wozza89 Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Hi, I've had my car 18months now, and over the past few times cleaning it, i've noticed a lot of swirl marks all over the car, and general small scratches which have been caused by i'd imagine inconsiderate people and things on the road flicking up at hitting the car. Has anyone got any preferences in what products to use to get rid of swirl marks, and light scratches (one's that don't go through the paint)... I have just washed my car, and used some tar remover on the door panel, which created more scratches So quickly polished them out!! <_< Also, on the bottom of the doors, there seems to be a white substance of some sort that doesn't come off, even after being cleaned. See picture My link A good polish is needed asap i think Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryboi Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 you make swirl marks from not cleaning your car properly. do you use 2 buckets ? or grit guards ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wozza89 Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 No, i've heard of the 2 bucket technique but never a grit guard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch84 Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 never bothered with the two bucket method , but i do use a nice mcguires micro fibre hand mit that i got from Halfords and also some dodo juice purple haze washing liquid , cleans the car lovely and ive not noticed any swirls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazjs Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 To remove swirls you really need to think about machine polishing. A good clay may remove the marks you show in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanGull Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 To remove swirls you really need to think about machine polishing. A good clay may remove the marks you show in the picture. Agreed - there are some products on the market designed to help with swirls, but they tend to fill and mask rather then actually deal with the problem. To get correction, the car will need a machine polish. You can pick up a Dual Action polisher easily - avoid the type you'll see in Halfords and try somewhere like Clean Your Car, I4Detailing or Rubbishboys. There are tutorials a plenty on the net - detailing World and sites like Polished Bliss are the places I learned from. The car is so dirty in the picture it's hard to see exactly what you're talking about - but as Gaz has said if you've got bonded contaminants you'll need clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tunny Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 No Sponges if you don't want too add to the swirls ;) Invest in a couple of good quality wash mitts and good washing additive. Halfrauds (despite the staff knowing very little about what they sell) have a half decent range of readily available stuff, and they have 3 for 2 on alot of car cleaning products at my local. I wouldn't buy everything from them, but the things I know are good for the car I get on 3 for 2 there :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonyJ Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I've had my car 18months now, and over the past few times cleaning it, i've noticed a lot of swirl marks all over the car, and general small scratches which have been caused by i'd imagine inconsiderate people and things on the road flicking up at hitting the car. Has anyone got any preferences in what products to use to get rid of swirl marks, and light scratches (one's that don't go through the paint)... I have just washed my car, and used some tar remover on the door panel, which created more scratches So quickly polished them out!! <_< Prevention is always best, and religously follow the two-bucket-method to clean the car. I do this: - wet my car using a hose, and spray under the wheel arches and underbody to remove salt, grit, etc. - spray alloy wheel cleaner on the wheels to give it time to work - using the 2BM with warm water, a quality shampoo (Meguiars Gold Class, cheap at Halfords) and a microfibre mit (from Aldi, I think), wash one section at a time starting at the top of the car and working down. alloys are done last. I don't have a grit guard, but just from comparing the water between the two buckets you can see how much crud is being taken off - wash off the soap using the hose - dry using a microfibre drying towel (Meguiars Water Magnet). Pad the car, don't rub. The mitt and the towel go in the washing machine after use to remove any dirt. So far, no swirls. Props to the guys over at the DetailingWorld forum for the info. Once the weather improves, I'll be thoroughly cleaning the bodywork using Autoglym super resin polish, before applying a sealant/wax (Collinite 476) to reduce oxidation and particles sticking to the surface. This lasts about six months, so not much of a hassle. As has been said, a machine polish is the only way to really remove swirls, though you could have a go with Swirl-X or similar first. Rather than doing it yourself, I'd recommend you get someone in to do it. A pro will have a quality machine, pads and different grades of polish, and should test the paint thickness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch84 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 i kind of follow the above but ive never done the two bucket method mainly because i cant be bothered and i always think people might wonder why the hell im using two buckets. pesonally i dont think it makes a difference as long as you hose the car down first then start washing from the top first to the bottom last. my method: -clean alloys/wheels first (i have a solution i got off the internet and a alloy brush cant remember names but they came from i4detailing) -hose car with water -fill bucket of warm water and dodo juice purple haze shampoo -start at the top and work your way down with a mguires microfibre hand mit -i always spray the bit i just washed with the hose so that any lying shampoo does not dry -finish off by hosing down -now i pat dry with a micro fibre towel -last i clean all windows with mguires glass cleaner not seen swirl marks yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola 88 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 doesn't the severity of swirl marks also depend on the type of water in the area you live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenymk7 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 doesn't the severity of swirl marks also depend on the type of water in the area you live? not really no, the harshness of the water normally makes a difference on drying. you may get white water streaks if you live in a hard water area like i do. Best bet is to always run an open hose over the car before drying, if the car is protected most of it should just run off before even drying. If you really don't want to go into machine polishing the car have a look towards Chemical guys black light or poor boys black hole. very good for darker shades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wozza89 Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 Thanks for the replies, I will have a good look around Halfords when i'm next near one, and see what I can find. As to the picture, that is just a pure build up of tar and some sort of white substance.. Not quite sure what it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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