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  1. #1
    Obsessive Compulsive Detailer Jngrbrdman's Avatar
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    Four Star SMR Review

    Well, its been a very long day of testing. I pitted the new Four Star Ultimate Swirl Mark Remover (thus to just be called 4*SMR) against 3M SMR for light colored cars, Meguiar`s #9 and Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion.

    The product definitely works. In a comparison against the other three products, I have to say that it did the best job at cleaning up the minor swirls on the surface. Unfortunately the only car I had available to test it on today was my own and it is already in pretty good shape. The other downside to using my car is that it is white and pictures of swirls just don`t seem to work well.

    After I washed the car I clayed it and then went to work with the SMR. I know the SMR was doing something because after buffing it off I could feel that the towel grabbed more on that panel than the rest of the car. I buffed out a door and there was definitely a difference between that door and the one behind it. That tells me that it has removed all of the former layers of UPP that I had on it previously.

    Its kinda oily after it is all said and done. I had to go over the car again with a towel to clear off the streaks. And speaking of removal, its not the easiest product to remove. I tried waiting to let it dry and I tried right away. No matter what I tried it was still hard to buff off. It was harder the more product that was on the car. I would suggest using this till you are practically buffing it off. Compared to the other three this was definitely the hardest to buff off. However, it was the most effective, so that still wins it points.

    4*SMR is a lot like DACP in the respect that it `dusts` after awhile. I worked it on half the hood for about 4 minutes before it was dusting and buffing back off the car. The other three products never dusted for me. In fact, they did their work pretty quick. They were all buffing back off in less than 4 minutes. The edge that the others have is that they aren`t blue. My car is white and having a blue product on it was kind of playing tricks on my eyes I think. It was kind of looking blueish when I was done. I`ll have to see what it looks like tomorrow after I can use the Wolfgang paint cleaner on it. I do know that it made a crack in the paint on my bumper stand out very badly. The blue just got in the crack and made it really stick out. I wouldn`t really suggest this on a white car unless you plan on using a paint cleaner next to clear out the blue.

    4*SMR doesn`t spread really well. I had to reapply for each panel that I worked on. It does well on the panel you are working on, but its not going to stretch much further. I would suggest working on one panel at a time. That shouldn`t be too big of a deal since that is what I would suggest you do with any polish.

    All in all I would give this product a solid 3 out of 5. Its not the perfect solution for swirls, but it would be a great choice for someone trying to stay on top of the minor swirls that just happen on a daily driver. Whatever is in it will remove whatever waxes and sealants that are on your car presently. I spent a lot of time today doing intensive testing this product against the other three. I even worked a blister into my right thumb where I hold the PC handle at. I haven`t had a blister there for years. I worked on my car for nearly 6 hours just working with these different SMRs. I didn`t even get a chance to put the Wolfgang on it yet.

    Bottom line....

    4 Star SMR is a great polish that I would give high marks for in in the swirl mark removing department. I was supremely disappointed with 3M SMR when I first got it. It didn`t do anything for my white car. #9 didn`t really help much either. When I compared those two products against 4*SMR I followed it up with AIO to clean out the fillers. After it was said and done, the 4*SMR side still had noticable swirl reduction on it. (I told you it was intensive testing. ) The downsides are really that it is not easy to buff off and it is slightly oily afterwards. The oily part may just be my lack of experience with the product and I haven`t found the best way to use it without the oily part. More testing will tell. For now I can say that I really like the product and it is everything I expect a 4 Star product to be. If you are looking for the ultimate swirl remover for your well maintained car, then this product is it. I would put it in the 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 catagory as far as effectiveness against swirls. For a car that is well maintained and has minimal marks, I think this would be an excellent product to use. I`ll post more results as I do more testing.
    ~ ~ www.OCDetails.com ~ ~
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  2. #2
    jstn's Avatar
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    good review.
    Justin
    Now Driving: 1998 Black 4Runner
    Have a nice day

  3. #3
    The Whaler Loves Detail City rabbi's Avatar
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    It`s 6 in the morning so maybe I`m misreading your review. You give it high marks for swirl removal then on a scale of 1 to 10 you give it a 3 in removing swirls. Isn`t that a contradiction? Not trying to start trouble just trying to understand.:dunno
    Last edited by rabbi; 06-06-2004 at 05:17 AM.
    "I`m staying out of it."

  4. #4
    Agent Phonar's Avatar
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    what about

    Did you try it with a rotary or just PC?
    I would like to know what it does with a rotary.
    Great review and I`ll be waiting to hear more.

  5. #5
    Detailing Hobbyist andriver's Avatar
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    Great review Anthony.

  6. #6
    Obsessive Compulsive Detailer Jngrbrdman's Avatar
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    I was using a PC with it. Rotary would have been a little too much muscle I think.

    I give it high marks on removing the type of marks that I anticipated that it would remove. That is why I tested it against other products that I would also say are fairly mild on the swirl removal scale. However, the big difference is that 4*SMR seem to do what it needs to do in one application. I`ve had to use more than one application of #9 to get the same results that I got with SMR on the same type of swirls. Once I figure out an easier way to remove the product and control the oilyness then I will definitely have to give this product the nod for light swirl removal work.

