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Help.

My 2002 Capri Blue C240 has swirl marks all over the body. In the sunlight they look like "virtual hologram flowers". On dark paint this is bad. Really bad. Problem is the car was delivered like this. I have tried to wash them off with Meguairs Car wash. I also tried to wax the car with Meguiars Gold Class. No luck!

I watch cars pass by the office when I am in meetings at work. I have seen several new C-class cars with the same swirl marks.

? Is this normal?

? What can I do to get them removed?

Thanks

PIX: that do NOT show the swirl marks..
http://www.robertemmetttaylor.com/

vinmanc32

But it will take some work. Someone was wiping the car in a circular motion which is a no no. Back and forth motion only. But the damage is usually only on the clear coat so with some work and a bit of time, they should go away. Dark colors do show them more so you have to take extra care with dark colors not to wipe in circles. You need to get some type of cleaner and polish, not just wax. Sounds like you were just using wax and that just makes them very shiny swirl marks. So people use Zaino and swear by it. I never have, but Zymol makes a good product as does Maguairs... you just need more than just wax.. good luck.

Blue Benz

You're supposed to use Meguiars scratch X remover for swirl marks. Maybe you should try it.

MercManiac

Get Meguairs swirl remover or 3M swirl remover for dark paints. Use an orbital buffer then use a good wax like Klasse or Blackfire.

Go to this site and learn a lot then buy the right products.

http://properautocare.com/index.html

CLK 320

Please be advised that swirl marks can occur at any point during the cleaning process. Therefore it is critical to always use a back and forth/straight line motion when washing, polishing and waxing. To solve your problem begin by washing the car. Follow by polishing, which you may have to do twice. The key to remember is that you are removing a very fine layer of paint in order to reveal fresh undamaged paint. Be careful, I recommend doing this slowly and by hand. The final step is wax. Personally, I use Zymol and I have been driving black cars - the ultimate swirl showing color. I find the product to be gentle and effective. Good luck!

MarkL

I also have a 2002 Capri Blue C240. It was also delivered with some swirl marks, in August. Since then, I've used 3M Imperial Hand Glaze (IHG) and Blitz wax. As David N. will say, IHG will not permanently remove the swirls, but it helped. The swirls on my car are really not that bad, not like you see on some black cars that have been "abused". Mine only occur in some lighting, and I've learned to just accept them. I think the new paints are very susceptible to swirling, especially the dark colors. Even if you were able to get them out, I think it would only be a matter of time before they're back.

Flashman

The swirl marks are on your clear coat (the transparent paint layer that is over the blue metallic paint). They are easily removed by:

1. Washing car with dishwasher detergent to remove all wax and dirt, then dry with clean cotton towel.
2. Using a mild swirl-removing buffing compound to smooth out those swirl marks off the clear coat. Any high quality product designed for this purpose is probably fine. This is basically a form of 'wet sanding'.
3. Carefully waxing on a layer of good high quality protective wax (back and forth motion preferred, top-down, this minimizes marks on cleatcoat).
4. Mildly buffing (hand, no machine) to remove any marks on wax layer.

Rick

David N.

The way you have described this problem, it sounds to me that you have spiderwebbing not swirl marks. You said they look like "virtual hologram flowers". If the lines look like holograms, then it's spiderwebbing. Swirls don't have a 3 dimensional property to them.

So, now you're thinking, how do I remove the spiderwebbs from my paint?

Answer: You can't. Spiderwebbing is in the paint itself not the clearcoat. The only way to remove it would be to repaint the car, and even then their are no guarantees. Most dark coloured cars, especially black, suffer from this. Don't worry about it.

If you go down to your local MB dealer and look at the other capri blue and black cars on the lot, I guarantee you you will see the same thing on those cars.

Kar don

David, I think what he has are actually swirls. I have successfully removed the hollograming on my black ML with 3M SMR. I then followed up with klasse AIO and SG. I highly recommend using a product like klasse or zaino as these "sealants" protect better than an over the counter wax and will keep swirls away longer. I have seen other capri blue C-classes and know exactly what you are talking about, it looks like a hollogram but it is just a swirl that appears in a certain light. Next car i get im takin it home with the plastic on it, never let the dealer touch your paint! My ML also came home with swirls when new

jl88

Also remember that paint perfection is impossible to maintain on a daily driver. You will get swirl marks, regardless of how hard you try to prevent them. All you can do is limit the noticability of them.

