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Winter Gray Metallic Detailing

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by David Barton, Aug 31, 2012.

  1. David Barton

    David Barton Junior Member

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    Last weekand I clay bared and waxed the Prius with mothers clay bar and Turtle wax ICE liquid wax. Now that my paint is clean and waxed it beads up real nice but when I look at the paint in the sun it looks like there are swirl marks everywhere. How would you all recommend I get rid of these. I don't have any power tools just my hands. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. Products or techniques.
     
    #1 David Barton, Aug 31, 2012
  2. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Your best bet is to buy a DA polisher to remove the swirls. Depending on how perfect you are trying to get the finish, it may take you a lot of time and effort, and the swirls will eventually come back to some degree (depending on your wash technique).

    If the swirls are not too severe, then using a glaze or wax with a lot of fillers may help hide the swirls. I have heard that Chemical Guys Black Light may be a good product for this?
     
    #2 The Critic, Sep 2, 2012
  3. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    Agreed, a DA polisher works wonders and speeds up the application process.

    I'd use Z-AIO from Zaino and then apply a coat or two or Z-5 Pro from Zaino. You could even use a fine machine polish from Griots Garage, followed by the Z-5 Pro.

    After that, technique when washing and drying is important. If you use crappy towels for drying or a bad mit/sponge etc for washing you'll just reintroduce more swirls...
     
    #3 Paradox, Sep 2, 2012
  4. RxGATOR

    RxGATOR Go Gators!

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    So what would the steps be? Mine is a 2011 fairly new but has tons of swirl from previous owner.

    1. clay car
    2. Z-AIO
    3. Z-5 w/ DA polisher

    Thanks
     
    #4 RxGATOR, Nov 20, 2012
  5. Econ

    Econ Member

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    ZAINO ZAINO ZAINO.... I have Black it is my daily commuter and the finish is better than new. I have used this product for 10-12 years and the results are amazing. Check it out on you tube. Their Z5 is great for removing swirl marks. Figure out how they got there . There are a lot of factors. Email me with your wash and maintenance process. Perhaps I can shed some light on your problem.
     
    #5 Econ, Nov 20, 2012
  6. MattPersman

    MattPersman Member

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    ZAIO is not gonna really remove swirl marks. its a nice cleaner and offers good protection, probably my favorite all in one, but its not a corrector.

    you can try something easy to find and cheap like turtle wax premium grade polishing compound to handle the swirls by hand. by hand its pretty time consuming but the results are worth it. after that you can follow up with your wax or sealant of choice.

    you just gotta use the right items in the future to try to keep swirls at a minimum, like how you wash, what you use to wash with, how you dry and what you dry with there are specialty items for all this these days
     
    #6 MattPersman, Nov 21, 2012
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