Hey all,

What do you guys recommend to practice in order to reduce the ammounts of swirl marks on dark paints (CG)?

A lot of my friends have dark painted vehicles such as black and they all have really unatractive circular swirl marks all over the place.

Any tips?

 

don't use circular motions. use long strokes that are the length of the car. so on the doors, you would go up-->down... etc.

 

I love my CG cause I have ZERO swirl marks!! Use cotton hand mit to wash and 100% cottin USA towels to dry.

 

On darker colors this is a much bigger problem. Your options are to either polish the car (to effectively smooth out the clear coat and thus reduce the effect of the gouges in it which are creating the marks) or to use a filling product (which is just a temporary mask to hide the swirls by filling them with a waxy compound).

If the swirls are minimal, then you can get by with a filling product (some are called glazes - which can be a filler and wax in one - and some are called polishes, as confusing as that is). Once the care is well prepped (washed with dawn and perhaps even clay-barred) then you can use a filling product (to fill in the swirls) followed by a wax or polymer sealant to lock in the swirl filling process (which also makes your car shiney and/or more glossy).

The easiest to procure and most economical choices would likely be products from the Meguiar's line (there are a ton of manufacturers and they each have their own glazing/polishing products). I would suggest you look into their #9 Swirl Remover or perhaps ScrathX. If the swirls are more pronounced, then you may have to move up to something more "professional" like their Dual Action Cleaner/Polish. Anything more will require more experience and professionally applied products (usually done with an rotary buffer/polisher).

All of these products can be ordered online from the company's web site as well as many other companies. And many of the Meguiar's products can be gotten at your local Pep Boys, Auto Zone or Car Quest stores (insert local auto chain store name here).

After the filling, top with a wax or sealant to lock in your work and then you have to just refresh the wax or sealant every few months. If you choose a wax, be sure to use one which does not have cleaners in it or you may end of removing some of the filling compound during the waxing process (if you go the filling route instead of the polishing route).

I would suggest you stop by Autopia Car Care and learn all that you can. There's a LOT of great people and info to make use of there.

Good luck!

 

I use OXO automotive brushes (yes soft bristles) and no swirl marks. I also brush in the direction that the wind would travel over the car.

 

Use a clean sponge for washing and charmois to dry
Guarantee no swirl marks.
If you have to take your car through drive through car wash, try only touch-free wash. Swirl marks are inevitable with soft cloth wash.