how to avoid swirl marks

chris1988brown

chris1988brown

Registered User
Joined
Nov 29, 2009
Messages
569
Reaction score
7
Points
18
Location
middlesbrough
hi there,

ive just had my car fully resprayed and what to avoid gettin swirl marks, how can i achive this? also my car is now solar orange, so what are the best products to keep the shine and protect the paint?

any help would be great as im now to detailing

cheers chris
 
i think that when it comes to washing, you can use the 2 bucket method which minimises dirt being rubbed into the paint. and do as much as possible to have a clean sponge to use on the body. i generally wash from roof down, doing all the bottom of the car at the same time, that way, the most dirty part of your car (the bottom usually) will not get any debris onto the rest of the paint.

as for detailing, i use a clay bar in the summer, followed by 3 stages of Meguiar's paint cleaner, polish and then wax.
i use their microfibre applicator pads (1 for each) and microfibre cloths for polishing.

i think its worth spending money on good cloths.

i know since you just got it sprayed you will not need to do the paintwork with the clay bar, but since the car is 3 years old, maybe would be a good idea on the windscreen and rear screen. i do mine every year. im itching to do it now actually but since the weather is crap im gonna have to wait.

with regards to best products, i was impressed by Meguiar's but i would probably have a look at auto glym. thats what im switching to after my Meguiar's has run out. but will probably last me a few years!
 
Swirl marks are inevitable; there are steps however as mentioned above that can Reduce The Risk of inflicting them. Read this GUIDE, see if that helps.
 
Can't really add to jimmeh's link, but you are likely to have holograms and buffer marks from the bodyshop's respray. Best advice I can impart is find a local "nice" detailer who will detail the car's paint work, but teach you to care for it properly and show you how to detail the rest of the car such as plastics, glass and metals.

A lot of my clients last year came to me having bought a machine polisher but with no clue on how to use it. They sold them, asked me for paint correction services but still wanted to do a lot themselves. Something I had no issue with as my detailing was a hobby more than a business. I made sure they knew the basics and a little more!
 
As said above, fine swirls and marring are inevitable over time, but you can vastly reduce them in terms of severity by making sure that your wash method is as safe and effective as possible. See this link for an in-depth illustrated washi guide that includes pre-wash foaming information too - http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/safe-washing-and-drying.html

In terms of protection, I would look at Blackfire All Finish Paint Protection, as it makes orange coloured paints look like this...

faq4-4-s-l.jpg


faq4-4-t-l.jpg


Full details and product specification here - http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/blackfire-all-finish-paint-protection-cat12.html

:icon_thumright:
 
Last edited:
As Jim says wash marring is pretty much unavoidable, the key is to make sure the pre wash/wash routine is gentle enough to only induce light marring which once a year or so will only need a very light polish pad combo to remove.

I would recommend you get yourself two buckets with grit guards in and also at least two good quality wash mitts, a pre wash is also essential-Bilt Hamber autofoam is suberb and a couple of applications and subsequent rinses will ensure as much dirt/grit as possible is removed before you perform a touch wash.

TBH this Megs system mentioned does have its limitations i would suggest you look at the Zaino system its is in my opinion the best sealant system on the market both in terms of looks and durability, with the weather and temps starting to pick up it will also be a doddle to use, if the cars perfect and swirls free id suggest Z2 followed by Z8 with Z6 wipedowns in between the Z8, if on the other hand the paintwork isnt perfect id sugest ZAIO followed by Z5 followed by the Z6 Z8 steps i mentioned, have a look at the videos below and remeber with Zaino less is most definatly more.

Id also recommend you get the Zaino towels as these really are the best towels ive used and trust me ive used/tried/bought hundreds over the years.

I hpe thats of help to you, any questions feel free to PM me or email me.

Gav

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEX6-rulyH8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDHDGkbb0Jg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Up-fk49u7M
 
Last edited:
cheers for all the reply guys very helpful, im gonna look through all the links now, and invest in a full new set of tol tomorrow and get cracking. will post put be for and after pics do you guys can give me future tips if you dont mind

cheers again chris
 
right been out to day and bought some cleaning gear, i got megs wash mit, auto glym - car shampoo, wheel cleaner, wheels sealer, interior vinal and rubber cleaner,super resin polish, polishng cloths, and profesional drying cloth, give the car a wash in these steps:

pressure wash
snow foam
clean wheels with auto gylm wheels cleaner then dryed and sealed + fit tyre shine
presure wash
hand wash with wash mit, car shampoo, to bucket method
hose down
hand dry with patting techneque
polish car wiht super resin polish a pannel at a time
cleaned all rubbers with vinal/rubber cleaner
cleaned interior

over all i am rly rly happy with the out come as its my first attemt at a detail, the paint work is perfect atm which is great so the results were very nice

i will post up pic once they have uploaded onto pb

if people could give me pointer for next time and advice that would be greatly appreciated

cheers chris
 
Definately get some further protection on there Chris. SRP doesn't last that long at all. If you get the AG extra protection gloss on it then the autoglym HD wax, it will protect for a good while. There are many more products out there. Like the zaino's and blackfire to name but 2, and those 2 have a great reputation amongst detailers, but you seem to like the autoglym range and the HD wax is held in high regard also! It's a personal matter of opinion. All 3 will look good on your car, and others like dodo juice waxes, victoria wax etc etc etc will too, there's no really wrong choice whoever you listen to, there are hundreds and everyone has found ones that they like, now it's your turn to go looking, enjoy the slippery slope to being completely an*l about car care! I would say that the professionals have used alot of products and find that certain products look better on different colours, as displayed on the polished bliss post by Rich, worth listening to those people, it takes alot of time and money to build up that kind of knowledge :icon_thumright:
 
SRP as said above is a polish (hence super resin polish) and while adding fillers, these really don't count as protection.

Also, I would really avoid AG Cleans Wheels as it is an acidic cleaner.

Something simple and easy to get hold of (Extra Gloss Protection) should be right up your street.
 
chris1988brown said:
hi there,

ive just had my car fully resprayed and what to avoid gettin swirl marks, how can i achive this? also my car is now solar orange, so what are the best products to keep the shine and protect the paint?

any help would be great as im now to detailing

cheers chris
Click to expand...

just seen this thought i would add. do a quick search on detailing world in google probly first link. Loads!!! of tips and techniques hope this helps aswell......... had it bookmarked so i thought ill add link lol

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4637
 
Looks great mate. if you want some good tips and tricks I'd seriously recommend joining a detailing forum such as cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum or detailing world, the first is smaller with some good detailers on there, detailing world is massive, I prefer CYC, you get to know the boys. They'll help you if you want to start machine polishing which, if you go to show's, I'd say is essential, and with your LSP's. Not sure if polished bliss have a forum or not, but they're on here anyway I guess.
 
audi upgrades
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Behind The Bins
Swirl Marks
Replies
54
Views
5K
oli356
oli356
s3clarke
Swirl marks.
Replies
11
Views
2K
sidibear
sidibear
P
Swirl marks etc
Replies
13
Views
2K
Cabbyfan
C
Adub
Pillar Swirl marks advice
Replies
1
Views
897
steverobertsbbc
S
Dan_G
Swirl Marks - Navarra S3
Replies
53
Views
9K
christuffley
C
Top
Back