To the serious automotive junkie, they are hideous and problematic. There are numerous things that can cause swirl marks. Most have to do with how you wash your car or the materials you or someone else used to do so. Here are the most common causes of swirl marks:. Automated car washes are great things in a pinch.
They usually do a decent job of getting dirt off your car, they are efficient, and they are quick. They do have one drawback though: they are one of the leading causes of swirl marks.
Brushes swirling around at such a high speed, along with the fact that the same car wash has serviced potentially hundreds of vehicles a day with different levels of dirt accretion combine to give your paint a run for its money. If you do have to get your car washed in a hurry, most experts recommend running your car through a touch-less automatic, which uses water pressure rather than brushes to get your vehicle clean. Incorrect car washing techniques are probably the first or second thing people think of when they talk about swirl marks and what causes them.
It is a very broad category that encompasses more than just the way you scrub your car, though that is part of it. Many people wash their vehicles using a circular motion. Most experts recommend scrubbing across or up-and-down in an overlapping pattern to make sure all surfaces are covered. If you happen to miss some surface dirt during the pre-wash, the circular motion in which you scrub results in the swirly patterns you see.
Failing to rinse your car before washing it falls under this category. Without doing a pre-rinse, the surface dirt that would easily be lightly washed away could end up getting scrubbed into your paint along with the car wash shampoo you use.
Even the best car wash shampoos will not work if there is residual dirt just sitting on your paint. Likewise, failing to do a complete car wash or washing your vehicle insufficiently will ultimately result in swirl marks. One more important car wash technique that leads to swirl marks is using a dirty cloth or wash mitt to wash your vehicle.
Using the two-bucket car wash method can prevent this, but using the same bucket to mix your cleaning solution and continually rinsing the same washcloth or mitt allows the removed dirt to stick and be reapplied to the car. These fine dirt particles are what scratches the surface. Even if you wash your vehicle thoroughly, you could make the huge mistake of drying your vehicle with a dirty towel.
It may look clean, especially since you only used it one-time last week to dry your clean car, but you need to make sure it is washed before second-time use. Just like how using the same washing and rinsing bucket can reapply dirt, using the same drying towel multiple times can do the same. On rare occasions, you may be tempted to forego the car wash altogether. Maybe there is one pesky dirt spot on your car that is bothering you, but it definitely does not warrant an entire car wash with the time it takes to set everything up.
Simply grabbing a towel and wiping down that spot will probably do much more harm than good and is another way swirl marks can appear. This will lessen the chance of contaminating your wash mitt, thereby reducing the chances of scratching the surface of your car.
Wash your car using the two-bucket method — one filled with clean water and one with car wash soap. Dip your washing mitt into the soap bucket to wash your car with soapy suds. Then place it into the water bucket to rinse it thoroughly before moving on to the next area.
When drying your car, the less physical contact the better. Car wash pros recommend hosing the water off your car without using a nozzle before drying. When drying, use lubrication and a high-grade microfiber towel to minimize scratching.
Surprisingly, waxing can also cause swirling if the application involves a lot of rubbing, scrubbing, and wiping off, as with standard car waxes. Instead, use a spray wax and gently wipe off with a clean microfiber towel. When buffing, use a minimally abrasive polisher and buffing pad, otherwise you can make the scratches worse than they already are.
After buffing, the surface of your car should look and feel silky and glossy. Automotive Detailing Automotive Detailing Processes. Cutting Compound G3 Pro D.
What are swirl marks and how do I remove them?
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