MBreezy

I always hear of diff ways to avoid swirls in the paint...I just wanted to see if there is any consensus amongst the actual black color owners on avoiding them. any tips at all... wax once a yr vs never wax, chenille mitts vs microfiber, brands and types of polish etc etc....

CrAZyVeGAsBoY

well for black ur kinda screwed, its gonna happend no matter what, just a matter of time but my bro uses microfiber on his and it works pretty well, chenilles r good too, maybe better depending on who u ask, as for waxing its something ur car needs, i would definatly wax more than once a year but up to u, bottom line, its black and its gonna have swirl marks, u cant get out of that.

Star & Laurel

Pressure washer an microfiber everything along with good quality soap and wax. That is what I've used and gotten good results. From what I've seen once you get a swirl after factory finish you are done. never get rid of them fully.

dmatre

Two-bucket wash method, with a good quality wool mitt has been great for mine, but even so it needs a good polish every 18mos-2yrs. Use good quality products, microfiber or 100% cotton (Made in USA) fabrics. Read a lot and learn.

Check out Autopia.org and there's plenty of very good information there on how to prevent swirls, and to correct the paint if (when) you do get them.

Arcoril

Seconded on the two bucket method.

Use a microfiber wash mitt and rinse it off in a separate bucket of clean water. Only dip it into the soapy bucket when it's clean. Work with one quarter panel at a time and never use your wash mitt on your wheels. Use a different mitt and soap solution for that.

When drying, make sure you use a waffle weave microfiber towel. Assuming your car is properly sealed or waxed, you can sheet off nearly all of the beaded up water by hitting your car with a steady stream of water and letting it sheet off. I just use a hose without an attachment for this. There's very little drying involved after that.

For paint care, I really like Chemical Guys products. JetSeal 109 is my favorite sealant, but I'm also a big fan of Klasse Sealant Glaze. Both of these products put a durable 6-12 month acrylic coating on your car that's lightly scratch resistant.

For existing swirls, apply polish using a random orbital buffer like a Porter Cable 7424. There are a lot of good polishes out there like Menzerna and 3M Perfect Polish. The important part is to start with the least aggressive polish and move to more aggressive ones as needed. With the right tools, you can get rid of any swirl that hasn't penetrated to the base coat. It's an art, but you'll be nothing short of amazed if it's done correctly.

Glyn M Ruck

Allow paint to harden. Find a supplier & applicator of very long life polymer sealant such as Auto Armor. Do once every 5 years. Never polish the car - Never allow anybody else to wash the vehicle. Get some touchless car wash chemical that is compatible. Spray onto car - leave for 5 mins, wash off with running water & a Chamois where necessary - synthetic or genuine OK. Beware of micro fiber cloths. Some of them actually promote swirling. Once coated take the car for a drive to blow off excess water - very little will remain. Water still beads on my car after 5 years without polishing. Touch up dry only with a chamois. Park vehicle in a garage when not in use. My car is swirl free after 5 years & I've kept a number of cars swirl free this way. Nano clearcoats do not require polishing & the surface is frequently damaged by polishing - exposing it to atmospheric pollutants.

Ron Jr

And don't forget to only wash/dry in one direction once you start making circles the swirls will come.

clkwork

2 bucket method, and use grit guards!

RLE

Keeping in mind that any swirls are on the clear coat, not the base color, polishing them out is the same for all but of course the lighter colors just don't show them as much.

I also use a Porter-Cable 7424 and now at 17 months it's time to polish again. Mainly because I have some tree sap which will only come off with clay. So, I'm going to do the entire process, clay, polish, paint sealer and then wax. I expect the result to last through the summer with twice-weekly washing using the techniques shown in arcoril's post. Menzerna makes a nano polish (po 106FA) that improved the shine while removing a light-to- moderate amount of swirls which I did last July, so the bomb-proof hardness of the nano-particle clear coat has been a real time saver. My '01 C320's Obsidian Black paint was so soft that brushing a finger across it left a mark.

C300Sport

Everyone has given great advice. One other very important thing is to rinse, rinse and rinse some more before you ever start washing. The more grit, dirt and sand you can get off your car before you start physically rubing it, the better.

