So...how did everybody here get 'The Sickness' when it comes to swirls in black paint?

I was the first in my family and group of friends to be "shown" swirls in car paint. I had always seen them but simply assumed they were part of black paint. Officially, I was introduced to them by Aaron, the head sales lot attendant at a Land Rover dealer I used to work for in Portland. He was incredibly finicky and the management was even more so. Even used cars had to look perfect. Thankfully we gave out our work to a select group of detailers who knew what they were doing and we were forced to pick up the rest.

I was let go from that job but the virus had been planted. Ever so slowly but surely, I began noticing swirls, especially in black paint. It happened too late to save my dad's black Acura TL which was sold to a friend in 2007 but it happened JUST in time to save the TL's replacement, a black RL. Aside from just noticing them, they began to generally bother me and they have since stuck out on cars that pass me on the road or are parked on the street.

I took what I had learned at Land Rover and completely re-vamped my car cleaning approach. I threw out my terry cloths and bought a whole slough of microfiber mitts and WW drying towels. I then began to notice buffer burn as well as show my friends (who have as much OCD potential as I do) the swirls in black cars. Slowly my family began to notice them...even my sister who doesn't give two damns about a car noticed a custom Beetle I worked on a while ago. I had the halogens on it and she walked by, "What did he do, wash it with a broom?" I was so proud...

But it finally came to a head one night, my friends were over and with my parents we were all watching a new episode of Family Guy. On an ad break there came on a commercial for the new Dodge Ram where they were showing some fancy feature in the cargo bed. Well the truck was black and the tailgate had swirls on it so nobody saw the feature they were talking about. I said, "Did you see the swirls on that?" And everybody said, "I know! Awful!"

And just think, one person with honest intentions "infected" a minimum of seven people. Thanks, Aaron. I owe ya one.

 

I have two black cars and neither is without it's fair share of swirl marks. At one time I felt like I was OCD and no matter how much I waxed, they would never completely go away. I guess I've learned to live with it. After reading the forums, I'm also more educated now. Looking back, I've done a lot of things wrong. Terry cloth towels and regular old sponges was my style.

My Regal went in for paint this past Saturday. I can feel the OCD coming back and I won't see the car for another month.

 

Yup, it is very rare to see a black car on the road that is not loaded with swirls and/or RIDS.

 

Its an awesome feeling though when you have spent coutless hours getting your paint corrected, and park it next to another black car, full of swirls. It makes me wonder if that owner would even take a second look at your car and back at theirs, wondering why yours is so mirror like.

 

Hi,

Newbie detail moron here.

May I ask how to get rid of the swirls, and what "RIDs" are?


I just recently purchased a crystal pearl black TSX (on Saturday), and in the sun, I saw swirls all over it, blocking the ability to see the pretty colored crystals in the paint.

Now I've been perusing this forum as much as I can, and hopefully I can hook up with ExcelDetail this weekend, to get some personal guidance, but any feedback/help any of you would be willing to share would be greatly appreciated.

thanks very much

 

Swirls are caused by poor washing techniques and automatic car washes. Friction, debris in the wash mitt and/or water, or a poor-quality mitt or brush will easily cause swirls. Swirls themselves are VERY shallow scratches shaped like a 'V' in the clearcoat, causing sunlight to be reflected back into the observer's eyes, diminishing the effect of the flake.

Machine polishing removes microns of clearcoat off the surface of the paint, smoothing out the 'V' and reducing the amount of light in can reflect back. RIDS are Random Isolated Deep Scratches. They can usually be minimized by polishing but not necessarily removed.

Patrick can show you the ropes but once you get 'shown' swirls, it's very difficult to ignore them. And in order to keep them from coming back, your washing regiment has to be incredibly strict. You cannot waiver from it at all OR allow the dealer to wash the car. A dealer wash is an express train to Swirlsville.

My dad's RL is Nighthawk Black and he's had me keep it up since it was new. This will show you what just two careless washes will do to it. Thankfully I was able to buff them out easily.

Before:


And after...


I hope this helps you out.

 

your sig is funny RL..

 

Thanks PortlandRL!

That DOES help!!!

I want to learn how to do things to the right way, and it seems that the people with the knowledge are here on this forum.

I've read a couple good pinned topics about caring for the car, but I haven't seen anything with a real step by step how to.....

For example, I'd like to know exactly what materials to purchase, and then how to use them.

From some of the posts, I now know some good brands of polymers and wax and washes, but I'm lost on what kind of towels, pads, etc., to use, and how to use them.

I'm ready to get that buffing machine, but it seems like you have to buy some type of pads for it, and then also have to apply some sort of outer cloth on the outside of the pad.

For a newbie like me, I don't know where to begin with that, so right now I can't proceed on my own.

 

SouthBay...you are very welcome. Honestly it's refreshing to see somebody who comes in here passionate about keeping their $30,000+ investment looking clean. I simply don't understand people who trash their cars. A car is the second most expensive investment you'll ever make (only a house is more so)...why not keep it looking good?

Trust me, I do some detailing on the side and cars look so much better if you keep them looking top-notch from the day you bring them home. You can polish up a car that's been abused and misused but in my honest opinion, it will never look as good as one that's been properly looked after.

 

To be honest, that is EXACTLY my motivation too!

Don't get me wrong, EVERYONE likes to drive around in a car that looks good, but for me the PRIMARY motivation is protecting my investment.


Anyhow, do you know of any posts or articles that might address the questions/issues I raised?

I'm going to create a separate thread, and if you have the time, would love to get your feedback.

thanks so much

 

Could you recommend anyone good in Portland? My car is pretty bad.

 

Yep, owning a black car or multiple sure does help you realize about swirl marks, I'm prepping myself to undertake a massive paint correction task. I notice it on other cars constantly, like blazin, I used sponges and terry cloths for many years, till Patrick and the crew got me rethinking everything I was doing