Paint Restoration
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4 min read
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Can Rocklear Fix Swirled Paint? The Swirls Came Out, the Deepest Scratch 90% Better
By
Noah Satho
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Milpitas, California
Black Mercedes GLS 550
What the polish and Icon Rocklear took out
Before
After
Practically all of the brush wash swirls came out
About 80 to 90% better, and if you really nitpick it with a light, you'll still find it
About 80% better
I never like to promise 100%, I'd rather say 90, and leave room for realistic expectations.
What Years of Brush Washes Did to This Paint
From ten feet away the paint looked fine, and up close it was one big swirl pattern, the kind automatic brush washes leave on black paint. Then I spotted the culprit, an unlimited car wash sticker on the windshield. That's like signing up for unlimited paint damage, because those gas station brush washes are basically sandpaper on a stick, though at the very least it was convenient. Before anything touches the paint, we go over the whole car under a light to find the isolated scratches that need more work than the swirls do. The quick test is your fingernail, and if it catches, it's pretty far into the clear coat, and a polisher alone won't take it all the way out. Some people would look at a car like this and say just sand the whole thing, but we want to preserve as much of the factory clear coat as possible, so only those deep spots get sanded.
What happens before the coating goes on
Under a light
1 Inspect
We go over the whole car to find the isolated scratches that need more work than the swirls do.
The quick test
2 Your fingernail
If it catches, the scratch is pretty far into the clear coat, and a polisher alone won't take it all the way out.
2000, then 3000 grit
3 Wet sand
We sand only the deep spots, to keep as much of the factory clear coat as possible.
The entire car
4 Machine polish
It takes out the swirl pattern and the fine sanding marks, and gives the coating something to grab onto.
Then every panel gets wiped down with isopropyl alcohol and distilled water, and Icon Rocklear self-levels over the corrected finish and locks it in.
Sanding the Deep Ones, Then Polishing the Whole Car
Wet sanding is more aggressive than polishing, and it doesn't build up as much heat on the surface, which matters, because it's bad for paint to go through round after round of heat from a polisher. We used 2000 grit and then 3000 grit sandpaper with water on the worst spots, and a denim pad on the polisher for the hood, which cuts like 2000 grit without leaving the fine sanding marks behind. The hood got the extra time because it's the flat panel the sun comes straight down on, where you'd see everything. Then we machine polished the entire car, which took out the swirl pattern and the fine sanding marks, and gave the coating something to grab onto. Every panel gets wiped down with isopropyl alcohol and distilled water after that, because polish leaves oils behind that you can't always see, and if any of that residue stayed on, the Rocklear wouldn't bond to the surface properly. We masked off the glass, the trim, and every badge before the coating went on. That same night Jenn was putting two layers on a Mazda MX-5 in a metallic gray in the back, with an Acura MDX Type S lined up after the Mercedes.
How Much Came Out, and How to Keep It That Way
Even though the swirl pattern looked really bad, those scratches from the brushes weren't that deep, which is what let us save it. On the hood, aside from some old rock chips in the paint, there were practically zero swirls or scratches left. The deep scratches are where the honest numbers come in. The deepest one we sanded came out about 80 to 90% better, and if you really nitpick it with a light you'll still find it, while a white scratch on the front bumper came out about 80% better. I never like to promise 100%, I'd rather say 90, and leave room for realistic expectations, and most owners are very happy once they just can't see it anymore. That's the ceiling on any car, since the deeper the scratch, the harder it is to fix, and once the clear coat itself starts peeling, only a repaint fixes it. Fading's usually easier to fix than it looks, and that's how a Honda Fit with twelve years of sun on it came back without a repaint. If the car wash is the convenient part of your week, a lot of our clients keep going after the coating, and when they come back in I don't see swirls or scratches in the Rocklear, because it's a harder material to scratch than your factory paint. We usually say do so at your own risk, and even if some minor swirls show up down the line, they're very easy to remove.
Can Icon Rocklear fix swirl marks?
Yes. The swirls come out in the machine polish before the coating goes on, and the coating locks in the corrected finish. On this GLS 550, practically all of the brush wash swirls came out.
Can it fix deep scratches?
It depends on how deep they are. If a scratch catches your fingernail, it's pretty far into the clear coat, so we wet sand it down first, and on this car those came out about 80 to 90% better rather than disappearing completely.
Will it fix faded paint?
Usually, because the machine polish brings the gloss back before the coating goes on, and that's how a Honda Fit with twelve years of sun on it came back without a repaint. Once the clear coat starts peeling, only a repaint fixes it.
Is the polishing included?
Yes. Every install starts with a decontamination wash, a clay bar, and a machine polish, and mild to moderate scratches most of the time just completely go away. If you just have a bunch of minor swirl marks, they're all going to completely disappear.
Why not just sand the whole car?
Because we want to preserve as much of the factory clear coat as possible, so only the deep scratches get sanded and the rest of the car gets machine polished.
Can I keep using automatic car washes after Rocklear?
A lot of our clients keep going after the coating, and when they come back in I don't see swirls or scratches in the Rocklear, because it's a harder material to scratch than your factory paint. We usually say do so at your own risk, and even if some minor swirls show up down the line, they're very easy to remove.
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