I got SWIRLS

[Nokkers3]

This past weekend, after I got my car washed, I parked it under the sun and noticed that I had swirls. It should be pretty recent, since I've never noticed it before. Is there anything I can do at this point? I've had my car for almost a year now. Recently, I started washing it on my own and I always try to be careful. I'm a novice when it comes to waxing and things like that, so any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

 

[justanothermp5]

swirls are going to be a thing for u no matter what u do
unless u compound and polish, even then they will come back after a certain time phrame

thats the only downside to black

 

[NCZ13]

they wont come back with proper washing technique, or you can greatly reduce the amount of swirls with proper washing technique. Theres only a handful of detailers i know who can do picture proof flawless car washings.

The only fix is to have the car properly machine polished. You might want to check the autopia regionals section, and post a thread asking for a professional in your area.

 

[controlo]

if you get them repaired and wash your car even semi-properly, they wont be a problem.

i probably have 5 swirl marks total on my car. haha.

 

[Nokkers3]

The only fix is to have the car properly machine polished. You might want to check the autopia regionals section, and post a thread asking for a professional in your area.

I did what you suggested. Hopefully someone will be able to help me out that won't charge me too much >.<

 

[08CWP_SoCal_MS3]

if you get them repaired and wash your car even semi-properly, they wont be a problem.

i probably have 5 swirl marks total on my car. haha.

Same here... Microfiber towels FTW!!! Chips in the paint is another story... I have more of those than I do swirl marks, probably around 8-9 on the front and one on my driverside door. (trucks kicking up rocks FTL!)

 

[controlo]

yeah. i have around 7 on the bumper/hood area. not too bad though. one of them is big from when a giant rock was mad at me.

 

[DaleNixon]

Well, you were on HIS road, weren't you?

 

[ThrillRide]

This past weekend, after I got my car washed, I parked it under the sun and noticed that I had swirls. It should be pretty recent, since I've never noticed it before. Is there anything I can do at this point? I've had my car for almost a year now. Recently, I started washing it on my own and I always try to be careful. I'm a novice when it comes to waxing and things like that, so any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

Check out the detailing section (see my sig) and you may have better luck getting some questions answered. Also check autopia.org. Plenty of info for the newb detailer. Learn about proper washing and drying techniques and you won't have a swirl problem.

 

[dread]

A good way to cover up the swirls on a black mica is to use meguiers ultimate quick detailer and keeping a good coat of wax. The swirls will still be there but the quick detailer keeps them filled so that you can't see them. The stuff is amazing for black mica.

 

[ThrillRide]

A good way to cover up the swirls on a black mica is to use meguiers ultimate quick detailer and keeping a good coat of wax. The swirls will still be there but the quick detailer keeps them filled so that you can't see them. The stuff is amazing for black mica.

Meg's quick detailer has no filling abilities and will not hide swirls. However you're right about wax doing so.

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

swirls are going to be a thing for u no matter what u do
unless u compound and polish, even then they will come back after a certain time phrame

thats the only downside to black

Whoa! Dont compound anything! First if you are not interested in a detail shop removing them for you start like this. Wash your car, then before drying it clay bar the whole thing. Rinse it down and dry it. You can then use a cleaner wax or a hard shell wax with a LIGHT coating. Wipe that all off. Check for swirls. If they are still there, go get the 3M swirl remover, it is a light polish that will get out a lot of the swirl marks. Swirl marks are caused by numerous things, Machine car washes, Wheeling out your car to much, bad waxing techniques, etc... What color is your car again?

 

[anarchistchiken]

Whoa! Dont compound anything! First if you are not interested in a detail shop removing them for you start like this. Wash your car, then before drying it clay bar the whole thing. Rinse it down and dry it. You can then use a cleaner wax or a hard shell wax with a LIGHT coating. Wipe that all off. Check for swirls. If they are still there, go get the 3M swirl remover, it is a light polish that will get out a lot of the swirl marks. Swirl marks are caused by numerous things, Machine car washes, Wheeling out your car to much, bad waxing techniques, etc... What color is your car again?

Dude, you just said "Dont compound anything" then told him to clay bar it then use a rubbing compound (3M swirl is a rubbing compound).

Clay bar should be done every once in a while, but is not neccesary in this case as claying your car pulls up sap, tar, road grime, etc, but the bar won't solve your swirl problem.