But If you take any car and put it under flourescent lights and look closely, you will see swirl marks and microscratches.

Best thing you can do is use a light polish (3M swirl mark remover) once or twice a year.. and use a synthetic wax and layer it on.. also, try to keep your car washed.

vinmanc32

I dont think you would have spider webbing on a brand new car. Thats typically on older vehicles which have suffered through harsh times outdoors. This is a brand new car so its likely that its just the clear coat that is scratched and it comes out over time if you take care of it. Its tough to get out the first time but continue for a few weeks and it should go away. I use Zymol as well and its a great product but, I dont know if its that much better than Maguairs and the latter is certainly easier to use. Both the swirl remover (type of cleaner/polish) and the wax go on and off much easier than Zymol.

JohnN

I agree - I think you've got a case of spiderwebbing - or more commonly referred to as orange peel paint.

That's a wonderful side effect of the environmental laws being pushed down to auto manufacturers, making them change the paints they use and how they apply them.

When I was shopping around for my SUV, I visited all the luxury car manufacturers. All of them had orange peel. So much so, that I opted for a white car (that, and I hate swirl marks and scratches - but that's another story).

Christo

Good guys. Thanks for the help.

Odont

try 3M imperial handglaze

Lightman

nobody has seemed to address the cause of the swirls in the first place, or how to prevent more swirl marks in the future. Being an admittedly **** car clean fanatic, I hope I can be of some help.
First off - some good advice has been given on how to remove your current marks. Definitely use a dishwash soap to strip the wax and clean the car extremely well. Then use a product like meguiars scratch-x or the like, and gently remove the swirls. Make sure not to get something abrasive like rubbing compound, those were for older cars without a clear coat etc, and will scratch your paint badly. Then of course, polish, and wax.

The reason ppl get swirls in the first place is usually their car wash method. Abrasive particles cause swirl marks(dirt,sand,films of any dirty sort). People just dont think about it. First off, you're asking for it if you drive through a carwash. Even if it uses cloth instead of brushes etc, almost all of those washes recycle their water, which will undoubtedly have some bit of sediment, which the cloth or brushes will rub back and forth all over your paint.

For those who use the coin-op high pressure bays - which I would try to avoid, however some just won't or aren't able to use a hose and 2 buckets. make absolute SURE you blast the bristles of the foaming brush with the high pressure water, to remove any sediment that was left from the previous car that was washed there. Imagine some jeep that went mudding just washed there before you, and you rub the brush across your hood! Kinda like fingernails on the chalkboard to me!

Anyway the absolute best method for those who have the time(in my humble opinion ) is to get yourself:
A hose
2 buckets
car wash solution - not liquid soap
a lambswool car wash mitt(they raise dirt up into the nap and away from your paint)
clean terrycloth towels. Take the tags off as they may scratch the paint as you wipe.

Fill one bucket with water and appropriate dose of car wash solution. Fill the other with plain water - this is your rinse bucket.Start at the top of the roof, and work down. There is less sediment than on the lower portions, and less chance of mitt contamination etc.
Do the car in small sections, the thought is, once you lightly rub a decent amount of dirt etc off, you want to get it off the mitt, and the car. So you dip the mitt in your rinse bucket and swoosh it around to remove any particles, and rinse the section of the car you just washed. Only then can you put it back in the soap bucket, you dont want to ever get dirt in your soap bucket. Finish doing that small steps at a time, and grab your towels. This is best to do in a shaded area as sometimes the water will leave deposits/spots if it dries too quickly in the sun. Be sure to use clean sections of the towel, and go top down (roof hood trunk, then go lower). You should only use light pressure with the towels, dont try to wipe up dirt you missed with the towel at this point. If your car is waxed properly the water will come off easily.

HOpe this helps, mines got 36k and no swirl marks in the sun.

Howard

Great advice!
One last thing and maybe the most important..use 100% cotton towels. Want to do an experiment? Put your car under good light and lightly rub a towel with a blend(polyester) on the surface. You will actually see the scratches made by the blended towel. It doesn't take much to scratch the soft clear coat.

BigBadDad

It was recommended to me (from the place I buy my supplies) to wash the cotton towels in a liquid detergent (not granular). Apparently the granuals don't completely dissolve and will scratch the paint also. I don't know if it is true, but I swithed to liquid detergent.

-John