View Full Version : swirl marks
I cleaned my car this afternoon. Once i'd washed it and hosed it down i let it dry for around 10mins the used a shammy to wipe the water off. But when i returned it left big swirl marks!!!! Do u think its the cold weather or should i be using a certain cloth to get the water marks off?
Any hints, tips or advice would be super!!! :thumbup:
Are you sure your not getting streaks mixed up with swirls?
This is swirling:
http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/16791swirls1-med.jpg
Daz_gibbo
21-02-2005, 22:20
oo thats severe? I had slight swirling like that on my wings, spotted on last clean. How can I go about ridding them?
yeah they are streaks actually
Tony spears
22-02-2005, 17:58
Use a hydro blade then finish with a shammy.i sell them for £10
Daz_gibbo
22-02-2005, 18:36
Will Do!
Don't use a blade unless you are 100% confident with you watching technique!!
Removing swirls it not that easy, if they are very very light some Megs Scratch X will do the job. Anything more serious will require a Dual Action Polisher (random orbital) or Rotary.
Here is a little reflection of mine after a pass with my DAP and some Manzerna IP. You can see my Brother with the DAP in one. :hide:
That second pic is awesome!
Thanks, no cheap option really. Just got to decide how far you want to go.
Scotty_b
24-02-2005, 22:14
i think i need to get the swirl stuff out! how do you stop them in the first place tho? as ive never taken my thru a car wash and im always carful when i was her? BMcN what stuff you using? ive been using the merguis three stage stuff, look snice and shinny but i can still see them slightly
Swirls are noramlly induced by bad washing technique, its very hard to not get them to be honest. Megs 3 stage is good however the 3rd stage is a pure wax so does not offer great long term protection, maybe a month or so. Try Megs NXT wax for longer protection. As for removing swirls you will need something a little more powerful and probably a random orbital buffer. I'll post more details in a while - off to uni.
Scotty_b
25-02-2005, 16:46
ok cheers
Tony spears
25-02-2005, 16:51
Dont do it Mequires is like any other normal polish on the market it contains abrasives and will eat away at your paintwork it might look shiney but it will also only last for about a month,its no better than Autoglym.
It will not eat away your paint. It does contain polymers so will bond to the paint. It contains VERY mild cleaners. I could do a panal 100 times with it and it still wouldn't take as much paint away as one pass with a random orbital.
Tony spears
25-02-2005, 17:12
100 times that must have been a long test lol
Swissol is a natural product with no petrochemicals or abrasives in it and is completely harmless to any type of paintwork.
They do 3 grades of cleaner fluid depending how bad the swirls or scratches are ,they act like an abrasive and work very well and and also strip off any old polish at the same time.
They are currently bringing out a compound that you can use on a buffer which is also a natural product which i am looking forward to using.
Bmcn each to your own if you are happy with Megs then fine but you havent experienced swissol yet you dont know what you are missing m8ty believe me.
Tony spears
25-02-2005, 17:19
This link is one i recently completed using medium cleaner fluid and concorso final wax .
http://www.autoshineforum.invisionzone.com/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=16 :thumbup: :p
I have, sorry I dont mean to suggest other products on your forum (I have put a suggestion up for a general valeting forum).
I have tried Swissol and I have found others I like better. Currently I am enjoying using Manzerna IP and FP then topped with some P21S wax, all imported from the States. Also like a megs #80 or #82.
Tony spears
25-02-2005, 17:27
you can use my forum for anything related to car care m8ty i dont just use swissol
www.autoshineforum.invisionzone.com feel free
Use a hydro blade then finish with a shammy.i sell them for £10
Just go for a flash cleaner,
de-anodised water leaves no streaks. Then hand wax!
WX51 TXR
19-09-2005, 13:28
When I tackle a new car, I wash it using either Poorboys or Meguiars and a lambswool mit, dry it using a clean waffle weave microfibre, and then clay it. Then I have a good look at it all over. If there are no swirls I then polish it (pure polish), and finally seal/wax it (various combos, depending on the colour of the car, whether its metallic or flat, how much its driven, etc). If there are swirls I use Poorboys Super Swirl Removers in conjunctuion with my Porter Cable random orbital polisher (Sonus pads) to remove them. Fine swirls and soft paint can be tackled effectively with SSR1. Harsher swirls and other scratches can be removed using SSR2.5. Once the swirls are out I go through the steps above. Although swirls and other surface scratches are impossible to prevent, you can minimise them by good techniques, such as using lambswool instead of sponges/microfibre for washing, using the two bucket technique, using microfibre to dry rather than chamois, applying products in straight lines rather than circles, and avoiding quick detailing when really it needs washing. Machine polishing doesn't need to be done very often, if the rest of your car care plan is up to scratch (pardon the pun!). :)
I presume when you say swirl marks, you mean marks that dont wipe off?
If thats it.. the only way to get rid of them is to use an abrasive product to cut the paint..
I swear by Zaino products and wouldnt use anything else.. but saying that ive just brought some Rejex polish which actually works really well. Zaino have just broiught out swirl mark remover (https://vault1.secured-url.com/car/proddetail.asp?prod=Z%2DPC) havent tried it yet.. but their products are silly money.. well worth it though.. depends how much you want to spend.
I brought their complete kit over a year ago for £150+ when i had my blue mini, the deep wet look shine it gave was amazing and am gonna treat my new LCR to it soon.
