OUCH, what am I doing wrong, swirls everywhere!

[DetailShawn]

Hi All,

Newbie to the detailing, started a few months ago knowing that a newborn was on the way (2007 boxster).

So, I get some great products here (Pinnacle, Cobra, DP, etc.) and I follow the articles/videos carefully and wash my car about 3-4 times so far, waxed it once, QD'd it once and clayed it once.

Everytime I walk away from it when it's clean, shiny and beautiful, I see more and more swirls and micro-scratches ---- what the hell am I doing wrong or is this not unexpected???

I start with thoroughly rinsing the car with water (the whole time out of the sun), use a 5 gallon bucket with that dirt agitator thing from AG, cobra chenille mitts, pinnacle shampoo, when car is completely wet/soaked, I gently use the mitts near the top of the car and work my way down. Meanwhile, I rinse, agitate the mitts on the agitator on the bottom of the bucket and suds up and do more areas of the car, I do this about 10 times and the car is a fairly small one.

When I waxed I used the green edgeless cobra MF, when I dry I use the cobra guzzler MF and all other MF only touches the wheel or other non-sensitive areas of the car. Also, when I clayed, I used plenty of clay lube.

So, I would chalk this up to inevitable stuff until I think the last few cars I took to my favorite car wash for years and years and none of them developed swirls/micro-scratches. I have to think I'm doing something really bad ---- what is it???

Thanks much for your advice,
Shawn

[Al-53]

I think your marring may be from claying....claying should be followed with a paint polishing to remove any maring from the claying process...

next I would use 2 buckets...one to use for soap..and one to rinse the mitt before dipping in the soap bucket....take your mitt and swish it in the rinse bucket to dislodge any grit on it...then dip in the soap bucket and wash....

also when waxing use a foam applicator and apply in straight lines...not in circles...then wipe off with a MF towel...not one that was used for wheel work at all...dedicate towels just for paint....

Al

[gary26]

Have you ever polished the car ? I've heard some Porche's have very soft clear coat, I don't if the Boxster is soft or not. Hang in there people will chime in with so good advise.

[ScottB]

most marring is introduced at the washing and drying stages. It can be as simple as not enough lubrication , and of course our choice in towels, mitts, and even the soap or qd'er used as well as technique (circles = swirls)

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

The only thing I would add to the above post would be to change to a sheepskin wash mit and the green cobras do induce little scratches when used to remove wax. They even did this on my 06 vette which has very hard clear. Changed to a different manufactor and problem solved with the microfibers.

[Rsurfer]

I start with thoroughly rinsing the car with water (the whole time out of the sun), use a 5 gallon bucket with that dirt agitator thing from AG, cobra chenille mitts, pinnacle shampoo, when car is completely wet/soaked, I gently use the mitts near the top of the car and work my way down. Meanwhile, I rinse, agitate the mitts on the agitator on the bottom of the bucket and suds up and do more areas of the car, I do this about 10 times and the car is a fairly small one.


That dirt agitator thing is a grit guard. It's used to trap dirt particles on the bottom of your soap bucket. By agitating the bottom, you maybe stirring up debris from the bottom on to your mitt. Use a second bucket with plain water to rinse the mitt after each panel. This will release most of the debris in the rinse bucket and not the soap bucket. Washing is the most important step in keeping your paint free from scratches and swirls. :cheers:

[raddogz]

I concur wash, rinse, dry, clay, polish, wax/sealant.

[DetailShawn]

Thanks for the responses so far. One of the items I've been feeling is really a must (especially given the responses above) is a foam gun to really make sure the car is well lubricated and ready for washing. Anyone disagree? Looks like the solution on AG for about $50 makes the process easier to for me. Then I can use my existing bucket just for the rinsing/swishing of the mitts only.

Finally, when you folks say polishing, do you mean getting a DA device like the PC? I don't have any DA device yet, that's yet another investment. Am I to understand that's really a needed item at this point?

Finally, the cycle of wash/rinse/dry/clay/polish/wax --- is this to be done every time? I'm thinking about the time and $ product investment if that's the case. I was thinking wash car every 2 weeks and on the alternative wash do the clay & wax, i.e. monthly.

I live in Northern California and from now on, there really won't be any rain until October, so it's mostly about dust/pollen/pollution. New to this whole game, thanks for the advice. I'm appreciative of AG's articles/videos, but seems like they're words aren't the last word and lots of great info from you all.

[Rsurfer]

Thanks for the responses so far. One of the items I've been feeling is really a must (especially given the responses above) is a foam gun to really make sure the car is well lubricated and ready for washing. Anyone disagree? Looks like the solution on AG for about $50 makes the process easier to for me. Then I can use my existing bucket just for the rinsing/swishing of the mitts only.

Finally, when you folks say polishing, do you mean getting a DA device like the PC? I don't have any DA device yet, that's yet another investment. Am I to understand that's really a needed item at this point?

Finally, the cycle of wash/rinse/dry/clay/polish/wax --- is this to be done every time? I'm thinking about the time and $ product investment if that's the case. I was thinking wash car every 2 weeks and on the alternative wash do the clay & wax, i.e. monthly.

I live in Northern California and from now on, there really won't be any rain until October, so it's mostly about dust/pollen/pollution. New to this whole game, thanks for the advice. I'm appreciative of AG's articles/videos, but seems like they're words aren't the last word and lots of great info from you all.Getting a foam gun in not necessary, but alot of fun using.Claying and polishing is done once or twice a yr. depending on the condition of your paint. Put your hands in a zip lock bag and lightly rub your fingers over the paint. If you feel bumps or ridges it's time to clay. If you are anal about your ride like some of us are then you need to get a pc or flex. You can also use a quick detailer in between washes if not to dirty.