Swirls

[Carol]

I keep getting swills on my car , any idea how I can get them off, I live on a hill so got to take my car to the garage to clean

[Gazski66]

Swills?

[Carol]

sorry swirls lol

[Gazski66]

Ah ok, we do have some very competent people on here when it comes to getting rid of swirls but the best way to get rid of them is with a DA polisher but you do need to have a good idea of what you are doing

[Carol]

thankyou

[mk2k41]

I'm in work and on my phone at the moment, but when I'm home I'll reply with a more detailed response . There are several options availavle though, from the more simple to complicated methods.

[Carol]

I'd be very grateful thanks

[mk2k41]

Right, as promised!

There are several ways to remove swirls from your paint work, though it is important to understand what causes them and what can be done to limit them in the first place. Swirls are the result of making contact with your car whilst cleaning it and the surface is not free of particles of dirt. These are then trapped in your sponge/mitt/cloth and dragged across the paintwork, causing small scratches.

There are a number of products and methods to remove swirls from your paintwork, depending on your level of expertise and what you have available. The easiest and probably cheapest way is by using a glaze/filler product. These do not remove the swirls, but instead as the name suggests fills them in so they are much less noticeable. In order to use these, your car needs to be completely clean and the paintwork needs to be completely clean of any other products/waxes etc. For a guide to how to do this, see Andy's excellent write up here. Once your car is cleaned to this level, then all you need to do is apply your chosen product using an applicator and buff it off using a microfiber cloth. It is important to note that once you've done this you will need to wax the vehicle as well, in order to seal the product on to the paint otherwise it will wash off the next time it rains or next wash. I personally use Meguiars Show Car Glaze no.7 on mine, and I find it does a good job . Auto Finesse Tripple is also a good product.

The next level is polishing by hand. Again, as above your car needs to be completely clean before this stage. This is very similar to the above, but instead you're using a polishing compound. These contain abrasives in them which will remove a certain amount of clear coat so that it is all level again This image shows what I mean, and what causes a scratch



As you can see, there is only so much clear coat to play with so you should always be wary with polishes as once you've removed the clear coat then you'll be on to the bare paint and it'll start causing damage that will need a respray to fix. This is very, very unlikely to occur if you're polishing by hand, but it is something to be aware of. Anyway, these products are normally applied with a firmer foam applicator, as they offer more bite over a soft cloth. You will need to apply the product in firm overlapping motions, and ensure the polish has completely broken down before buffing off with a microfibre. There are a number of polishes suitable for hand polishing, the favoured ones being Autoglym Super Resin Polish and Meguiars Ultimate Compound. Both of these are easy to apply and use, but you will need to put a lot of elbow grease into it in order to get the best results. They also contain fillers as well, so the scratches you can't get out will be filled as well.

The next level again is polishing using a machine. I won't go into too much detail here as most people don't own or are willing to using a machine polisher, as the potential for causing permanent damage with them is a lot higher than it is by hand. However, they do offer the best results as you can use much heavier polishes and cutting compounds with them.

The easiest option, but the most expensive option, will be to pay a professional detailer in your area to remove them. Do be careful though and do a bit of research. The cost of a machine polish done by a proper detailer will be fairly high, be wary of others offering to do it for cheap as they are more likely to cause more damage in the long run.

As I said at the beginning, the best defence against scratches is ensuring you're washing your car with the best methods possible. The use of a decent pre wash, such as the Power Maxed Traffic Film Remover, or Valet Pro Citrus pre wash, will remove a lot of dirt before you even touch your car. These are simply applied through a garden pressure sprayer then jet washed off, and should remove a lot of dirt that would otherwise be dragged around the paintwork when you're washing it.

The easiest step is to make sure you're using a decent wash mitt, rather than a sponge or cloth as these are not thick enough to take dirt away from the surface. They hold dirt close to the surface, whereas a decent wash mitt (lambswool is best), will take the dirt away and minimise scratches.

If you're using buckets make sure you have a grit guard. These stop you taking your wash mitt down to the bottom and picking up the dirt that you've just cleaned off. Another tip with buckets is to use two, one for washing with shampoo in, and another one with just water for rinsing. The reason for this is you're going to be rinsing out your mitt in water and leaving the dirt in there and keeping the shampoo mix clean and free from dirt.

Lastly, protect your paintwork by applying a good quality wax or sealant. These add another layer of protection to the paint and make removing light dirt and dust much easier as it can't stick as easily.

That's pretty much it I think. I went into a bit more detail than I intended, but if anyone else finds it useful then it's there for them as well! Any questions then feel free to post them and either me or one of the other more experienced detailers will help you out .

[pmk]

OMG think you wrote a book there hehe

[Broda]

OMG think you wrote a book there hehe

ROLF! Good answer though

[Carol]

Thank you very much posting that for me but I will have to get someone to do this for me, as I wouldn't like to do this my self I very much
appreciate it

[Clean Your Ride]

Where are you based Carol?

[Clean Your Ride]

Swirls

Here is some extremely easy correction work I have done...

Starting with a lovely Range Rover





Then a Ninja motorbike








Then Wes' Mark1 was treated to some CYR love

[Hyperkev]

You use a machine Andy ?

[Carol]

I'm in cardiff