    Oh, I almost forgot.... I was using Edge pads to work with on this. I have to say that I really like those pads. The Edge backing plate is really great too. Much better than my Meguiar`s one. The pads are thicker than Meguiar`s ones and that is a plus because they don`t seem to get saturated in product as quickly. I used the Yellow pad for this task because I felt the blue pad would have been too mild. I`m going to use the blue pad for the Wolfgang cleaner.

    Another cool part of the Edge pads is the hole in the middle. I asked Dwayne what he thought the purpose could be and he wasn`t sure. Well, I don`t know what the purpose is either, but I think it does help control product sling when you first get started. The edge of the center hole seems to pick product up and keep it from flipping out of the sides. Its hard to explain... Having been a long time user of Meguiar`s pads I can really see the difference between them. I think you guys will see the difference too. They are well made pads that I am a real fan of now.
    ~ ~ www.OCDetails.com ~ ~
    Faster isn`t better. BETTER is better no matter how long it takes.

  7. #7

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    Although I have no experience with this product, I have found that a spray of qd after the initial wipedown and a new mf to help with other products that have removal issues. It kinda smears at first, but wipes off much easier. You may want to give it a try.

    Gary
    Some people call it a 6 pack, I call it a support group.

  8. #8
    Obsessive Compulsive Detailer Jngrbrdman's Avatar
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    That`s what I ended up doing on some areas. It worked out well. Just using a damp area of a microfiber worked out well.
    ~ ~ www.OCDetails.com ~ ~
    Faster isn`t better. BETTER is better no matter how long it takes.

  9. #9
    Obsessive Compulsive Detailer Jngrbrdman's Avatar
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    THIS JUST IN: Keep this stuff off of rubber trim. It is murder on it. Holy cow... Fortunately it comes off if you spritz a little QD or even go over it with whatever pre-cleaner you are using, but try to avoid getting it on there in the first place. I`m going to have to spend some time with a tooth pick getting it out of the seams in my door handles and stuff now.
    ~ ~ www.OCDetails.com ~ ~
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  10. #10
    The Whaler Loves Detail City rabbi's Avatar
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    Thanx for the heads up. I tend to get carried away with my products. I need to be more meticulous.
    "I`m staying out of it."

  11. #11
    Obsessive Compulsive Detailer Jngrbrdman's Avatar
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    Yeah, same here. I sort of slopped this stuff all over the place on purpose so I could find out how it did. I don`t know how I could have protected the seams in the body panels though. I needed to go around the seams and seals with a toothpick anyway, but I don`t know that it will be the case for everybody.
    ~ ~ www.OCDetails.com ~ ~
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  12. #12
    I'm back YIPEE Refreshed! The Chee's Avatar
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    So this product is more suitable for Newer car ? Maybe 4* should make it more abrasive so it`s more versatile:dunno . Hopefully, 4* can make it "stain-less" and one less step for the user
    A man has got to recognize his limitations, and then learn how to adapt within those confines. Then go out and conquer.

  13. #13
    Autopia Forums AutopiaAdmin's Avatar
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    Originally posted by The Chee
    So this product is more suitable for Newer car ? Maybe 4* should make it more abrasive so it`s more versatile:dunno . Hopefully, 4* can make it "stain-less" and one less step for the user
    By using a more aggressive pad and increasing the speed of the polisher the Four Star SMR becomes a very versatile product that can be used in many different situations on numerous paint conditions.

    This product isn`t restricted for use on only new cars but certainly will not be effective on badly neglected finishes. The Four Star Ultimate line as a whole is geared towards maintained finishes.

  14. #14
    Obsessive Compulsive Detailer Jngrbrdman's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Dwayne


    This product isn`t restricted for use on only new cars but certainly will not be effective on badly neglected finishes. The Four Star Ultimate line as a whole is geared towards maintained finishes.
    I agree totally. The wheel cleaner, for example. My wheels are well maintained and very rarely dirty. The Four Star Ultimate Wheel Cleaner is perfect for them. I wouldn`t use them on really dirty wheels, but for rims that just need to be cleaned with the rest of the car it works out well.

    I wouldn`t suggest that 4*SMR replace DACP or anything like that. This would be a great product to clean up any haze from a more abrasive product or if you just have minor marks on the paint that you need to have cleaned up. Its effective at what it is meant to do. I can only imagine how nice it would be for 4* to make something along the same lines as DACP. :drool
    ~ ~ www.OCDetails.com ~ ~
    Faster isn`t better. BETTER is better no matter how long it takes.

  15. #15
    groebuck's Avatar
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    Really? I used the wheel cleaner on some dirty wheels and it ate the grunge for breakfast - great review!

    I think the holes in the middle of the edge pads are due to the fact that they probably (I am guessing) come off the same line as the rotary pads (the fast connect ones) and they are just cut to different sizes for DA..
    You have activated my special ability....

 

 
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