So I recently let my best friend borrow my s for the week while I was out of town, cause I completely trust him driving it and his car was recently wrecked in an accident (not his fault) and he needed some transport. Anyway, as a thanks for letting him borrow it, he decided he would wash and wax it up nice before giving it back to me. This was a very nice gesture of him, however, there is a now a significantly noticeable amount of swirlage that defiantly was not there before. I asked him what he used and he said he hand waxed it with Meguires "Ultimate" liquid synthetic polymer wax, and "buffed" with new microfibers. Im not sure if he was applying/buffing it too aggressively, or the micros he used were actually not new or had debris in them, but there are swirls everywhere. Now, my paint is FAR from pristine, and honestly, I'm not super upset about it. I was hoping someone could point me to a good DIY swirl removing or paint restore topic so I can get some shine back. Also, he gave me the rest of the Meguires he used. Is that a brand that works well on the S? I've done a bit of boat detailing, but I have only had my s for about 5 months and have yet to do any waxing myself, although Im sure there are many similarities Im still apprehensive putting a buffer to my car. Any input is appreciated....Thanks!

Edit: I should note that I have an 02 Ap1 NFR, and that I'm a noob when it comes to detailing cars, my only experience is with yachts lol

 

It may be tough linking you to a specific topic, but if you're serious about "fixing" the paint on your car, I highly suggest investing in a Dual Action (DA) polisher, some pads for it, and a quality polish and wax. Your car is an 02 and assuming it's never been repainted or corrected over the years, it could probably use a nice polish anyway.

There are basically 3 types of product. Compound, polish, and wax/sealant. The compound and polish will have vary degrees of correction ability (or abrasiveness, if you will). Our paint is VERY delicate, so you often don't need a hardcore compound. Test a spot with a polish that has some correction ability first. If it doesn't get rid of most of the swirls, go to a compound. First, you have to clay the car to get impurities off. Then, compound the whole car, then follow up with the polish which will take out any marring caused by the compound, then seal it all in with a wax.

Please do some research first as to which pads and products to buy. As far as being apprehensive about putting a buffer to the car, the Dual Action polishers are super safe and basically idiot proof. It's the ROTARY polishers that you don't want to touch unless you're highly experienced. These days, a DA polisher and the right product can get just as good of a result as a rotary.

Read up on some detailing forums, but it isn't that hard to get the hang of.

 

Here is a link that will give you a whole world of information - some of the video's are from Mike Phillips, who is a well-respected authority on this stuff.
http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

Good advice from redwing497 above. Basically:
1. Get a DA polisher (not a rotary)
2. Wash
3. Clay Bar
4. Wash
5. Polish (use the least abrasive polish and pad first, and work your way up if it didn't take away all the swirls)
6. Sealant (Klasse is an incredible German product for this purpose)
7. 100% Carnauba Wax to make it pop (P21S, on top of Klasse will put a permanent smile on your face!)

Its a lot of hard work, but if you love your car, it might actually become therapeutic!

 

Personally, I found Klasse to be a pain in the ass. It bonds well, but it dries so hard it can be difficult to remove if you dont put it on ridiculously thin.
I'd say to do something like Full Molecular Jacket (if you can find any), Liquid Glass, Optimum Opti-Seal as possible substitutes for Klasse.

 

 

Seems someone has already beat me to the solution to give a better perspective I used the following (in order)
1.porter cable 7424xp
2.Two bucket system/grit guard paired with Aussie Merino Wool Wash Mitt or Natural sea sponge and Pinnacle XMT Gel Shampoo & Conditioner.
3.Pinnacle XMT Speed Clay Bundle or (faster method) The Nanoskin Autoscrub Wash Mitt, which can save you money on spray lube since you can decontaminate during the final washing stage.
4.Preference- I don't given the vehicle isn't dirty enough to justify a second wash
5.Lake Country CCS Pads --> White Low profile polishing Pad/Pinnacle XMT Ultra Fine Swirl Remover #1 if not enough then I work my way up to Orange Light cutting Pad/Pinnacle XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover #3
6.Gray Low Profile Finishing Pad/Pinnacle XMT Carnauba Finishing Glaze
7.Red Low Profile Ultrasoft Wax or Sealant Pad/ Pinnacle XMT 180 High Gloss Carnauba Paste Wax (I apply three layers within every 30 mins from each other given the appropriate climate)

There are numerous ways to go about it, this is just my preference in what products I would use.
Hope this helps

 

ill just say now.... only use a polishing pad first, not a cutting pad, and maybe start with meguairs M205 polish, if that's not enough to get rid of the swirls (although it probably will be) go up to M105 polish, and just stick with a white polishing pad... as someone has mentioned, would hate for you to mess it up (although hard with a DA, it is possible), we have VERY soft paint on the S and from factory it isn't thick at all (I have a PTG ive measured mine an it averages at 100micron on my moonrock).... so just take off the bare minimum amount of clear coat you need to.... and have fun