Hey Guys
I've been noticing swirl marks on my Arctic Blue TSX. Any recommendations on removing them if possible?

I've been trying to be carful waxing with Mequire 26. I haven't been using the circular method ot apply it or anything. I'm thinking the dealer may have put those swirls in when I had my body kit put on and they washed the car. But can 1 car wash do that?

Anyways, any suggestions guys? Sad girl here

 

get some zymol cleaner wax. $12 and an hour or two of of your time and they're virtually covered up

 

Quote:

Any recommendations on removing them if possible?

To really remove them, you'll have to wear down the clear coat to reduce their effect. This takes specialized compounds, a rotary polisher and experience. If you go this route, I'd suggest breaking out the phone book, finding some professional detailers (not the local car wash places which usually introduce more swirls) and have them stop by for a quote. It shouldn't be a lot of $$$ and well worth protecting your investment.

The other route is to fill in the swirls and then cover it with a decent polymer sealant or wax to make sure the filling lasts as long as possible. Try looking into Meguiar's #9 or ScratchX or 3M's SMR's (they make one for light and one for dark colored cars).

After this, try something like Meguiar's #5 or #7 which are glazes which also have filling ability and will give a very wet look. Top this all of with your Meg's #26 wax for some durability.

Just keep in mind that if you go with the "filling" route, you will have to keep re-filling the swirls/scratches from time to time using this entire process. If you go with the "removal" method then they are gone for good and you just have to be careful with how your treat your car.

Keep in mind that scratches and swirls can be caused when washing, drying or waxing/sealing. That's why I use a California Water Blade for major drying, a waffle weave for finish drying and good quality and clean 100% terry cloth and PakShak microfiber cloths for all polishing/waxing/sealing work. You should also use a good quality brush (like Oxo) or lamb's wool mitt when washing along with a good sudsing car wash soap (I personally like Meguiar's Gold Class soap).

 

THanks for your reply. Very interesting. I've been using applicator pads from target. They come in a pack of 4 for 2.99. You think I may have caused the swirl marks? I used them for cleaning with Mequire's Gold class soap. I do use the cali-wiper blade to dry. The thing is I also use the pads for applying the wax and aslo removing it. You think that may have caused it or do you want to make a girl feel good and just say the dealer did it

 

I've been a detailing professionaly for over 6 years now and I have never been a fan of filling swirls. Why fill a swirl when you know its just going to come right back? Oils and junk in waxes and glazes just wash out after a couple weeks. That's no solution. The best solution is to have them polished out professionaly. I would estimate about $100 - $125 for just a swirl removal job and nothing else. That is just a guess though. It has been my experience that its an accurate guess.

RadMon seems to know what he is doing. His suggestions are great. Part of what is causing your swirls would be your application and removal process of your wax. Use a microfiber towel to remove the wax and not the applicator pad. Also, get an Absorber from Target or somewhere to dry with untill you can order a waffle weave microfiber towel. www.premiumautocare.com is a good place to look for one of those. There are several places that you could go for one. They are just one I really enjoy doing business with. One other suggestion is to never use a sponge to wash with. Use a wool mitt. Sponges trap dirt inside and redeposits it on the surface so it can scratch some more.

Anyway, change your washing, drying, and wax application/removal processes and I think you'll find that you can keep the swirls down much more effectively.

 

I've used 3M Swirlmark Remover and a orbital buffer. Worked like a charm on my son's used Civic. They have two formulas available for light and dark cars. I agree about using a wool mit. It's the best prevention against swirl marks. I buy a new one once a year.

 

3M Swirl Mark Remover is mostly filling the swirls. It has more swirl removing power than wax or a glaze, but it is pretty low on the scale of swirl removing power. On the 3M line I would go with something like Perfect It II or something like that for swirls. That is a heavier abrasive that won't fill swirls and will just remove them.

 

Agreed. But many people aren't willing to pay the cost to have them professionally removed. It usually takes a pretty badly swirled car before a customer will agree to lay down that knid of money (which is a lot for some).

Personally, I'd rather remove them but a surprising number of people think that swirls are no big thing (or just a part of life that must be put up with, I guess ;-) So many are ecstatic when they find that they are products out there that can minimze their effect by filling them and they need no special training to use them or pay a professional to do so.

FWIW...

P.S. Jngrbrdman, nice to see you visiting from over on Autopia!

 

I would hope that if someone is driving a TSX then they aren't spending all their money on the car payment and have a little left for some proper car care. All it really takes is forking out the money once to get it up to par and then being careful while maintaining it so that the swirls don't come back.

I thought you looked familiar. Glad to see they are getting Autopian guidance around here.