I just bought a 2001 Imola Red 740i sport which has some minor swirls mainly on the hood and trunk lid. I don't want to invest in a Porter Cable buffer since the areas affected are very small. What product can I use by hand to minimize the appearance of the swirls before I apply my usual Klasse AIO/SG. I was going to try 3M Swirl Remover followed by AIO/SG, but I thought I would ask here first. Also, has anyone heard of a product called Einszett Paint Polish, or something like that that is actually supposed to remove swirls and not just fill them up?

SMR by hand will only fill in your swirls, it won't remove them. To be honest I have had no luck whatsoever in removing my swirls by hand using any product. I do understand your reluctance to buy a PC for such a small area of swirls. In this case you may just have to live with the swirls.

Greg green did my car a week ago and used some Meguiars professional polish that had a scale on the label that showed it being like a 7 out of 10 on the agressiveness. He said it didn't fill but actually got rid of most swirls by cutting, looked awesome when it was done.

Imola red 740i? I didn't even know they had imola red for the 7-series. That's such a nice red.

Do NOT use 3M SMR by hand. I did and CREATED swirls on my black 328i!!! :( :( :(

Dude, you just dropped a lot of cash on a very nice car. If its not worth $100 to you to get the right tool for detailing it, well....that's just not right.

Get the Porter Cable and you'll be happy. It will make your car look better than new and is a lot easier than doing it by hand.

The SMR, in my experience, worked quite well at removing the minor swirls I created. :alright

Trust me, you will NOT remove swirl marks of any sort by hand. No, not even light ones. It's just not possible.

Look at it this way:

If you plan on being the one to wash, detail, and otherwise care for your car, a PC is a fine investment. It gives you results that are simply impossible to attain by hand.

If you want your baby to look its best, get the PC.

If you *really* don't want to, I'm sure there's someone in your area who would let you borrow theirs.

Can you feel the love, Tony?

Sure the PC is the way to go, but you already said you didn't want to go that direction. Nothing like going on a forum, asking for some advice, and being told how WRONG you are...

I would recommend for your situation Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze. I've used it by hand with good results in the past. However, I THINK (dunno for sure) the AIO will remove the swirl fillers from the #7. Test it first. AND, I'm not sure about the SG chemistry if you use it on top of the #7 without the base of AIO. Give it a shot. Hell, you can't harm anything any more than already is.

For what you want to do I'd just recommend the #7 topped by some good ol' fashioned carnuba wax, but that won't last as long as the SG. With this method, you'll only be filling in the swirls, not really removing them. So, in a few months you'll have to repeat the process to maintain that impeccable shine.

So, if you go the route of the PC, you can remove the swirls for good and be able to use the AIO/SG and only have to perform the application process twice/year vs. four/five times a year with the #7/carnuba combo.

Hope this helps.

As Hiyata said 7 topped by carnuba is a great way to hide swirls, which is about all you can hope for without a buffer. However, #7 is a pretty much worthless product if you're planning on using Klasse as the AIO will remove any fillers that the 7 leaves, and the SG won't bond with the fillers there (this being the reason you need to use AIO first).

So yeah, as Hiyata said, if you want to go Klasse and don't want to see the swirls you'll actually have to remove them, which requires a PC. If you want to switch over to some carnuba action (P21S/S100 is a GREAT wax for about 15 bucks a jar), then you can glaze the car which will hide the swirls temporarily.

Good luck.

OK guys. I'll spring for the PC buffer. Hopefully after using the buffer once, I won't have to use a machine on my car ever again.

well after u use it once and dont think ur gonna use it again sell it on bfc or ebay :)

Originally posted by tony(topaz,SMG)
OK guys. I'll spring for the PC buffer. Hopefully after using the buffer once, I won't have to use a machine on my car ever again.

Trust me friend, when you see the results you are going to get with the PC, you will WANT to use it again, and again and again...

;)

Originally posted by tony(topaz,SMG)
OK guys. I'll spring for the PC buffer. Hopefully after using the buffer once, I won't have to use a machine on my car ever again.

