Swirls: True or False?

[fightnews]

Would you say this statement is true or false?

If you wash your car once a week you are going to get some swirls after 3 months.

It seems like no matter how careful I am. How many buckets I use. How great of a wash mitt I have I end up with some minor swirling in the paint. Especially on the lower side panels by the tires. I assume some of this is from salt and sand being thrown up at the paint.

Usually they are very minor and you need a bright swirl finder light to even see them but they are there. They come right out even with something like Mckees jeweling wax or rupes diamond ultrafine but how many times can I do that without worrying about the clearcoat? I mean would it be like 100 times or 20 times?

How superficial are these thing because polishing them out has to add up over time?

[TTQ B4U]

Would you say this statement is true or false?

If you wash your car once a week you are going to get some swirls after 3 months.

It seems like no matter how careful I am. How many buckets I use. How great of a wash mitt I have I end up with some minor swirling in the paint. Especially on the lower side panels by the tires. I assume some of this is from salt and sand being thrown up at the paint.

Usually they are very minor and you need a bright swirl finder light to even see them but they are there. They come right out even with something like Mckees jeweling wax or rupes diamond ultrafine but how many times can I do that without worrying about the clearcoat? I mean would it be like 100 times or 20 times?

How superficial are these thing because polishing them out has to add up over time?

Likely true. My cars are usually kept near perfect but things happen. IMO most of the minor marks or swirls I see are more than likely from knees touching bumpers, butts on doors as people slide by or lean on them, etc. but even still, I think it's normal for some swirls or marks to be caused by washing and drying, etc. It's okay though. Most cars even kept my detailers like me and others here will get a quick buff more than onces per year to remove grime and test out new products :)

A mild polish and a light polishing pad is all you need.

[FUNX650]

Would you say this statement
is true or false?

If you wash your car once a week
you are going to get some swirls
after 3 months.


It seems like no matter how careful I am.
How many buckets I use. How great of a
wash mitt I have I end up with some minor
swirling in the paint.

Based solely on the information you’ve
provided regarding your vehicle washing
techniques/tools/etc. ...The statement
does appear to be true—at least for you.



Bob

[Vue to a kill]

Swirls happen. No matter what product, wash media or method you use. It's just the nature of life. Even if you found some magical way to touchlessly wash your car to perfection, everyday life will get to it. Just do your best to not instill damage and once a year or so go after the swirls. Using the least aggressive product and pad combo first of course. I used to chase swirls all of the time (I have diagnosed OCD) but it's such a waste of time and life. Just learn to live with those minor imperfections in the interim and enjoy your ride.

[jdgamble]

I think true. I'm pretty careful and some light swirling always comes back. That's why I'm on my second of probably many white cars!


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[Mantilgh]

I believe there will be some swirls that eventually show up.

I thought I was doing pretty good with my car until I looked at the side of it this morning in the early sun.

I think mine are from using not so clean drying towels. I get excited when I have a chance to to do as wash I don’t always get my towels washed right away. So instead doing the “right” thing and waiting till I have clean drying towels, I just do it because I want it clean.

[KirkH]

Based solely on the information you’ve
provided regarding your vehicle washing
techniques/tools/etc. ...The statement
does appear to be true—at least for you.



Bob

Harsh. LOL.

[KirkH]

Of course it's true. That's why we take so many pictures when we are done polishing. We know its going to be that way for about a day.

You can even do touchless washes and then some dry crusty leaves blow across it, and you have swirlage.

[SWETM]

True.

I wonder thou if it's worth it to polish them off after 3 months if you have so hard to find them. Think that for the naked eyes you can wait up to a year without it has a big impact to the finish. Sure the knowledge that they are there is hard to have. But for the yearly polish or to do it 4 times a year I think that the first is the one that saves the clearcoat most. Then maybe it has to do with which lsp you have also. Here I think that coatings can have a role in saving clearcoat. They do have a little more resistant to wash indused swirls and maybe that the tires throws up to those places. You are still getting those swirls but maybe not as deep and are easier to correct after 12-24 months. Compared to wax or sealant lsp that you will have to apply more times during this time. Just my thoughts about it and has no evidence for it but my logic goes to those thoughts.

Skickat från min SM-T585 via Tapatalk

[Setec Astronomy]

True or False? My answer is: Yes.

[Paul A.]

True. As Mike says "anytime you touch the paint...".

[WillSports3]

There's a chance always but I would say there's a difference between a few minor ones showing up here and there, versus your whole car needs a two step every year to get it to look good again. I would say that with a coated car, your chances are reduced a lot. And then at the same time, there's always how you wash the car as well and what you use to wash the car. Since 2016 when I actually polished out my Mazda 3, I've noticed maybe 6 or 7 new slight swirls on the paint. Very minor ones that realistically, I can polish out easy in the upcoming spring when I do my full detail and recoat since Cquartz UK is essentially at that point where I might as well. Mind you, 6 or 7 new swirls are something I can easily live with without any issues since it's a DD and not a show car or garage queen by any means.

I guess my point is, I think for people like us who wash with good soap, good wash methods, and use proper drying aids and don't dry buff our cars, there's always going to be new MINOR swirls that show up. Nothing that should require a full compound and polish again after our initial first detail of the vehicle.

[Eldorado2k]

butts on doors as people slide by or lean on them

Last weekend I looked outside and noticed a couple of teenage girls standing really close to the rear of the Kia and then 1 of them started leaning on the rear bumper... I was debating on whether or not to say something because it was bugging me but at the same time I didn’t want to come off like a prick. Lol.

I couldn’t take it and did my best to be polite and asked them to please not lean on the car. They were nice and got away from the car. [emoji4]

[TTQ B4U]

Last weekend I looked outside and noticed a couple of teenage girls standing really close to the rear of the Kia and then 1 of them started leaning on the rear bumper... I was debating on whether or not to say something because it was bugging me but at the same time I didn’t want to come off like a prick. Lol.

I couldn’t take it and did my best to be polite and asked them to please not lean on the car. They were nice and got away from the car. [emoji4]

Haha!

When I took my car into the dealer to show them the exhaust the sales manager and a few others were standing around looking my car over and one of the reps used his finger to rub away some of the salt spray/dust that accumulated on the hood so he could see the metallic sparkle :doh:

It took all I could muster not to say something......ugh...I think I can still feel my blood boiling.

[WillSports3]

I lose it when I see someone lean on my car. I would never lean on someone else's car or anything else like that so when I see someone lean on my car, I go off on them.