There are a couple different way of dealing with swirls, and it really depends how deep into the detailing rabbit hole you wanna go. I say dive all the way in, gotta learn somehow, right? Polish it with a light rubbing compound (I like these), seal it with a paint sealer (I swear by this stuff, but any good sealant will do), then hit it with your favorite wax, but make sure you don't get a wax that has cleaners or sealant built into the formula, you just need a top coat. Everyone seems to like poorboys paste wax, but it's a pain to put on without a Random Orbital polisher. My money goes to Zaino, but I've heard amazing things about Ultima products, and I'm trying this one next week. It's pricey, but according to everyone I've heard from, the ease of application and quality of protection more than make up for it.


If you dont want to do anything so drastic, get a one stage polish/cleaner/wax like Klasse AIO and go to town, but I can't guarantee results with the easier approach.

Now to address the problem of making the swirls. Swirl marks are not circular in any way, they are straight lines in your paint caused by rough surfaces touching your paint. Being inexperienced in this field, I'm willing to bet you have a wash mit from the local autozone, maybe use a towel to dry the car? These two things will cause more swirls than just about anything else you do to the car. If you use a cheap wash sponge or mit, or a car wash that is not sudsy enough, particles of dirt get trapped in the mit and cause dozens of long, thin scratches (swirl marks). A towel that is not 100% pure cotton will further scratch the paint while you dry. You should always air dry with an electric leafblower or use microfiber towels to avoid dragging particulate around your paint.

 

[Nokkers3]

I have a Black Mica ms3. I actually do have some microfiber towers that I ordered online but maybe I didn't take care of them properly?

 

[anarchistchiken]

I have a Black Mica ms3. I actually do have some microfiber towers that I ordered online but maybe I didn't take care of them properly?

As long as they're good quality microfiber you should be okay, but washing them in a microfiber-specifi detergent can only help. You can find it at any detailing shop or on Autopia.org/shopping

 

[wisniaPl]

i had the same problem first time I washed car(carwash) i had hem so many on hodd Ive used 3m swirl mark removed this thing works.....

 

[ericrapp]

No swirls here. chips a plenty. Wax Wax wax, is your paints friend. too much is better than not enough. my previous car, black, showed everything and early on. i hope with the advice of folks you can smooth it out and then protect her.

 

[Nokkers3]

I use a Pinnacle microfiber detailing mitt that I got from Autogeek.net. I dry with a California Water Blade first, then use microfiber towels to finish up. I forgot what soap I used, but maybe that's the problem. It doesn't seem like it bubbles enough, if that makes any sense.

So do I need a machines to wax or just some good ol' elbow grease?

 

[dread]

Meg's quick detailer has no filling abilities and will not hide swirls. However you're right about wax doing so.

The ultimate quick detailer does read the bottle. The fact that scratches that wax wouldn't even fill have disappeared from my paint is proof of that. Even a few scratches that my wife put in when she washed the car with a rock on the sponge are invisible. I could polish those all day and still see them, now I can't even find them.(dance)

 

[NCZ13]

ok. theres alot of misinformation in this thread.

Waxing is not the cure for swirls. In fact waxes with filling capabilities dont fill in swirls 100%, only the minor scratches. (and i mean minor)

Machine polishing is the only way to remove swirls and marring. Not hand polishing, machine polishing. With a proper orbital, or rotary polisher and a proper set of pads and polishes.

Anyone who thinks their car is swirl free because they applied some 3m swirl remover by hand is sadly mistaken, you just dont know how to find the defects.

nokkers, the water blade can cause minor scratches in the clearcoat if the surface is 100% grit free, and the blade is wiped after each swipe. Also not using a rinse bucket to rinse your mitt b/w panels can also induce more scratches. Also your drying media might not be the appropriate one.

There are many different microfibers, and cheap microfiber (like found at autozone) can cause very minor marring that builds up and becomes noticeable after awhile.

The point of a car wash isnt suds, but a lubricant b/w the wash media (sponge or mitt) and the dirt. A sign of a good car wash is a ton of suds, but that isnt what cleans your car.

As for drying the only thing that

and for the above poster, a rock induced scratch is probably way to deep to be filled with the minor filling capabilities the UQD has.