I have really bad swirl marks on my black 99 GS400 and I'm going to get them buffed out somewhere. Is it best to take it to my local Lexus dealer or can I trust the local detailing shop to do this. The local place said they can get them out easily for $100. Anybody have any experiences?

 

Let a professional detailer do the job.. Black is the hardest to get swirls out of so I rather use a professional.. If not sure look at some of the work they have done in the past at your local detail shop.. Just my 2 cents!

 

I agree with 2SAVVY. Get a professional detailer to do it. I had a black car once that was hard to keep the swirl marks out so i took it to a detailer and he got the swirls right out. Also ask the detailer what he uses so you don't have to go to him all the time.

 

I am a pro detailer , and the important thing is to ask them what they use and what they DON'T use. Make sure they use a fine polish that will level them, and not a GLAZE or wax with some type of fillers, be it oils etc. If they charge you $100 they should simply polish them out , and then you can add a wax or polymer sealant afterwards, such as Zaino etc. Tell them you want NOTHING in the form of wax on it after swirl removal, this way you can be ( somewhat )assured they aren't hiding the swirls temporarily.Tell them NO GLAZES.

The difference here is plastic surgery ( not so odd since urethane clear is a form of plastic ) or make-up. The "plastic surgury"part is the route you want to go, removing them by leveling the swirls out with a mild abrasive polish. The "make-up " would be if they simply decided to "cover up " the swirls with a hand glaze etc, wich would - like make up-only last as long as the car stayed dry. After the first wash it would be gone, and your swirls would be back, and you'd be $100 lighter for the priviledge.
Many unscrupulous detailers have done this to people. Mostly hit and run guys. A shop usually has a reputation so good ones don't do it. Ask around about them, and ask THEM for references, phone #'s etc... people that have recently had work done. After all, it's YOUR paint . Not trying to scare you, you'll do fine, just trying to give you info. If the place knows that you know this stuff, they'll be on notice to do you right. Good luck!

 

I AGREE!!!!!

 

Guitarman,
Thanks for the good info! Do you have any polishes you recommend, or ones to be avoided?

 

Perfect-It by Dupont, no silicones gets out scratch/swirls does not fill it in! Marks do not come back after washing.

 

Cool, thanks Gerald! I might as well add one more bottle to the growing collection Recommendations on where to buy?

 

mumbles - The Griot polishes, both hand and machine, are very good as well. By the way, don't just figure that these swirls are a defect in the paint and once they are gone, they are gone forever. Anytime you wash or more importantly, dry your car, you will likely start the swirl process again. With the exception of removing a wax haze, try to never use a dry anything on your car. The small particles of dirt are the same particles as used in sand paper and when they are trapped between the car and your cloth, they scratch. Polishing to remove them is about the only option, other than a fill in glaze and there are reasons to use them as well, but it is not possible to be able to be done indefinitely, there is only so much paint on your car and every time you polish you remove some of it, the high spots, to hide the swirls, the low spots (and that is the reason to use some of the glazes). Before you regret your choice, every paint does it but the dark colors are just far more noticeable. Hey Mean Gene, anything to add? How is the Griot's book?

 

RON430,
Thanks for the reply. I know the swirls will never be totally gone, but I'm always on the prowl for a good product.

 

You can buy Perfect-It (approx. $20) at any automotive paint supply place that carries Dupont products. Here in Richmond its Virginia Paint.

 

I agree with all the advice, you guys are definitely informed.

Try to use back/forth motions rather than circular. Use only 100% cotton terry towels. CANON and FIELDCREST are the real deal. Some others say "100% cotton " and they have binding and sometimes polyester fillers also. If you use a microfiber towel, buy a quality brand like Miracle towel or Viper. For grins, test your towels etc. out on an old CD. If it scratches the CD recorded surface, don't use it on the car. No, it's not the same composition as urethane clearcoat, but it's not a bad baseline measurement.

I use 3M products on swirls.Start out mild and go coarser, but not too coarse for swirls. Sometimes, if the swirling is severe, you must use something with more bite than a strict "swirl remover" . They are typically pretty mild polishes. 3M makes "Finesse-It ll Finishing material" and it's very good at smoothing them out , by machine or by hand. Anything you do by hand will have to be done 2-3x or more to achieve the same results as by machine, but it can be done. When you polish, work in the direction air flows over the car at speed, front to back etc.

The main thing, when you get the car's paint the way you want it, is to use caution and think about it everytime you take a towel or wash mitt to it. Use 2 buckets of water when you wash, 1 for soap application, the other to rinse the mitt after you soap again. use a different mitt on the lower parts of the car...all the usual stuff most know by now. Cheers.

Black is beautiful when it's clean. Here's my 1989 T Bird Supercoupe, I painted and buffed out myself. It will stay in the family even after we get our GS400 in the next few months.

 

mumbles - Just to be clear, of course you can get rid of them. All depends how much you want to spend getting rid of them and then keeping them out. Just go to a concours and take a peek. The reason for the pure cotton over synthetics is the softness but if it is dry and/or has trapped dirt in it, it will swirl the bejeezus out of the surface of the car just like a cheap towel. As sort of an experiment I am trying something to dry my car called the Absorber. I have to tell you that when I opened it up I thought it would be horrible but so far it is doing a reasonable job but it has to be kept wet and requires the same touch as a shammy to use. bad-gs400 - Depending on how bad they are, getting all the swirls out for $100 would be a buy in my neck of the woods. This is one of those areas where skill is definitely involved and it takes a while to learn it. I try to be as careful a shopper as anyone but I respect the skills required for certain jobs and realize I have to pay for it. Most times it is cheaper to get it done right the first time and polishing a dark color car is absolutely one of those areas where it probably doesn't pay to go low buck. Not saying your guy is incompetent but if he gets the job done for $100, it sounds like a deal. Good luck.

 

Just wanted to say thanks to Guitarman for all the great advice on detailing.. That is why I love Club Lexus because you always find something new to learn and someone here can find a way to do something better and 9 times out of 10 they share it with the rest of us!

Thanks again!
You'll love your GS when you get it!

 

see the maintenance forum for additional replies on this subject.... if you want it done right, do it yourself!