C300Sport

What's a "grit gaurd"?

clkwork

They're these trays that sit in the bottom of your wash bucket to help the dirt to settle out so it doesn't get deposited back on your mitt.

http://www.gritguard.com/

MBreezy

Interesting product, never heard of it b4.

Good info guys, thanks.

tivoboy

Interesting topical story.

When I worked for daimler back in the day, I was doing a C-level tour of some new R&D stuff they had cooking, (forward looking predictive radar - this was back in the mid 90's) and I walked off the regular path and started looking around.

I came across a whole bunch of body panels, with what looked like the Designo colors on them. when I asked the tech what they were, he said it was a new surface application, that would prevent swirls from washing and waxing. I gave it a try, spray on dirt, sprayed on cleaner, wipped off, put on a little spray on wax, wipe off, NO SWIRLS AT ALL!

I said, "this is incredible" in german of course, this is a HUGE problem in sunny climates where people wash their cars more often and are ALWAYS complaining to the wash shops, that there are swirls.

When is it going to be released? The engineer said, they had been trying for years to get the "product guys" to put it on the vehicles, but they could. It would cost 1$, ONE DOLLAR to add it to all cars.

I told him, it could easily be sold at a 200$ option or MORE even, but they couldn't make any headway on it. Crazy,

tivoboy

oopps, forum timeout made double post.

boltsfan

Use Adams!

http://www.adamspolishes.com/

Glyn M Ruck

+1

Glyn M Ruck

That surface application is what sells as Auto Armor in South Africa. My paint feels perfect to the hand after 5 years & you don't get swirls. It is a polymer technology but very long life.

tivoboy

good to see they finally wised up and implemented it.!

PatSC23

I got this mitt from auto geek when looking for a bucket with a grit guard (so that I dont hav to lug two buckets around). And I stocked up on Micro-fiber towels from Detailer's Paradise (you'll need two each time..the second one gets all streaks and water spots out). Keeps the swirls away and the paint like glass.

And I plan on waxing it soon with P21s Carnuba.

I also use a separate sponge for the wheels.

Glyn M Ruck

As I say - be careful with micro fibre towels. They can cause swirls.

C300Sport

The problem with micro fiber towels is that once they pick up sand/grit, they don't tend to release it very easily. A few pieces of sand stuck in your otherwise clean towel can do a number on your finish.

Glyn M Ruck

Microfiber towels are made from Polyester & Polyamide fibers. Both of which can scratch modern paint finishes & remove sealants & waxes. I'm posting here a comment from one of the detail product manufacturers - I won't disclose which one because aside from polymer sealants & polishes. They ALSO sell Microfiber towels So if you want the truth speak to the paint manufacturers.

Quote
"Using Microfiber to clean your car:
Those answers mean I step on a few toes, even my own, when it comes to
products. Many of the products that were safe to use on a vehicle 3 years ago are not safe on newer cars due to a change in paint. Many of the products being sold to clean a vehicle will damage the sealant on your vehicle over time.
Unfortunately by the time it's noticeable the damage has already happened and there is no undo key built into a vehicle.

Caution about cleaning with microfiber:
Industrial paint and sealant manufacturers warn against washing your vehicle with the popular microfiber products. They are made from 80 to 85% polyester & polyamide, which is plastic. Plastic scratches and over time and repeated use they will scratch the sealant off your car and then start on the paint. Your car' paint will begin oxidizing even though you have taken excellent care of your vehicle.
Due to VOC regulations, paint is now being changed from lead based to water based. The paint is not as hard as it has been in the past. Even though sealants are applied over the paint to protect it, if the sealant is scratched
off due to microfiber or the wrong kind of petroleum distillate being used in a wax, the paint is then left vulnerable to rapid oxidation, rust and deterioration. I sell microfiber cloths and do not want you using something
that I know will damage your sealant over time. At a large industrial trade show I had microfiber manufacturing companies verify this information.
If your vehicle is a 2002 or prior to 2002 using 100% cotton is safe and does a great job cleaning safely without scratching. If your vehicle is newer than 2002 then 100% Lambswool is recommended. It is even softer and gentler than cotton." Unquote

Nice Huh! - from someone in the detailing product supply business! You have been warned.

Unbreakable1

so after reading all this, which is great 411 btw, i still dont know how to dry my car...

Glyn M Ruck

With a clean chamois.