How Do I Get Rid Of The Swirls On My Car? | FerrariChat

How Do I Get Rid Of The Swirls On My Car?

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by DodgeViper01, Oct 5, 2004.

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  1. DodgeViper01

    DodgeViper01 F1 Veteran

    Oct 1, 2003
    6,866
    Well, needless to say, I have a lot of paint swirls on my car. I believe they came from washing the car and then whipping it off with the wrong type of towel. Does anyone know how to get rid of these if possible? Is the removal method permanent or will the swirls reappear after I wash the car? I heard someone tell me about compound. Is that a good measure? Let me know

    Thanking you all in advance
     
  2. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    swirls are basically unavoidable. as i understand it, they are tiny scratches in the clear coat, that look to us humans like circular patterns.

    there is some really great auto detailing forum site i've found before, but can't find now, that discusses this topic in great detail. this guy http://www.heumann.com/ wrote up some great articles for them (presumably you can find it through there).

    the CW as i've experienced is that 3M Hand Glaze is your best bet to get those tiny scratches out, and thus get a mirror finish.

    i've never had the cojones to try it myself.

    good luck!

    doody.
     
  3. DMC

    DMC Formula 3

    Nov 15, 2002
    2,385
    WI/IL
    Full Name:
    Dean
    I have had great results with both Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover or Menzerma Final Polish, followed by wax of your choice. Use a foam pad with a random orbital buffer.

    Both are available here: http://www.properautocare.com/polish.html
     
  4. MarkPDX

    MarkPDX F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Apr 21, 2003
    15,111
    Gulf Coast
    Put it on eBay. Those pesky swirls you used to see will instantly disappear.
     
  5. barcheta

    barcheta F1 Rookie

    Nov 15, 2003
    3,738
    What he said
     
  6. Ferrari0324

    Ferrari0324 F1 Rookie

    Mar 20, 2004
    3,510
    Full Name:
    Brandon
    See! This is why you don't not wash your car! ;). I told ya besides keeping your car clean, washing it keeps the paint healthy. It's not just b/c people want to look good, they also want to protect the paint. Too cold to detail it now eh?
     
  7. dm_n_stuff

    dm_n_stuff Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

  8. bernardo66

    bernardo66 The Crazy Cat Man
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 14, 2003
    26,281
    Montreal Canada
    Full Name:
    Bernie
    Indeed!!! Great link!
     
  9. DodgeViper01

    DodgeViper01 F1 Veteran

    Oct 1, 2003
    6,866
    Oh well. Life goes on. It is a daily driver. This was gonna happen anyway.
     
  10. BWS550

    BWS550 Wants to be a mod

    Apr 1, 2002
    8,933
    NEW JERSEY
    Full Name:
    BRUCE WELLINGTON
    KEITH

    USE 3M HAND GLAZE..ITS ABOUT 9 DOLLARS IN ANY CAR STORE...

    IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM..................
     
  11. TigerAce

    TigerAce Formula 3

    May 29, 2003
    1,793
    Dallas, TX
    Full Name:
    Yoshi Ace
    Check out this thread, http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29907.

    We saw Enzo's swirls dissapeared by the demo using Meguiar's product. You can contact Kieth for further product information.

    Or maybe you should let the pro detailers do the work once a while.
     
  12. 911Fan

    911Fan Formula 3

    Apr 15, 2004
    1,294
    Southern California
    3M swirl mark remover works well. They have two formulations, one is specifically for dark cars. You will probably have to go to a professional auto paint store to buy some though.
     
  13. Mike C

    Mike C F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 3, 2002
    6,081
    Southeast USA
    Full Name:
    Mike Charness
    Thanks for the kind words! Readers WILL find more info about both avoiding swirl marks as much as possible and various ways to remove them.

    Remember that using glazing compounds is only a temporary fix, since they use silicones or other chemical compounds to fill the micro-scratches... they look great but they'll evaporate or be removed when your car is washed and then the swirl marks are back again (since they were never really gone, just masked).
     
  14. DodgeViper01

    DodgeViper01 F1 Veteran

    Oct 1, 2003
    6,866
    Now are there any permanent fixes because it seems that these 3M ideas are only temporary.
     
  15. Mule

    Mule F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 25, 2003
    3,750
    Alaska
    Full Name:
    Mule
    Permanent fixes (other than repaint) probably no. But Mike said a key word that was probably overlooked. "avoiding swirl marks" is the secret. Cure the cause, not the symptom.

    By following Mike's articles and others' advice, you may not have to fix them, if the washing, waxing, polishing techniques change. I saw a car at the FCA concourse that was just gorgeous. The red stood out among the others, so I found the guy who detailed it and asked what wax he used. Plain old McGuires, but it was the technique that made it look so good without swirlmarks.

    On swirlmarks, I had a friend describe them this way. Swirlmarks are the light reflected back to your eye by tiny curved scratches in the paint. More so on darker colors. Since light sources are round (sun, lightbulb), the marks in a circular pattern reflect the round light. If the scratches were straight lines, only small portions would be visible. Meaning, I wax, dry, polish in straight lines and don't see swirlmarks anymore. Same amount of scratches, but they are straight instead of curved and not as reflective.
     
  16. msdesignltd

    msdesignltd F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 17, 2003
    17,769
    NYC. / E. Hampton
    Full Name:
    Michael
    I posted this same inquiry as many others did months and months ago...
    I am a die hard, I never give up....after 25 coats of Zymol concours at about $135.00 per can and an additional 5 coats of a good paste wax, I used Collinite at $25.00 per can....I have minimalized 90% of all the cars angel hair scratches...it took months but they are gone, I have also found a micro fibre cloth with weave 100 times finer than the terry micro fibre clothes out there. they are sold for cleaning computer screens... that was the most helpful item I used by rubbing in one direction only....also you must apply wax with micro fibre cloth.All this was done after a double hand compounding.Whew, I get tired of thinking how much work I did on this paint.

    Scratches! what scratches!
     
  17. TCM

    TCM Formula Junior

    Nov 10, 2003
    552
    Tyngsborough, MA
    I think Doody was referring to www.autopia.org . It is a very informative site that everyone can learn from. Hope this helps.
     
  18. dm_n_stuff

    dm_n_stuff Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Didn't realize you were a frequent contributor here too.

    Nice to know, and you're welcome. I've read that stuff start to finish a couple of times now.

    Dave
     
  19. don_xvi

    don_xvi F1 Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
    2,934
    Outside Detroit
    Full Name:
    Don the 16th
    I guess I'll live with mine.
    But wow, what a pic! I wish I could make myself work at it that hard! Gorgeous.

    So, Original Poster, the answer to "how do I get rid of swirl marks?" is... hours and hours of hard work!
     
  20. ghost

    ghost F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Dec 10, 2003
    10,043
    Singapore
    Wowzers! Looks like a beauty Michael. Post some more pictures of that bad boy. And how come you haven't joined the EC Crew for any recent runs?
     
  21. PSk

    PSk F1 World Champ

    Nov 20, 2002
    17,673
    Tauranga, NZ
    Full Name:
    Pete
    Either still polishing OR now has repeditive strain injury (rsi) from all that work ;)

    Pete
     

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