where do swirls come from?

just curious if anyone knows where those swirl marks/scratches you see in direct sunlight actually come from? Maybe the towels used to dry the car or the type of sponge/mit used to wash it? Also - whats the best way to hide these?

You can see swirl marks on your white si? anyway, i have a black one and ive done a whole lot of research on swirl marks. They usually come from your drying towel and washing your car in the sun. Your wash mit might also have sand or dome other thing that can scratch your paint. To get rid of my swirl marks, i used 3m swirl mark remover for dark colored cars. (I dont think this will work well if you do it by hand, i used an orbital buffer). oh, to keep your wash mit free from debri, use two mits(or whatever you use) one for the top and one for the bottom. i found a really good detailing site but deleted it. when i find it, ill post it for you. Good luck with those swirl mark

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ this place is pretty detailed. I downloaded an online book from them that was really helpful

yep, most of the swirls come from drying. i recommend getting a high powered leaf blower for drying, so you never have to touch the car. works great for me :D

Swirl marks come from washing, drying, and waxing your car. When dirt gets trapped in anything your pulling across your paint, you'll get little scratches. You get swirl marks when you wash, dry, or wax your car in circular patterns.

Try using a linear motion, following the flow of air when cleaning or waxing. At least then, the scratches won' t be as noticable. Also, it doesn't matter if you wash your car in the sun, or the shade. The scratches are just more noticable in the sun.

Using different mitts/sponges for wheels and the rest of your car is a good idea. Even better is to use 2 different buckets of water.

There is only one way to get swirl marks out of your car and that is to wax it. Now as for going with the air flow, thats a load of crap. You want to go in a circular motion just dont use a real abrasive wax. Use something that is 100% carnuba. I use mothers and it is some good crap. I definetly wont use anything else.

Wax isn't the only way. There are a few products that do it. Basically, anything that can fill and be buffed/polished will do the trick. (Scratch X, polish, glaze, etc...) the buffing is also a big contributor to cleaning up the swirls.


Steve

If you need some help check out this link They talk about all the different cleaners and waxes, and how to use them. And also this one

Unless you use a "cleaner wax" that is basically 2 products in one, carnuba wax will only fill scratches, not actually remove them. A true "wax" won't have any abrasive qualities to it at all. That's why there are so many multi-step processes out there. That's also why you'll see waxes that say they are a "pure wax" and that you must use a polish before you use them. If you are using a "cleaner wax" then you don't have to worry about the seperate polish.

If you have a lot of money and time to spend on keeping your car clean and waxed, you might want to check out the Griots Garage machine polishing kit.

wow! thanks guys - this is some great advice. And to answer the first question - yes it is possible to see swirl marks on a white car but mainly in direct sunlight- they just aren't as noticeable as on a darker color.

Ultimate procedure for hiding swirl marks:


Step 1) Throw car in ditch. (This can be substituted for "trading in" to a dealership)

Step 2) Purchase silver car.





:)

lol@ buying a silver car... true, true..

I'm taking a look at the sites mentioned above.

The paint on mine showed no swirls from the dealer, but after my first wash & wax, I had swirls. I had used a pure carnauba wax, recommended by my cousin, whose Dodge pickup looks brand-new after 130,000+ miles in the country and waxing once a month.

I found that if I lightly buffed & buffed & buffed with a clean part of the cheesecloth I was using, the swirls went away. So far, I'm expecting to do the same thing this month.

On a side note, my uncle buffed the haze off of my old '86 Si's non-stock paint (never learned its true history, but its wheels weren't Si rims) with an orbital buffer and extra-fine polish. I'm sure it would've kept its shine better afterwards if I maintained it regularly.