Swirl Removal On Our1996 Ls400. Basic Meguiars Stuff.

[ED.]

I posted this over at the detailing forum on my BMW site. Kind of bragging rights over there lol.

My dad has the 7 and I took the Lexus and decided to give it a good detail.

Not sure what that spot on the bottom is. Something ate through the clear coat and I think a repaint is the only means of fixing it. Most likely won't happen though since the car is up there in miles at 210xxx. Changed the oil in it this morning and didn't even need a jack. Eaisest OC I have ever done. I must say I love the LS400/430 a lot. Would be awesome to have one as a daily for myself.

Back to business though!

Started with this:

This was right before I washed the trunk. As I was doing it I thought 'oh crap!' and grabbed my camera. Nice bubbles on that tint, too >0. Fixed that antenna though. Now it sticks up about an inch. Will try and get it perfect tomorrow.

Meguiars paint cleaner on a 4" WEN pad. One coat

Two coats Meguiars paint cleaner. I am loving this stuff.

Third coat. Did not intend to use so much but it was doing a pretty good job getting ride of the swirls. Figured three was enough.

One coat of Meguiars Swirl Mark Remover. Let is sit on awhile and decided not to do another one. Wouldn't of hurt though.

Finished product. One coat of Meguiars Tech Wax. I bought that stuff for my E32 but tried it on the E38 last week and loved it.

Of course the swirls are still there but this really helps take them down. Comes out better in the shade. These cars seem plauged by them. I guess I am glad the 97 Coach Edition we are looking at is white ; )

Phew. She beat the crap out of me today. Did the interior too. Oxyclean stuff on the carpet stains and Megs leather on the seats which are very dry. Had to open the windows and let it air out. Hoping to get some better pics tomorrow. The car came out really nice. The Lexus black is nice if it is well taken care of and aside from me that is rare!

[kc92hatch]

Nice job! You put a lot of elbow grease into that one!

Hey - hop on I-70 and head west about 3 hours......I have another LS in Kansas City you can work on...........

;-)

[rwallican]

Beautiful! You need to open a detail shop!! I am a Meguiars fan myself. I've heard that there are better products out there but I doubt it. I've been using this for years on my black LS and people are amazed to find out it's a 96.

[ED.]

Thanks, guys! Yeah I enjoyed working on the car yesterday. I like to get a detailing thing on the side but so far it's been slow. Family cars keep me busy though!

I know what you mean. I went down to get breakfast this morning and while inside waiting I was looking at it and thought how good it looked. I really like these cars. Got two commentson it yesterday. I don't ever get them when I am doing my 7. Oh well!

[SW03ES]

Looks great!

Is it black? If its black its single stage paint (no clear) and a professional can fix that spot with wetsanding and a rotary buffer. Otherwise it looks like Clearcoat failure.

[ED.]

No kidding, theres no clear on that? I had no idea!

Pic doesn't show it but it had a lot of streaking. I went out this evening and put another coat of tech wax on the trunk and hood and let it sit then with a lot of force I was able to get most of whatever was on there off with the new wax.

Is that why they swirl so much? I know there are a bunch of spot with bird crap and w/e else that are basically part of the paint now. When I was taking that second coat off I could see myself perfectly. I have never gotten that in any of our other cars and I wax my BMW a ton. Maybe it is color but it was a black mirror! The lack of a clear is amazing to me now.

[SW03ES]

What you need to do is have the car machine polished by someone who knows how to do that, or learn how to do it yourself. The waxes won't remove the swirls, it'll just hide them. I bet you hit that car with an orbital buffer and a mid grade polish it will look brand new. The paint cleaners and swirl removers need to be worked into the paint. Simply applying them and letting them sit then removing them isn't doing anything. The work is done when they're being applied and worked into the paint.

The bad thing about the single stage paint is that it swirls really easily, but it polishes out really easily and turns out really well.

Check out the detailing forum ;)

Lexus black is always single stage, except for a few years between 2001-2005. They've gone back to the single stage black.

[ED.]

One day this week I have to go pay a local munic some $ for a ticket I got fixed but basically 30 seconds away is a place called Auto Beauty Specialists which is a detail shop we've taken all our cars too before. Stuff from the garage where my dad works dripped on the cars so we've taken it there to get it fixed. They do free estimates. I will ask them about it and record what they say as well as get better pictures.

So is this paint real special? I've painted car parts on my BMW for my DIY shadowline project and after one coat the stuff I've painted (chrome) looks like $hit. Lex must have some super paint to get it that nice in one coat.

[SW03ES]

Oh its not one coat, its just as many coats as the clearcoated cars (about 8) they're just all color coats without a clearcoat.

all the clearcoat is is colorcoat with no pigment.

[new2mud]

Of course the swirls are still there but this really helps take them down. Comes out better in the shade.

Good work. Keep in mind that Meg's uses a lot of filler, so things look REALLY good right after you apply the product...however, since even the swirl remover (if used by hand) is mostly filling in the swirls and not actually removing them (you need the heat from a PC or Orbital to effectively break down the polishing compound), they look really good right after you finish, but the swirls will 'pop' back up in a matter of weeks.

