You should try to locate the drains and blast them out with compressed air too while you're in there. They do get dirty and clogged up over time which could eventually lead to water pooling up and...
He said clients budget was for a one step. I guess the swirls bother us more than the owner. I'm sure the owner was happy and that's all that should mattet
The spidering or swirl marks should be able to be compounded and polished out fairly easily. Hopefully you still have enough clear coat left to play with. Like others have said try to find an outside...
Here's a quick example of what Essence can do on REAL chrome (have not tried it on plastic chrome). First picture is the before. Second is the after. Please note I only did the top pipe on the left...
I really like the round cotton applicators that came in my Cquartz kit. I actually preferred using them over the suede applicator. Don't think Carpro sells them separately but if you google cotton...