How to avoid/remove swirl marks?

Post by **matthew1** » 13 Jun 2010, 19:36

I've got very light swirl marks in the clearcoat of my 2004 V70 R (dark grey). How do I

a) improve them or eliminate them, and how do I
b) ensure I don't create new ones?

My '97 850 (black) had them the day I got it, and no amount of wax would mitigate them. I gave up on trying shortly after I got it in 2000.

This time I want to get it right(er).

Post by **billofdurham** » 15 Jun 2010, 12:36

Very light swirl marks are reasonably easy to remove. A friend in the car finishing trade with 40+ years as a master coach builder taught me some of his secrets before, sadly, he passed away.

His first instruction was always the same - take your time.

Swirl marks are scratches in the finish. Some are microscopic and can only be seen in really bright light. Others are deeper and can be seen in all lighting conditions.

There are plenty of products on the market for removing swirls. One of the best is Meguiar's Direct SwirlX. This can be applied by hand or, if you are brave enough, a polisher. He always used a very soft, microfibre cloth on light swirls and a polisher on the heavier stuff. He never let me use a polisher as he thought I needed the practice.

I still have a bottle in my garage and use it whenever a swirl appears.

Unfortunately swirl marks are a fact of life and most cars suffer from them. They are caused by everyday wear and tear but some steps can be taken to minimize them, if not prevent them altogether.

1. When washing the car always start at the top and work down. This stops heavier dirt from the bottom of the car being dragged up. I always did it the other way until he saw me doing it and 'roasted' me with a great variety of nasty words.
2. Never use dirty, worn or old sponges, leathers, mitts or towels.
3. Avoid automatic car washes. These invariably use some sort of nylon material, brushes or strips, which come into contact with your paintwork. They will scratch, no matter how soft. As a worst case scenario the car in front of you may have been covered with mud. Some of this will still be in the bristles when you go in. Your car is then washed with a dirty brush.
4. Hand car washes can also be detrimental if the staff has not been trained properly. Sponges are often dirty possibly from an earlier car or because they have been dropped on the ground and not washed out properly. My local car wash uses a squeegee to dry the paintwork - not on my car, thank you very much.
5. Before polishing your car make sure every bit of dirt has been washed off. Use microfibre cloths for polishing.

One final thing about paintwork, and this is for enlightenment only so don't try it on your own car. Many years ago I had a Ford Zodiac in Silver Grey. This car was a big, ugly brute and was often called the Dagenham Disaster. My friend, who as a master coach builder was allowed to buy Joseph Mason paint, was determined to paint my Zodiac black. Joseph Mason was the paint supplier to Rolls Royce and my Zodiac was duly prepared for its change of colour. He applied four coats of primer, each one being rubbed down by hand before the next was applied. He then applied seven coats of black with each one again rubbed down by hand but also using Fairy household soap on the wet and dry paper. By this time I was slightly tired as I was doing most of the rubbing down. I was then banished from the spray booth whilst he applied the eighth and final coat. This was allowed to bake overnight. The car was gleaming the next day. Now comes the truly amazing part. I was not allowed to touch the top coat because I didn't have the experience. He set to work with 2,000 grit wet and dry paper, Fairy soap and gallons of water. I was amazed as I saw the gleaming paint go dull. When he had finished he baked it for 30 minutes to thoroughly dry it then applied a coat of Joseph Mason's compound followed by Joseph Mason's polish. The result was absolutely amazing. As I said, don't try it on your car!

And this is a picture of a Dagenham Disaster. The bonnet (hood) was extremely long as the spare wheel was mounted behind the front grille.

: Ford Zodiac mk4.jpg (27.55 KiB) Viewed 4611 times

Bill.

Post by **matthew1** » 16 Jun 2010, 15:24

Thanks a ton, Bill. I'll probably have follow on questions to this topic as I slay the swirl dragon.

Post by **rgk** » 17 Jun 2010, 21:22

Damn, Bill. You and your cars. My old man is a house painter, and the above story did something to my insides.

m4a1mustang · Post by **m4a1mustang** » 25 Jun 2010, 09:02

The best way to avoid adding swirl marks is to change the way you wash your car. 99% of swirl marks are going to be added through the process of washing the dirt off your car with a wash mitt and soap. Although the soap formulas act as a lubricant, the you're still having to rub the dirt off the surface of the car which is what creates the swirls.

To avoid this you should use the foam gun and two-bucket wash method. Buy a foaming soap gun from a detailing store and get two buckets (buy grit guards for them, too!). One bucket will be your clean water / soap bucket, the other will be your rinse. This ensures you don't contaminate your wash mitt every time you go back for some more suds.

Now the foam gun works to loosen the dirt particles from the surface of your car. This way when you actually start wiping it down with your mitt you aren't having to rub them loose, minimizing the chances of adding swirls.

Post by **matthew1** » 25 Jun 2010, 10:18

Super, thanks Steve. I'm going to hit Amazon.com in a few days with my shopping list. I'm hoping they'll have soap guns, but I haven't looked yet.

m4a1mustang · Post by **m4a1mustang** » 25 Jun 2010, 11:06

No problem! They have one gun there that's pretty nice but I can't remember the name... expect to spend around $50. You can also find a them at Autogeek for a little bit more.

Avoid the cheap guns... they dont' work well at all!

Post by **billofdurham** » 25 Jun 2010, 12:57

I'm going to hit Amazon.com

Don't forget to use the MVS link.........

Bill.

Post by **matthew1** » 25 Jun 2010, 13:01

(I'm not supposed to, and it's not supposed to credit me, but I've found the system does credit me for my own purchases! Shh.)

Dasrah · Post by **Dasrah** » 26 Jun 2010, 04:59

Since I bought my '01 V70 T5 a year ago, I have become obsessed with detailing it! But having never had a car that I really gave a hoot about, or was even worth bothering with, I had no idea where to start! These detailing forums have been HUGELY insightful!
[i*]Sorry! I dont really know how to make these links, but Im sure you can find them easily!*

Detailingworld.com
detailedobsession.com
detailersdomain.com

And if you really want to learn how to use a machine polisher- Check out Junkman2000 on YouTube. This guy is an amazing teacher!

Hope this helps