Ajserrano

I have a Sebring Silver and my problem is I can only see the swirls at night under parking lot lights. My paint is very well maintained and I get completely happy when it shines, but then I'll park it and when I walk back to it, "!@$!@" , a little swirl!!!!!!! Then I can't sleep for days.

What methods do you use to make swirls visible when polishing. I don't have a garage so so creativity will be appreciated. I've heard that flourecent light make them jump out. If so how do I rig one up? Do they sell a battery operated flourecent flashlight?

wanabe

from reading your post my first thought is:
this guy has what it takes to be a real wacko like us!!

you dont need to see the swirls while you are removing them...

the first step is inspection of the car after you wash it. if you see too many swirls (that means when they bother you) then its time to remove them.

removal is a process that involves working polish until it degrades enough to remove a small amount of clear coat. as this happens, you can not see your paint at all. its not until you are finished and then buff off the paint that you get to see the swirl free paint!

so, i think you have your own solution- seeing them in the first place is what matters...




need tips on the removal process?

Ajserrano

"this guy has what it takes to be a real wacko like us!!"

Thanks!!!! Yeah, I'm spotted all over Miami cleaning my car on the side of the road while I'm in between apointments.

Sabre

I recall reading somewhere that flourescents show certain swirls. Incandescents show "different" swirls, so it is always a good idea to use both types of lighting, on top of regular sunlight which can show a whole host of OTHER swirls (again, I am trying to recall a foggy memory of something I read way back when).

Could try to get some free-standing lamps like they use in construction for both types of bulbs perhaps? Or some clamp-on types if you have a place to attach them to where you can aim the light on the car.

Just a thought

wanabe

absolutely great ways to spot swirls before you polish...

i took his question to be how to spot swirls while you are polishing... and you cant see them cause the polish is covering them!

Ajserrano

I like the sound of that. Kinda like a model photo shoot, but for polishing. I can see it now.

This is the type of info I was looking for. It's hard to see the swirls when you want to find them to know if you need to polish. They always get you when you least expect it.

Hey guys, do you think there are swirls in Heaven? I think not. Swirls are hard to see on white. The devil is red, I bet he needs a serious polishing! (Just having a little fun.)

Sabre

Depending on the setup he has, he can keep the lights handy (or use them as his lighting to do the job) to check before and right after polishing to see if he needs to do another pass since the swirls will be immediately noticeable.

I saw a video about a high end detailer in europe (was talking about a $6500 wax job) and he had a handheld florescent lamp like the construction housings, and would polish, buff and then go over it with the lamp to inspect the paint and do another application if necessary.

s98d7fs

I've seen a picture of a metal structure (more like an arbor for a garden), but it was rigged up with tons of lights (flourescent and incandescent). The idea being, you park the car under this thing and there's nowhere for the swirls to hide... either that... or with all that light, the heat melts the clearcoat a bit and the swirls just level out. Either way, it was way coo.

Anyway, picking up some halogen worklights at Home Depot or Lowes really help at finding swirls. Not sure about the battery operated part, but they've got a pretty good selection of stuff and maybe you could rig something up if you were still gung-ho about it.

I've got a 1000w worklight (on sale for 30 bucks), so I set that up in the garage and close the door/windows to make it ninja dark. You can actually see the light haze left by a stronger polish/pad combination with the lights. I definitely enjoy mine.

thetz99

I have flourescent dual bulb fixtures in my garage that I supplement with a dual halogen setup that shines from the side of the car. Swirls standout when I view the surface from an angle even on my silver accord.

robs_silver_s2k

I use these

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.js...=23904&id=14558