[Green82]

going to wash up the car in the next few days for a car show coming up.

car is black with minor scratches and what looks like swirl marks for not cleaning right

i bought some chemical guys C4 clear cut to try and fix the paint but nobody carries their polish so going to have to use maguires polish instead followed by butter wet wax.

would this be able to a mirror like finish like i seen on other black cars or do i need to way more?

[Haole]

I use meguiars products, I would say it all depends on the prep and application of the product on the vehicle. I personally like meguiar's brand over chemical guys
Just my 2 cents

[dpevans]

use 205 with a micro fiber pad then 105 with a white pad. This day and age use a spray on ceramic or DYI ceramic like I used on mine, CSL topped with Exo5 then after washes hit it with Griots Ceramic shine.

[cookchris]

Butter Wet Wax will give you that nice wet-look shine, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last too long. If you're looking for something that might last a bit longer, you could check with Boxycharm https://boxycharm.pissedconsumer.com/review.html to see if they have any other recommendations for you. You might want to take a look at reviews like the ones on PissedConsumer to see if others have had similar experiences and if they've found something more durable. It's always helpful to see what other people recommend before making a decision.

[Val Walkinshaw]

Hobbyist and professional detailer/paint correction specialist checking in:

DO NOT USE any CG products, They are poor quality and no professional would ever be caught dead using them. They are diluted down and insanely priced and marketed to the masses and average uniformed consumer. They have only about 4 products and all are basically rebranded/relabeld and sold under a different name to get you to buy the same product for a supposed different purpose. They only make 1 quality product and that is their ph neutral soaps that work great in foam cannons. Example would CG snow foam. I'm sorry if this offends you but I am not the type to sugar coat or sell a product that is a waste of money. Many folks believe CG makes quality products because they HAVE an EXCELLENT marketing team. Butter wet wax smells great but it has fillers in it (short term filler to mask defects and fill in defects) these are temporary and give the consumer a false sense of "wow, this stuff is amazing, look at that gloss". This is a sales technique that is extremely dishonest and misleads the consumer. MANY consumer products utilize this techinque and that level of dishonesty goes against my moral compass. The only way to CORRECT defects like swirls, scratches and micromarring is to decontaminate the paint chemically, then physically (like a clay bar) and then correct it with a DA/Orbital with proper pads designed for the level of defect and polishes that do not "fill in".

Not to offend you but your swirls are do to poor washing technique or a brush car wash.It's not your fault. Many aren't aware of proper technique. If you are interested in learning how to reduce swirls, hazing, miorco swirls and or holograms please feel free to reach out to me. The proper technique takes a bit to explain but is not difficult. I don't want to build a watch and deviate too far from your question.I supperr enjoy teaching those that interested:-)


If you are going to do a paint correction (the only way to remove imperfections) I would recommend using a DA and 3D Speed or 3d one. Meguiars also makes 2 quality products,, 110 is aggressive for moderate defects and 210 is a finishing polish. By hand will take many hours and will never do as quality of a job as a DA. I understand you may not have that resource and likely have to resort to by hand. It wont do as good of a job but it may be acceptable and up to your standards. For this I highly recommend 3D Speed. It has corrective properties and offers a wax combination that gives a beautiful gloss as well as decent protection. If you want even more than that you should apply a sealant and then a wax. Sealants bond with the paint and compliment your chosen wax, The longevity is doubled. Most waxes with cars that are exposed to elements, UV, daily driving or environmental fall out will only achieve 3-5 months at most with only a wax protection. Sealants double that by bonding and offering an excellent base to adhere to.

This is likely way more than you asked for but at least you know have the knowledge and can make your own informed decision that best match your expectations.

