My 99 EX V6 Coupe hasn't been given a hand detailing and wash since at least last summer, due to the idiotic, unstable weather here in the northeast this past season...she's San Marino Red, and I am forced to bring her to the god awful car washes to take care of her because the climate has been so weird. In the direct sun, she has awful swirl marks all over the paint; will a simple hand wash get these out? I usually use Gliptone Wash n Glow soap, which has been the best for me, but what can I use to get these damn marks off? I have been told the car wash makes these swirl marks much worse -- but I have had no choice as of late; plus, I live in an apartment complex, with no garage, so I cant just hand wash whenever I want and put the car right into a garage....it sucks. Anyone else with car wash/swirl mark horror stories?

Those of you who have the 98-02 coupes and kept your stock 16 inch alloy rims that come on the EX V6 model....how do you like them? I have decided to keep my stock 16-ers with my coupe's OEM under body kit, rear spoiler and tinted windows. What are some opinions on the aluminum 16 inch stock wheels Honda supplies with this car? Cool-looking enough for some of you? I'm not going to debate the whole rear spoiler height thing again....

 

A hand wash will not remove the swirl marks, but it should be much better than using the automatic car washes. You will need a buffer to remove swirl marks. Meguiars makes a good one, and so does Porter Cable. Search online at Google for them. You can just get a cheap one at Target, Wal-Mart and use that. It won't be as good as the two I just named; but it can help. A good product for swirl removal is made my 3M. It's available at Pep Boys and online. 3M Swirl Mark Remover for Light or Dark Cars. Another product by 3M that's available at Wal-Mart, Autozone, Discount Auto Parts that can be used by hand (pain, but can help) is called 3M Finish Restorer. Good product. Also, Scratch X made by Meguiars applied by Buffer can help, as well as Meguiars #9 Swirl Mark Remover, Meguiars DAPC (Dual Action Polish Cleaner), or an AWESOME product by a company called S100 or P21S (same products with different names and prices). S100 Shine Enhancing Cleanser - Awesome by buffer or hand. A good glaze like Meguiars # 7 can be used after, and then finish it all off with S100 Paste Wax, which is awesome and the easiest wax to use. It shines like no other caranuba out there. Only downside with S100/P21s products is that they are for motorcycles (of course they can be used for cars) and can only found at Harley dealerships, or online at Harley's website, or at a good detail store. Turtle Wax makes a Swirl Mark Remover that might be cheaper than everything and maybe will help you. A good regimen would probably be;
Wash it, claybar (if the car feels real rough - Clay Magic brand), Swirl Mark Remover (anything I named above), Polish (3M Imperial Hand Glaze, Meguiars # 7 Show Car Glaze, other stuff), Wax (Meguiars #26 Liquid Wax, S100 Paste Wax, Klasse, Blitz, etc.) Hope I helped some.

 

:werd: Good advice that is what I recommend. Depending on how bad the swirl marks are he may need Meguiars Fine cut with wools pad, or even Medium cut.

This is the Polisher that 94Accord recommended. I also recommend this. Its basically the Meguiars polisher but for half the price case it doesn't have the Meguiar's name.

Its a good investment at $120
http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/S...e35+1051233778

 

Just wanted to summarize & clarify a few of the comments you received in the 1st reply. I won a '79 Vette and a new BMW 3
and am a member of detailing boards where there are some fanatics. Most suggest the following;

1) Good wash w/car wash soap of course
2) Remove/Minimize Swirl Marks - 3M SMR or Meguiar's #9.. Might have to do it several times. Go easy & use 100% Made in USA Cotton towels only.
3) Wash again to remove any residual oils
4) Polish to nourish the paint either with Meguiar's #7 or P21S GEPC (glaze enhancing piant cleanser). Most prefer the p21S cause it's easier to remove
5) Wash lightly to remove any oils once again
6) Finish with a good wax or polish.... most on those boards love the P21S Wax or their S100 Wax that is available at Harleigh shops. Other favorite is Zaino polish which I use which everyone absolutely loves, but it's a multi-step process that takes more time.

Most important is to lightly work at removing most of the swirls and then polishing the car afterwards. Prep work is THE MOST critical is what I have been taught.

Good Luck!
Tom

 

3m Finesse it II may be necessary to remove the swirls and hazing. I recommend consulting over to www.autopia.org. They have one of the best Auto detailing sites!

 

Thank you, everyone....looks like Im going to have to really get to work with the hand and some products; like I said, the weather here in the northeast has been so whacky -- 80 one day and then 40 the next with snow in April -- that I havent been able to even hand wash her since last summer...thats no exaggeration.

Anybody else experiencing terrible swirling and problems with the San Marino Red color? Any other colors giving problems as far as damage or marks?

 

Thank you .. I tried 3M Swirl mark remover but it didn't work.. So this time I will try 3M fine restore.... Great posting!!!

 

Did you use 3M Swirl Mark Remover with a buffer or by hand. It's a pretty strong/good product that should help a lot.

 

Oooo. that 3M stuff looks good...too expensive for me though

I use zaino swirl mark remover. it's not as expensive and doesn't need a orbital...although i have one.

i washed, claybarred, washed, swirl-mark removed, waxed, polished, polished, and polished my car over spring break...

Turtle Wax Car Wash, Zaino claybar, swirl-mark remover, and polish, zymol polish.

it looked so damn good. no swirls, no scratches, no imperfections. i was driving a rolling black mirror.

...and then i got hit two days later. and repainted by a crappy shop. now my paint looks like shit. i'm not a very happy person.

 

Oh man, I feel your pain bro, I really do.....I had some bad scratches and damages on my rear bumper from this past winter and from inconsiderate assholes just backing up into me...I had this paint guy come down to my apartment complex and he totally fixed the paint without having to repaint the whole bumper; there is a matching process of some kind that they do -- but now, the paint that he fixed looks like complete shit---it is not as shiny as the rest of the car; its like there is no clear coating on it....so I can relate.