From experience (i have worked at an independant car dealership for 6 years on a staurday valeting BMWs, Porsches, Mercedes, Ferrari's etc) removing swirl marks is hard work, it requires allot of elbow grease.
I took the plunge and got myself an Orbital polisher a few weeks back.. it makes a hell of a noise and covers your clothes in white polish and makes your hands go weired.. but its well worth it. I used some G3 cutting compound and plenty of water and it works really well..
1) Wash car with fairy washing up liquid to remove all previkously used polishes, if you layer differnt polishes they never bond with the paint.
2) Use clay bar according to the instructions.. i.e.. keep the surface lubricated with car shampoo to remove all tar, road dirt, metal brake dust and metal from trains.
3) Use a swirl mark remover in an orbital polisher.. like G3 or 3M Perfect-it (BMW UK use this on press cars and in the paintshop) or the Zaino Z-PC, or anything else.. would personally avoid T-Cut... just be carefull.
4) use a a decent polish.. again i use the Zaino stuff.. the ZFX works really well.. especially if you use an orbital polisher.. but you waste so much as 70% ends up on you.
Dont use Micro-Fiber towels, in my experience they always put very find scratches on the the paint, we;ve had cars come back from the paint shop, with a mirror finish wing.. used one Micro-Fiber towel on the paint and you can instantly see where it has marked the paint.
Rob
Wanna do my Fabia for me? ;)
What do you recommend instead of Microfibres then?
I use Swissol products, but have some minor swirling that Megs Scratch X can't remove...
sure :p
Get a polish applicator to put the polish on and get a 100% cotton bath towel to take it off..
if you go here http://www.speeding.co.uk/acatalog/Meguiars_.html and scroll half way down the page both are listed.
If youve got a silver car then it probably doesnt matter all that much, but a black LCR or something shows the swirl marks caused by micro-fibre towels.
Rob
WX51 TXR
20-09-2005, 06:24
They must be either extremely poor quality of mistreated microfibre towels then - good quality properly cared for microfibre towels will not mark paint - I've used them for long enough to know for sure. It's easy to mess up a microfibre towel by washing it incorrectly and drying it on a high heat. Sure you didn't have a duff one? And if you're getting that much fling using the machine polisher then your application technique must be questioned. Using Poorboys SSR products applied to the pad in a cross and dabbed across the panel 10-15 times before starting on a low speed gives zero fling. :confused:
SHADY-NINJA
20-09-2005, 09:14
Removing swirls it not that easy, if they are very very light some Megs Scratch X will do the job. Anything more serious will require a Dual Action Polisher (random orbital) or Rotary.
Here is a little reflection of mine after a pass with my DAP and some Manzerna IP. You can see my Brother with the DAP in one.
Attached Images DSCF0905
BMcN
WHAT POLISH DID YOU USE TO GET THOSE EFFECT
WatchHill
20-09-2005, 10:51
Dont use Micro-Fiber towels, in my experience they always put very find scratches on the the paint, we;ve had cars come back from the paint shop, with a mirror finish wing.. used one Micro-Fiber towel on the paint and you can instantly see where it has marked the paint.
Rob
Cobblers.
Good quality mf towels are perfectly acceptable on a paint finish and will mark much less than any other product. Beware of bath towels, the cotton is likely 'sized' and will scratch the more for it.
Just don't get your mf towels from your local tat shop. Recommend Pakshak as the best MF for detailing.
BlackCupraa
20-09-2005, 13:47
1) Wash car with fairy washing up liquid to remove all previkously used polishes, if you layer differnt polishes they never bond with the paint.
Why use Fairy washing up liquid when Zymol car shampoo is only a fiver and lasts for upto a year?
Donnyboy
20-09-2005, 15:23
Why use Fairy washing up liquid when Zymol car shampoo is only a fiver and lasts for upto a year?
You use the Fairy to remove all the old wax and products. That way you are starting on a fresh surface with all the swirl removers, cleaners, waxes etc. ;)
BlackCupraa
20-09-2005, 15:36
But why Fairy liquid
Is there no car shampoos what do this as im sorry its fairy liquid it aint meant for a car
Donnyboy
20-09-2005, 15:48
Its not good for your car correct.
You use it then apply all you swirl removers, polishes, cleaners.....then your wax.
After you have done this you use the Zymol, NXT or whatever good shampoo you want.
You only use the fairy to 'strip' the old products off the paint. For normal washing use a quality shampoo to retain the wax finish. ;)
But why Fairy liquid
Is there no car shampoos what do this as im sorry its fairy liquid it aint meant for a car
Car shampoo's are not designed to remove car polishes, if your after the best possible finish and youve gone out and purchased expensive car polish to make your car look good, you dont want to be layering Expensive polish on cheap polish. it wont work. You also dont want to be putting polish on top of silicones that may be present on the surface of the paint, not removed by car shampoo.
Polish needs to applied directly to the paint, not ontop of another polish it just wont have any long term or positive effect, you need to strip off all the old wax to start with a fresh surface.
Fairy will not damage the car. Send an email to Sal Zaino http://www.zainobros.com in the states they use Dawn, but it is effectly the same.
Dont make a habbit of using it as it removes the polish.. also make sure you dont leave the car unprotected without polish.
Rob
best polish i have used is diamond-brite very expensive stuff but does the trick it is a 2 stage polish and gets rid of the swirls