Jescar selant
https://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-po...0aAln9EALw_wcB

Collinite wax
https://a.co/d/ji3alsO

3d Speed
https://a.co/d/4gbBrys

CG Mr Pink snow foam soap
https://a.co/d/ejtOSzV

3D soap
https://a.co/d/7aGYuzE

Most important to remember is to utilize many MF car mitts when washing a car and always work top to bottom. (I use 4 mitts per vehicle) ALWAYS USE A PH NEUTRAL soap. Anything like DAWN will strip your wax and dry out plastics and rubber trim pieces. Meg's and even cheaper big box stores brands typically offer ph neutral soaps.

Again please reach out because proper washing technique on all vehicles especially black requires a level of care you likely aren't aware of. And thats ok, unless you dig deep into YT professionals or have training its totally understandable. No judgement here.. Use Many mitts to wash. Top to bottom. Side to side, never reusing a wash mitt in the same bucket-once used on a panel it goes into a laundry basket to be washed (kinda dumb to wash dirt off your car and supposedly "rinse" into clean water to then reuse it-only spreading dirt from one panel to the next). You also need a drying aid to act as lubrication to not cause future imperfections. Proper GSM MF towels that don't scratch your paint that are greater than 350-500 GSM(big box stores sell super cheap low GSM towels that are meant for cleaning wheels or grimy stuff that requires an abrasive surface) You don't want scratchy towels on your paint. Rule of thumb, if the MF sticks to your calloused hands or dry areas-its cheap. The rag company has many quality solutions and if interested I can help with that.

Sorry to build a watch but this is my passion and I charge pennies to my customers because I enjoy what I do and it's not about the money to me. It s a level of satisfaction that I get from doing a quality job, I gotta look in the mirror and like what I see and this is how I do that.

[DonM]

Val Walkinshaw

Totally Obsessed Detailer responding:

You make several good points and offer good suggestions, but to someone who is new to detailing/paint correction - enhancement, the post was a touch overwhelming.

Mike Phillips (formerly of Meguiar's, currently Dr. Beasley's) often says: K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Simon.

It's true that a vast magority of paint defects (swirls & scratches) are because of improper washing and drying for these reasons:

During the wash, unless you REMOVE the grit BEFORE doing the contact wash, you WILL damage the paint. Maybe not a lot each time, but it adds up quickly.
The remedy for this is to spray a cleaner (car wash soap, riseless wash solution, etc) on the DRY car and allow it to dwell for a few minutes. This will loosen and dislodge the grit, then rinse the car. This will remove any grit from the paint, making for a safer (less damaging) contact wash.

When it comes to drying, even the best microfiber drying towels CAN put swirls in the paint. This is due to friction, a lack of lubrication (water is NOT a lubricant) and too much pressure on the drying towel. To eliminate #1 and #2, simply use a drying aid. This provides lubrication between the towel and the paint and eliminates friction. **Note: Forced air is not a good alternative to towel drying, too much of the water will dry ON the surface, instead of being blown off. This will cause MAJOR water spotting.

I agree about the DA polisher being FAR superior, faster with hugely better results than by hand. BUT ... I also use a cheap (Harbor Frieght) rotary, with a 5" polishing pad MOST OF THE TIME.

At speed 1 (one), the rotary is MUCH safer than a DA as far as removing too much paint, and gives a better finish and gloss.

I did not think of all this on my own. These nuggets of knowledge are from Yvan Lacroix from DIY Detail. Check out DIY Detail on YouTube, I learned MORE in the last year listening to him, than I did in ALL of the 41 years of doing it on my own.

Originally Posted by Val Walkinshaw

Hobbyist and professional detailer/paint correction specialist checking in:

DO NOT USE any CG products, They are poor quality and no professional would ever be caught dead using them. They are diluted down and insanely priced and marketed to the masses and average uniformed consumer. They have only about 4 products and all are basically rebranded/relabeld and sold under a different name to get you to buy the same product for a supposed different purpose. They only make 1 quality product and that is their ph neutral soaps that work great in foam cannons. Example would CG snow foam. I'm sorry if this offends you but I am not the type to sugar coat or sell a product that is a waste of money. Many folks believe CG makes quality products because they HAVE an EXCELLENT marketing team. Butter wet wax smells great but it has fillers in it (short term filler to mask defects and fill in defects) these are temporary and give the consumer a false sense of "wow, this stuff is amazing, look at that gloss". This is a sales technique that is extremely dishonest and misleads the consumer. MANY consumer products utilize this techinque and that level of dishonesty goes against my moral compass. The only way to CORRECT defects like swirls, scratches and micromarring is to decontaminate the paint chemically, then physically (like a clay bar) and then correct it with a DA/Orbital with proper pads designed for the level of defect and polishes that do not "fill in".

Not to offend you but your swirls are do to poor washing technique or a brush car wash.It's not your fault. Many aren't aware of proper technique. If you are interested in learning how to reduce swirls, hazing, miorco swirls and or holograms please feel free to reach out to me. The proper technique takes a bit to explain but is not difficult. I don't want to build a watch and deviate too far from your question.I supperr enjoy teaching those that interested:-)


If you are going to do a paint correction (the only way to remove imperfections) I would recommend using a DA and 3D Speed or 3d one. Meguiars also makes 2 quality products,, 110 is aggressive for moderate defects and 210 is a finishing polish. By hand will take many hours and will never do as quality of a job as a DA. I understand you may not have that resource and likely have to resort to by hand. It wont do as good of a job but it may be acceptable and up to your standards. For this I highly recommend 3D Speed. It has corrective properties and offers a wax combination that gives a beautiful gloss as well as decent protection. If you want even more than that you should apply a sealant and then a wax. Sealants bond with the paint and compliment your chosen wax, The longevity is doubled. Most waxes with cars that are exposed to elements, UV, daily driving or environmental fall out will only achieve 3-5 months at most with only a wax protection. Sealants double that by bonding and offering an excellent base to adhere to.

This is likely way more than you asked for but at least you know have the knowledge and can make your own informed decision that best match your expectations.

Jescar selant
https://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-po...0aAln9EALw_wcB

Collinite wax
https://a.co/d/ji3alsO

3d Speed
https://a.co/d/4gbBrys

CG Mr Pink snow foam soap
https://a.co/d/ejtOSzV

3D soap
https://a.co/d/7aGYuzE

Most important to remember is to utilize many MF car mitts when washing a car and always work top to bottom. (I use 4 mitts per vehicle) ALWAYS USE A PH NEUTRAL soap. Anything like DAWN will strip your wax and dry out plastics and rubber trim pieces. Meg's and even cheaper big box stores brands typically offer ph neutral soaps.

Again please reach out because proper washing technique on all vehicles especially black requires a level of care you likely aren't aware of. And thats ok, unless you dig deep into YT professionals or have training its totally understandable. No judgement here.. Use Many mitts to wash. Top to bottom. Side to side, never reusing a wash mitt in the same bucket-once used on a panel it goes into a laundry basket to be washed (kinda dumb to wash dirt off your car and supposedly "rinse" into clean water to then reuse it-only spreading dirt from one panel to the next). You also need a drying aid to act as lubrication to not cause future imperfections. Proper GSM MF towels that don't scratch your paint that are greater than 350-500 GSM(big box stores sell super cheap low GSM towels that are meant for cleaning wheels or grimy stuff that requires an abrasive surface) You don't want scratchy towels on your paint. Rule of thumb, if the MF sticks to your calloused hands or dry areas-its cheap. The rag company has many quality solutions and if interested I can help with that.

Sorry to build a watch but this is my passion and I charge pennies to my customers because I enjoy what I do and it's not about the money to me. It s a level of satisfaction that I get from doing a quality job, I gotta look in the mirror and like what I see and this is how I do that.

[Odabo]

Val, you recommended Collinite which I have used in the past. How would you rate it against Turtle Wax Graphene? Just curious.

IMO Collinite is easier to use.