i have an black 06 ext cab and i have a big issue with swirl marks i know black is a tough color but what can i do to keep them away i buff my every 6 months and keep up with it so what can i do different to reduce them? Thanks in advance

 

How are you getting the swirl marks? Look at what you are using to wash/dry with, try something softer. Avoid the pay for car washes.

 

Describe your washing and drying proccess to us.

Quick tips:

Stay away from chamois, I don't care what anyone says they suck. Instead use a microfiber of waffle weave towel for drying. Viking drying towels are pretty nice as are Vroom drying towels you can get at Target.

Don't use a sponge to wash your truck, use a decent wash mit like the EuroW mitts you can get at Wal mart for $5 a pop.

Use two buckets to wash your truck. One with your wash solution (use a dedicated car wash like Eagle one, Duragloss, Meguiars etc, not Dawn) and a second bucket with clean water in it. Wash a panel with your mitt then dunk it in the water bucket to dislodge the dirt/grit, then go back to your soapy water and wash another panel.

What do you buff your truck with? What polish/compound/machine/pads do you use? Just curious.

 

I have always used a dyper, works pretty good. Also when my truck had scratces in I I first clay bared it, then went over it will a light cutting compound followed by a nice coat of wax. Also like said use 2 sep buckets to was your truck.

John

 

Texas-Keep a nice coat of wax on it, and every few days hit it with a good spray wax/quick detailer to keep up on it. Seeing as how you buff it every 6 months, your working that clear down hard. GM paint is horrible anyways, and the clear is pretty soft. Hit it with a light polish and light cut foam pad, and follow up with wax. Back it out into the sun after, and look for spots that still show swirls. If you do still see them, apply more wax to the area (paste wax forget liquid ****) and remove it right after. Youll get there, even if it takes a few coats...just keep up on it!

 

how often should you polish if you keep a good coat of wax on it, will polish hurt the paint on a silverado? its black by the way

 

i use to work at a car wash and if you dont keep the mit in a safe place and clean as hell it will hurt your paint i found that if you use a really soft brush it works better and btw go by the car wash and go in the self serve area and knock off all teh dirt and grime with the HP water its stronger than your water hose at home

 

First of all what are you using to polish your truck? If you're using something bought from a regular store then there's about a 99% chance your aren't doing anything, and you're just wasting your time.

99.9% of the polishes sold at Pep Boys, Walmart, Autozone, etc are just fillers. They TEMPORARILY fill in swirl marks and scratches making it seem like they are gone.

The only way you're going to do any good is if you use an abraisive polish like something from the poorboys line. Even then, you're going to spend forever doing it by hand.

You should invest in a porter cable buffer. It's about $100 and it's totally different than a random orbital buffer you might pay $20 for.

When you go to buff your paint, use one of the more abrasive polishes like the SSR2.5 or whatever it's called and work your way down to a smoother polish until you've removed everything you can.

 

use a microfiber wash mit
grit guards in you wash buckets
use 1 bucket for the wheels, and 1 for the truck
dry your truck with a microfiber towel
do it all on the shade



this is the best way to care for your finish, i wouldnt recommend buffing every six months at all. you could get by with once every two years if you take care of your truck.