.: What causes swirls/coweb ?!

[TuningBrasil]

Have just done (pearl white VW): clay/ColorX/NXT (paste)

I really liked the results...claying showed how contaminated it was and ColorX helped a lot to reduce some scratches/marks. Topped with NXT paste and it looked good, but I can see some annoying swirls/coweb.

I have a '97 VW and I'm almost sure the previous owners (I'm the 3rd) never worried about it how I do...I've already ordered ScratchX and I'll do it by hand (test on hood before), but I'd like to know how to avoid new swirls/coweb...so what causes that?! Lemme know...

Andre

[Accumulator]

IMO 99% of such marring comes from the wash/dry regimen.

Consider the basic problem: potentially abrasive dirt is on the paint. How do you get the dirt to release from the paint and then move *off* the paint without causing those little scratches? If you apply pressure to the dirt (pressing it against the paint) and them move it, you'll cause the marring.

First step is to make sure your wash/dry media doesn't scratch in and of itself. I like to test it on the data side of a CD, which is generally a bit softer than most automotive paint.

Then you gotta work on technique, which could be a book in itself. This is the biggie. Do it right and you won't have marring for a long, long time. But that's a lot easier said than done.

Keeping a good layer of LSP and washing frequently (before the dirt really builds up and bonds to the vehicle) can help a lot.

[TuningBrasil]

Thanx bro!

[LiquidBlack]

Quick detailing when you should really wash also creates cobweb effect / swirls.

Swirls are really thousands of very small scratches on your cars finish. Improper washing, drying, or buffing techniques can cause these. Also, just everyday wear and tear (usually if the car is outside) can also attribute to scratches.

My car, for instance, sat in an old parking lot outsode of my school's dorm. There is a lot of concrete dust there that was blown over my car daily. This was a headache for me, as I found I would need to use #80 with the G100 to remove swirls created by this dust every 3 detailing cycles.

[Mike Phillips]

The root cause of swirls and cobweb-effect and scratches is in it's most rudimentary form,

We... (You an I), we touch our paint.


If you took a brand new car, (before the dealership detailers hack it up), or a car with a brand new paint job before the painters helper swirls it out, and place either of these two cars into a garage with a soft, clean flannel sheet over them to block dust accumulation and left them there, they would never get any swirls or scratches.

The problem with the above is that isn't' the real world because in the real world we drive our cars and when they get dirty we wash them and dry them and then to protect the paint we clay, clean, polish and wax them.

The trick to a swirl free finish is to do everything you can to reduce the potential for instilling swirls and scratches.

Simple.