand familiarity with Sonax isn't nearly as strong as Megs.

Speaking of clear coat, I have this "cloud" on my roof that my friend seems to think it was bird poop left on there to long from the previous owner.

Always remember to start with the least aggressive method first, though. Your paint and clear only have so much life to them.

I was able to remove similar looking bird poo etchings from my wife's car with Sonax Perfect Finish. Try a simple cut polish. If that works - great! If not, then step up to something stronger, and so on.

SoCalRPM wrote

Always remember to start with the least aggressive method first, though. Your paint and clear only have so much life to them.

I was able to remove similar looking bird poo etchings from my wife's car with Sonax Perfect Finish. Try a simple cut polish. If that works - great! If not, then step up to something stronger, and so on.

Gotcha, that is good advice. My current action plan is Griot's Correcting Cream -> Griot's Fast Correcting Cream -> Griot's Finishing Cream -> Griot's Ceramic 3-1 Wax

BFZ4M wrote

For me, Meg's 105 has been really effective on heavy scratches and swirls using a microfiber pad. It does create a lot of residue dust though.

Here's a good video about wet sanding from Larry at Ammo NYC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=fgHd1twCHYM&feature=emb_logo

So today I went for it, I bought Griot's most aggressive compound with their micro-fiber pad and when that didn't get it done I tackled the bird poop with 3000 3M sandpaper and wet sanded the affected area. I think I got most of it out and removed but not completely. Other than wet-sanding it again, what would you recommend???