Everything red Goober said is great .
Coredump - swirls are EASILY fixed with teh right product , know how and the right pad(s) and TIME and patience !
Yoder - that product you mentioned is EXCELLENT actually . It is for paint jobs that do not need repair though , although it CAN fill swirls ( maybe two applications ) I would repair swirls , then use it .
A good washing of car with Dawn to remove all grease and dirt , a tar/bug remover ( clear coat safe ) if tar/bugs are present , then a good claying where needed 1st .
Then a good wash with 100% cotton terry ( egyptian cotton ) towels- keep the edges off when washing/wiping off wax / polish .
Swirls can be removed after this with teh right product , store bought Meguiars' and Mothers both make decent product .
3m Makes a version seperate for light cars / dark cars ( red is considered dark ) that works REALLY well by hand or buffer .

K next reply I make will be removing swirls thread / post after clay/bug&tar & Dawn Wash is done .

 

Removing swirls on a " budget " aka with normal priced AutoZone bought products is easy .

First step after washing / claying and removing tar and bug splats with tar/bug remover is to clean the paint job

First let me show you guys this item at overstock.com , very good price for the " occasional detailer " Its a waxmaster 7" random orbital w/$1 shipping . Very good starter kit ( unless you can afford much better )
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2....cid=60488&fp=F
You want to do heavy swirls with this item and the terry bonnet that comes with it . realize that you MAY be adding more swirls to it , but since the ones you have are probably very old , removing those 1st is what NEEDS to be addressed !
Do small area like 2ftx2ft at a time , move onto next area . Apply your swirl remover to the pad in a x , not to the car and rub it around in your area .
Dont do it in direct sun .
Meguiars 3-step is okay , but unless you want to stop with this and not use a protectant to not have to wash/wax every month - skip step 3

Step-1 Paint cleaner
Follow directions
Optionally this product works better / faster , BUT really needs to be applied my machine 3m for light cars orr 3m for dark cars
Aftet step 1 - go over the car again with the same swirl remover , BUT by hand on areas that dont look the same as the machined areas . You want to use a hand terry applicator available in the wax section of any AutoZone / etc such as turtle wax round ones or these round ones
Step-2 seal & glaze
For this stage , you want to sue the polishing bonnet from the kit 1st stage .
Also optionally if your paint is awesome , use these bonnets after using your regular ole polishing bonnet in kit . Still works doing only once , but better more through results going thru different grades of pads
Follow directions on the label
After confident it is even and swirls are gone ( except maybe when viewed at extreme angles ) go over again by hand and same product .
Nice hand applicator here for this polish stage ..
NOW - wash the car again the next day using ONLY a car wash shampoo such as these Dont buy trurtle wax , NEVER use dish soap again and etc . etc ..
Have soapy lukewarm water in one bucket , clean cool water in the other to rinse your wash mitt with every round change .
Use a chenille wash mitt
and special drying towel / suede chamois

Let car air dry a few hours , then get ready for final stage of sealing / polishing

Make sure your foam pad the bonnet goes over has been washed with Dawn and dried the night before . face up
Use the sealant of your choice , but it must be a good one .
That's why I love the eagleWax product . If your car paint is great now , no chips , nicks etc and you want to KEEP it that way - go for teh Kamikaze and their suede microfiber towel ( must use )
If not , and you still want your car to be sealed and protected , use one of their lesser / cheaper polymer sealants with less duarbility .
You need to 1st apply it with this bonnet 1st , then wipe off with the suede microfiber after giving set time on label . Then apply by hand gently onto every edge with their suede microfiber and wipe off with the same towel ( folded under clean section )
After this stage you can apply a wax also , just wait a couple days . Use a good polymer wax like NXT or EagleOne nano or DuPont w/teflon .
Then you can use finishing spray and your microfiber sueded towel to touch up every once in awhile for extra gloss , depth and shine .

Note - main reason to always do again by hand each stage is as was said earlier always go by working the hand pads in up down motion , finalizing with a one direction wipe or two . This helps keep swirls out , and make it easier at the next stage if more cutting / filling it is needed to go across the path of the last step and is really the only way thats effective .
Also when going by hand you can work the edges of your paintwork without fear of staining rubber / plastic so easily with the buffer .
note # 2 - before waxing or when buffing any stage and after wash / clay apply a water based rubber / plastic protectant to your trim pieces 1st before doing paintwork . Armor-All original is water based . A lot less work just soaking them down with a quick excess wipe then scrubbing wax and cleaner stains out .

Dont do any of this in direct sun light either btw . Unless label specifically says its okay or beneficial . Usually only a true cleaner free sealant such as the EagleWax highest two lines will allow this or recommend this .
Anything you guys need to know ask ..
There are more expensive products out there , but these products and in these steps with the right pads will do a damn good job .
All for under $100 up until the EagleWax part - but thats good for 3-4 apps that last at least 1-2 years each .

 

Also the Meguiars products simply fill n' hide swirls so they appear not to be there
It's kind of half-arse'ing doing that , but if you want to fix them " permanently "( remove them ) and dont know their cause , you will need an orbital polisher and the know how to do it , only need a good cleaning twice a year and filling and hiding them , but they could be removed as well .
If its a cheap car , cheap paint or you need to sell it ( and be decieptful to an extent ) by hiding swirls or don't want to risk ruining your paint from lack of knowledge - I suppose go for it .

 

BTW guys - you can pay a professional detailer about $100 to remove all the swirls for your professionally and " permanently " and polish your paint out to perfection in a few hours time .
I consistantly put " permanently " in quotes because technically it is , BUT only if you know how to properly wash & dry and wax/polish/ sealwithout introducing new swirls by using proper technique and proper applicators / removal microfiber towels etc .. etc ..

 

I'll never own a black car again. I would spend hours cleaning my shit and like an hour later dirt would like... fall out of the sky or something.

 

Many professional meguiars products don't really fill in.

 

the 3 step one is a consumer line though

 

yeah, but it's a bitch to keep up with. I got a black Dakota and by the emd of the week I already have to wash that shit!

 

hot water?
i thought you were supposed to keep the water cool, and wash it when it was cool outside, because the cars finish is more susceptible to scatching when it is warm.

im not sure but i follow what consumers digest "how to clean practically anything" and a few other write ups on how to clean and they seem to go for that idea.

 

warm water is best for removing dirt. if you use cold, your soap won't work as well, and when it dries, you'll find a lot of dirt that you thought you cleaned off