Best to go ahead and address the swirls with a PC or Orbital. It's not any more work than what you did, and you actually correct the paint rather than cover it up.

[ED.]

Oh its not one coat, its just as many coats as the clearcoated cars (about 8) they're just all color coats without a clearcoat.

all the clearcoat is is colorcoat with no pigment.

So does the paint they use have a type of clear in it where it is different from a regualr paint ---> clear type job?

I was in the area of that place early this morning but sadly did not have time to stop. Had to go to Toyota and get some coolant. I didn't know they sold it 50/50 now. The stuff I have from a few years ago is all pink. Hmm.

[ED.]

Good work. Keep in mind that Meg's uses a lot of filler, so things look REALLY good right after you apply the product...however, since even the swirl remover (if used by hand) is mostly filling in the swirls and not actually removing them (you need the heat from a PC or Orbital to effectively break down the polishing compound), they look really good right after you finish, but the swirls will 'pop' back up in a matter of weeks.

Best to go ahead and address the swirls with a PC or Orbital. It's not any more work than what you did, and you actually correct the paint rather than cover it up.

Thank you. Yeah you are right. It got rained on a few times this week and already they swirls are back.

I am saving up money for a P/C 7336 but in the meantime I am using a WEN coordless buffer that does a fairly good job for the small stuff I need it to do. A buddy of mine is giving me his so I will have two to play with now.

I have to go by Lexus tomorrow morning and get a part so I am going to wash it and throw on some more wax tomorow morning to get it looking good for this weekens cooling and brake projects. Fun to work on a car again!

[John A.S.]

I was just wondering, my ls400 has a few nicks here and there does this "miracle" scratch remover stuff you see on tv really work? I suppose if it did you could be using this as a meg's replacement. But I admit I am reluctant to try it my self because the ad's are so damn annoying that I refuse to support it unless if I know it works for sure.

[ED.]

I was just wondering, my ls400 has a few nicks here and there does this "miracle" scratch remover stuff you see on tv really work? I suppose if it did you could be using this as a meg's replacement. But I admit I am reluctant to try it my self because the ad's are so damn annoying that I refuse to support it unless if I know it works for sure.

Like GS27? I use to love those. 'Watch me key this car!!!!!!'

I have Meguiars ScratchX and use it seldomly. I need to try it out more. The one time I did use it was on my BMW and it did not do a whole lot besides smooth up the area. The fight continues.

[John A.S.]

I was just wondering, my ls400 has a few nicks here and there does this "miracle" scratch remover stuff you see on tv really work? I suppose if it did you could be using this as a meg's replacement. But I admit I am reluctant to try it my self because the ad's are so damn annoying that I refuse to support it unless if I know it works for sure.

Like GS27? I use to love those. 'Watch me key this car!!!!!!'

I have Meguiars ScratchX and use it seldomly. I need to try it out more. The one time I did use it was on my BMW and it did not do a whole lot besides smooth up the area. The fight continues.

Why don't you try that "Meguiars ScratchX" on an inconspicuous area that has swirls and use it as buff as if it were meg and then let us know how it goes. Because technically the swirls are just small scratches caused by mother nature and wiping a car with dust without soaping it and rinsing it first. So this might act as a super car wax that you don't have to redo every week. However the cost maybe a different story, "But! if you order NOW you will not only receive 1 two ounce bottles, but instead 2 one once bottles for just $10 More!"

[SW03ES]

All that GS27 stuff does is fill in the scratch. ScratchX is appropriate for hand small area stuff, but not for a whole car. You need a proper polish with a diminishing abrasive and probably a buffer. The paint on your BMW is WAAAAY harder than the paint on the LS.

So does the paint they use have a type of clear in it where it is different from a regualr paint ---> clear type job?

If its clearcoated the top 2-3 coats are simply paint with no pigment (clear).

On the single stage paint, its just ordinary color coat black.

[ED.]

I was just wondering, my ls400 has a few nicks here and there does this "miracle" scratch remover stuff you see on tv really work? I suppose if it did you could be using this as a meg's replacement. But I admit I am reluctant to try it my self because the ad's are so damn annoying that I refuse to support it unless if I know it works for sure.

Like GS27? I use to love those. 'Watch me key this car!!!!!!'

I have Meguiars ScratchX and use it seldomly. I need to try it out more. The one time I did use it was on my BMW and it did not do a whole lot besides smooth up the area. The fight continues.

Why don't you try that "Meguiars ScratchX" on an inconspicuous area that has swirls and use it as buff as if it were meg and then let us know how it goes. Because technically the swirls are just small scratches caused by mother nature and wiping a car with dust without soaping it and rinsing it first. So this might act as a super car wax that you don't have to redo every week. However the cost maybe a different story, "But! if you order NOW you will not only receive 1 two ounce bottles, but instead 2 one once bottles for just $10 More!"

'But call sooner than that and I will throw in Magic Puddy and Orange Glow......EVEN LACE!!!!!!'

I think it was that bottle of SMR that said to use plasticx and I felt like an idiot because there was my bottle sitting right there with all my Megs crap! I will for sure tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. I want it looking good when I go by the Lexus dealer to get some parts and when I work on it Saturday. Hate working on a dirty car!