The PC is an invaluable tool, especially when cleaning your paint. And Klasse AIO is an excellent cleaner, especially when applied with a PC. I apply AIO to my car with my PC and foam polishing pad every time I perform a full detail. The PC is more than just a swirl removing machine. It's an excellent way to bring out the ultimate pre wax/sealant shine in your paint. Don't think of it as waste. It really isn't.

David.

Originally posted by HIYATA
Can you feel the love, Tony?

Nothing like going on a forum, asking for some advice, and being told how WRONG you are...



No one ever told him he was WRONG. He asked how he can minimize the swirls within the KLASSE system without the use of a PC. The answer to that question is that there are no ways. The fillers in a glaze will be removed by AIO thus uncovering the swirls. Applying the glaze over SG will denegrade the layer of SG making it worthless.

As for actually removing the swirls by hand, not possible. If he uses any polish (FI2, SMR, DACP), he will just create new swirls. No persons arm can move fast enough to break the abrasives down in a polish.

It's just a fact of life my friend. A fact that we must DEAL with.

Your suggestion didn't really answer his question either. You're recommending he follow a detailing regimen (glaze + wax) that was popular 10 years ago.

Just my $0.02.

David.

I am going to have to disagree with you on some of these claims.


-- Swirls not being removed by hand, impossible?

I cant claim personal experience with this, however, Scottwax on autopia.org does all of his work by hand, and he does the most beautiful detailing work I have ever seen.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30061 -- swirls on the 55 T-bird...gone!

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27167 -- This is insane...all by hand, works for me!

I am in no way denying your claims of truth, but these pictures are pretty evident to me that it is possible!

Originally posted by kappa4life7987
I am going to have to disagree with you on some of these claims.


-- Swirls not being removed by hand, impossible?

I cant claim personal experience with this, however, Scottwax on autopia.org does all of his work by hand, and he does the most beautiful detailing work I have ever seen.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30061 -- swirls on the 55 T-bird...gone!

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27167 -- This is insane...all by hand, works for me!

I am in no way denying your claims of truth, but these pictures are pretty evident to me that it is possible!

I know Scott from Autopia as well. He is the ONLY person I have ever seen who has been able to remove swirls by hand. His level of skill is much higher than most people. He details for a living, thus he has the time to spend working polishes in by hand. From reading some of his posts recently I believe he is also considering getting a PC. I guess he's starting to get tired. :D

When making suggestions to people my objective is to offer them as close to 100% solutions, not 'pie in the sky' 1 in a million miracles. I still stand behind what I've suggested. A PC is the most effective tool to use for most, if not all swirl removing situations. And in some circumstances a set of swrils may be so bad that only a rotary can remove them.

Just my $0.02.

David.

Oh I agree with you 100% David, dont get me wrong! PC works wonders on swirls, more than hands could ever touch upon. However, there is that one guy, Scott, who does work miracles, I dont know how he does it:) He does amazing work though...:)

Thanks for the time David! Keep up the great work!

Josh

Hey tony(topaz,SMG),

Meguiars professional wax product will do the trick. I use meguiars plastic cleaner/polish #10 or #17 to remove swirls.

It can be done by hand!!! It really works. I have used this product for 12 years to remove swirls!!!:D Try it it come in a 8oz. white or blue plastic bottle of about $9!!! You do have to wax afterwards. It won't disappoint! since your problem is minor I would go with the #10.

good luck!!

here is the #17

isnt the plastic cleaners in the posts by flea7 to be used for removing the haze in US spec headlights and NOT for swirls ???

Yeah, I thought the same too when my friend suggested it......I tried it and sure enough it worked .....i was so amazed!!! I haven't found anything that works better!!! This was 12 years ago!!! All I have to say is try it!!

I removed tons of swirl marks by hand with some Zymol HD clense and back and forth motions. That stuff works really well for removing swirl marks and cleaning the paint before you wax. I hate to bring this picture up again, but it really speaks for its self. I know I am going to get flamed for loving Zymol because it seems no one on here uses the stuff. I use the method that works for me, but it might not be for everybody.

wow , your car looks really nice.

There are lots of options and everybody has their methods ....its great that we have this forum to share knowledge and experiences.:clap: :clap: :clap: