LTFORC4

My black '96 has an all original paint job that I would rate at a 9 out of 10 (I may be biased). With that said---in a certain light---you can see those annoying very light scratch marks--guessing the original owner might have run it thru a car wash a couple of times. Can you (particularly if you have a darker paint job) please recommend a product that you've used that eliminated the scratches -- or diminshed the amount of them. I really don't want to use a buffer unless that is the only way to get the job done.
Thanks in advance!

hooked073

I like mequires products. they have things in their line to remove fine scratches and swirle marks

WW7

I used 3M Swirl Remover on my black 89...First I tryed it with a wool bonnet on my buffer at low speed , didn't work, had more swirls then before....Then I tried buffing by hand and when I was done it looked like "black glass"... From what I have seen, you have to do it by hand on a black car if you want to get all the scratches and swirls out....WW

Impala Balko

3m makes a polish specifically made for black and dark paint. I use 3M 39009 Perfect-It Foam Polishing Pad Glaze-Dark with either an orbital polisher or a high speed buffer with a foam pad

FAUEE

Meguiar's SwirlX will do the trick for you. I'd recommend getting some sort of a DA polisher as well. A full on DA polisher is a great investment for a car fanatic, but the new DA attachment you throw on a drill seems to get pretty favorable reviews for its price.

Frankly, IMO if you're willing to spend $50 on a drill attachment, you may as well spend ~$130 to get the real deal. Heck you could snag a used one on ebay for less than $100 most of the time.

Kmcoldcars

A good random orbital (DA) polisher with a foam pad will eliminate all the swirl marks and it is almost impossible to harm the paint with them.
My 2002 in the sun.
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Paul Workman

Very nice!



To the OP:

I use a Porter Cable 7424 orbital, and with a soft pad, it is almost impossible to hurt the paint or burn and edge.

I happen to like Zaino, and Zaino has its "PC Fusion" stuff, used with the (PC) buffer. And, there are lots of other good products out there, but truly...get the 7424 or the like. Stuff like the PC Fusion is so (gentle) that it takes tons of elbow grease to rub it out by hand - if one ever could achieve the same degree of polish that way. The key is the buffer...and then the applicable polish/cleaner. Then do the Dawn DW soap wash (if you haven't already) and apply your favorite polish (my choice) or wax. You'll love the results!

P.

FAUEE

Not to het caught up in terminology...

Poliahes take off paint. They sand the surface down to take out defects like swirls. Its a tiny amount of paint removed however. Polishes provide no protection.

Waxes and sealants go on top of your paint and provide protection.

I kbow Zaino sells a "polish" that is really a sealant. But they're wrong in naming.

GKK

"Cleaners", remove a microscopic amount of material from the vehicles surface, to remove imperfections.

"Polish", adds a clear glossy film to the vehicles surface to promote a nice shine.

"Wax", protects the vehicles surface from contaminates and Sunlight damage.

ccrvtt

You should try a DA with a foam pad. Turtle Wax makes a product called the Black Box which consists of a black pigmented polish and a black pigmented wax along with a black detailer. It does a fairly good job of hiding imperfections though it's a little labor-intensive.

But you bought a Corvette so you're naturally a little nuts about its appearance anyway...

Best products seem to be Zaino or Adams while Meguiar's are more readily available. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is a bit less aggressive.

FAUEE

This is just not true.

Polishes are ABRASIVES, as are most "cleaners" (some are just very harsh chemicals that eat away contaminants). They sand off a small layer of paint to smooth it out to the same level as the imperfections (this is why people often say a scratch you can feel with your fingernail can't be buffed out). Cleaners tend to be bundled into another product (like a cleaner wax, an all in one sealant - Klasse AIO or Zaino's polish for instance), whereas polishes are sold individually.

If you want to add a clear glossy film, a wax, sealant, or glaze will do it. A glaze is the product most like what you're describing, in that it provides no protection and is simply a bunch of oils and such that fills in minor swirls, and creates a glossier finish.

And there's a lot of products better than Zaino or Adam's. They just don't do the marketing as well. Autogeek (forum sponsor, look on the huge banner tot he left for them) has a TON of great info and great products.

Paul Workman

"POLISH" (in Zaino vernacular) distinguishes their stuff from "WAX"; a distinction with significant merit.

I guess "POLISH" is easier to say than "nano-technology polymer reagent" "Polish" is not exactly correct; just as saying Zaino is "really a sealant". "Sealant" too is an awkward (but convenient) use of terms. However, the "Z2" or "Z5" or "AIO" (aka "polishes" by Zaino) do provide a undeniable improvement in protection over any wax.

Just sayin...

GKK

It seems that, manufacturers interpret the term "Polish" in different ways...

Larrye

I 've used "The Black Box" as well, makes my car look fantastic. Couple of weeks ago used a clay bar prior to applying the black box cleaner and wax, hasn't looked better since i have owned it. When the car gets dirty, I hit the surface with the black box quick detailer after washing to keep it looking good.

GREGGPENN

Many/most polishes contain "filler". When applied, they fill the scratches -- helping to hide them for awhile. IMO, hand-applied products will never cure the OPs scratches/swirls. He needs that "lightly-sanded" polish to remove just enough clear coat to get it perfectly smooth again.

Wool bonnet with fine-scratch cleaner will do that. I prefer Meguiars scratch remover as a milder product than "polishing compound".

To follow, I like the 3M glaze for dark cars -- that was mentioned in this thread. BUT...You need to use it with a 3M waffle pad. The results are amazing. The swirls left from fine-scratch removal will vanish. Depending on level of scratches, this may be all you need! You don't need too much speed for this either. Maybe 1500 rpms or less.

Finish with your desired wax/sealer and you'll have the best black finish that will last for a good long time. Or...until you drive it! Which ever comes first!

Hey....the world is a harsh place -- especially at 70mph!




(Bottom-line: I don't see the OP being happy until he breaks out the buffer and learns how to use it.)

Paul Workman

EOWZUH! That is beautimuss!!!

When someone with a BLACK car talks about (let's say) paint enhancing stuff, I LISTEN!! Only people that have labored to keep black, BLACK, and have succeeded have done so with THEE epitome of difficult colors to get right. Looks like you got it right.

My black 95...



Works on RED too!



So, having a black car, I'll keep your recommendation in mind. I suspect we black car people are alike, far as "going through a lot of ore to find the gold", when it come to (protectant).

I tried a lot of stuff talked about here (and other sites). And, I suspect we all do a bit of experimenting before finding "IT". I too I was looking for that "wet tar" double black look the C5s (at the time) have. It was a lot of trial and error and work to get it right. I suspect that is why we tend to be pretty adamant about paint enhancers; what works...or doesn't!

After clay-barring and Mother's (carnauba) wax, I still had swirls, and that lead me to the buffer. And that unless you have boundless time and elbow grease, rubbing them out by hand would be an arduous task unless one reverts to some aggressive "polish". (A tip from a pro detailer led me to using the reflection off the paint from a single point of light in a dark garage to gauge whether all the swirls etc were removed.)

After I got the swirls out, I tried a number of waxes. But, it wasn't until I tried Mother's carnauba product I found that "perfect" black wet-tar look. All others, up to then, either had a blue haze in the sun in a short time after waxing, or immediately upon application...which I didn't want. The Mothers did not, unless the wax became contaminated with dust or pollen - which ALL waxes will, especially on black paint after being exposed to the sun (and making matters worse, I lived on a gravel road).

So...I heard a lot of good things about polymers giving a good glossy "wet tar" look (on black paint) and immune to fingerprints and to dust or pollen impregnating the surface, like it always does with carnauba (wax).

Anywayz...Thanks for the 3M recommendation.

FAUEE

My Grand Cherokee was black. Talk about a pain to keep clean. A big black metallic SUV that had to drive through everything.

I'm a big fan of Meguiar's #26 carnauba wax, and Surf City Garage's Carnauba wax. The Meguiar's stuff is about as close to an old school carnauba as you'll get - it's hard, it's a pain in the *** to work with, and you have to do it panel by panel. So help you, if you do it in the sun, your arm will fall off before you get it off. But, it looks great. SCG looks awesome too, but it a lot easier to work with. A lot of people talk very highly of Pinnacle Souveran, I've only used the liquid form of that, but it is awesome as well. It looked great over the black metallic paint on my Jeep.

Because of the metallic flake on my Jeep, I was very happy with quite a few sealants (which truthfully are just synthetic waxes - sealant is just the "proper" term used for them). They tended to make the flake pop more, and gave it a nice sparkle.

And different manufacturers don't interpret "polish" differently. Just Zaino, and their highly devoted cult of followers. Zaino is loaded with fillers, and highly reflective. Personally, I don't care for the look of it.

And glazes are a pretty car's best friend. Put a glaze on your car, even a basic one like Meg's Show Car glaze (can find at one of your auto part stores for sure), and you will be blown away.

GREGGPENN

Thanks. I didn't figure this out by trial and error -- though I tried. I spent hours and hours with my original '89 that had 15k miles. I think the first weekend was something like 22 hours. It looked pretty good for about 6 months. But, it had a buffer "accident" (from the PO) on the hood I couldn't get out.

I finally caved and took it to a body shop, paid $200 to have it professionally polished (in 2000). They made the spot disappear and it popped. One year later, the spot started to return though.

Luckily, the hood was damaged! (Most wouldn't call that lucky LOL)

I struggled with the issue of repainting the car red/black (because of the labor required to keep black, BLACK! I really wanted to paint it Tornado Red (VW color). I finally caved and realized nothing but a black tuxedo would be "right" for my final product. After the dealership paintjob was complete, I walked back and talked to the prep guy. This guy turned a dirt-contaminated, post-paint-booth, freckle-job into a masterpiece. I asked how he did it -- and watched.

I left out the 2000-grit sand/polish that he had to do. Everything else followed. So, basically, I learned from a pro.

Now...that 22 hour job I did after purchase....I can surpass in about 1 hour with 3M Dark Glaze and a waffle pad. I try not to let it get bad enough it needs anything else.

If/when I follow the glaze, I use Meguires. I've used both the Perfect-it with a lt-blue waffle pad OR their wipe-on/wipe-off paint protectant. The later is a wet-look product that's probably silicone-based. That stuff REALLY looks good for car shows. Otherwise, the glaze just plain cleans, polishes, and gets rid of anything distracting. It lets you see the shiny clear-coat -- like it was new.

The only reason I see to "treat" clear-coat is to make washing it easier. And, really, it's not that much easier.

I don't use soap. Just water with spot-free rinse. I use those micro-fiber towels to dry.

nutz4c4

Porter Cable and Adams products.

mike100

I use Meguires M105/M205 compound/final polish combo with a dual action orbital polisher with whatever combination of foam pads for the cut needed depending on depth of scratches.

The Porter Cable is idiot proof because the rotary part is clutched and you can't burn the clear coat. Take it to the next level and invest in machine polishing. I can't believe I waited 25 years to do so, it's not hard at all. It's 80% technique and 20% product, but the right combination of products, pad density, and buffer speed will really correct paint you didn't think would ever look good.