I'm sad. Swirls? Help me get rid of them!

[goldfinger]

Hey guys.

Take a look at these and let me know what you would do to get rid of them.

Only about the 4th or 5th time I've washed the car and I've had it less than 2 weeks.

These appeared all at once after washing. The first 4 times I had no problems at all...

[Jeff Smith]

You might want to provide a litttle more info before these guys start offering advice.

What kind of Car? Make/Model
How old is it?
Do you have any idea what caused these marks?
How are you currently maintaining it?
I.E.
What car shampoo are you using?
How are you washing it?
What accessories do you wash with?
What do you dry with?

These facts will not only help these guys answer you questions but will aide them in offering suggestions to keep this from happening again.

Before I went after trying to fix this I would make sure I wasn't somehow causing it or adding to it.

Also you might wish to add whether or not you have a Dual Orbit Polisher or a Rotary or are you going to have to try to correct this by hand. This info will be help those who can help you recommend a strategy.

[goldfinger]

It's a new 06 Pontiac G6 GTP. Had it a little less than 2 weeks.

I washed using:

Meguiar's Deep Crystal Car Wash
Sheepskin mit (wally world)
Dry using the Absorber

I've waxed once using NXT Liquid.

I do not have 2 buckets (I know, shame on me) so I keep the hose handy to rinse the mit before I put it back in the bucket.

I guess I'll be removing them by hand. I may have access to an old Black and Decker random orbital buffer, but I'm not sure if that would make things worse or better.

[chrisx]

What are you using to wash your car (sponge,wash mitt) ?

Are you using the two bucket method (and gritguard) ?

I think a quick writeup on your car wash process may help. It looks like something got between your sponge/mitt and paintwork while washing.

Edit: Someone beat me to it.

[Ranger72]

Can you take the same picture but show the entire side of the car? I ask because it almost looks like there is some holgrams/ buffer swirls there, but I cant tell if its just the way the pic is or not. If so, you have just finally removed the polish that the dealership had filling the swirls as well as the NXT (which will help do the same).

[Jeff Smith]

Originally posted by goldfinger
It's a new 06 Pontiac G6 GTP. Had it a little less than 2 weeks.

I washed using:

Meguiar's Deep Crystal Car Wash
Sheepskin mit (wally world)
Dry using the Absorber

I've waxed once using NXT Liquid.

I do not have 2 buckets (I know, shame on me) so I keep the hose handy to rinse the mit before I put it back in the bucket.

I guess I'll be removing them by hand. I may have access to an old Black and Decker random orbital buffer, but I'm not sure if that would make things worse or better.

OK I think you are getting there. Now, what did you use when removing the WAX? What kind of towel?

If you did not have this prior to doing whatever you do then the problem is is your process and needs to be corrected before you try to correct the problem.

Myself I am new to all this but have seen threads where people have had similar problems and come to find out the dealer waxed over these problems and it took some time for these problems to really show. This is what Ranger72 is talking about above. This may be the case but we need to make sure the process you are using is not causing the problem.

In the meantime you may wish to read the following and start thinking about your process;


How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

[goldfinger]

I used a microfiber towel to remove the wax, so that isn't the problem.

I suppose I *could* have removed what the dealer had them filled in with, but I doubt it. I would say I got them with my wash process.

If I ever get them out, I'll wash using 2 buckets and a grit guard.

Here are the pics not cropped, so maybe you can tell more about them. It's on BOTH sides of the car. The hood and top didn't seem to have the same problem.

[gregcavi]

call me crazy but those look like buffer swirls. Anyone else agree? Mike had a post a while ago about moving buffer swirls by hand. Even if they arent buffer swirls you probably can remove them by hand. it just takes ALOT of time and ALOT of elbow grease.


Greg

[goldfinger]

Originally posted by gregcavi
call me crazy but those look like buffer swirls. Anyone else agree? Mike had a post a while ago about moving buffer swirls by hand. Even if they arent buffer swirls you probably can remove them by hand. it just takes ALOT of time and ALOT of elbow grease.


Greg

It just looks like ALOT of damage to be done at once by just washing. But I have some before shots and it looks perfect, this is even before my NXT waxing. So I don't have any reason to believe the dealer took a buffer to it before I got it.

I read the article for removing swirls by hand using ScratchX, but as bad as mine look I'm sure I'll never get them all out so covering them up will be the next best option.

It's just annoying because I took alot of pre-cautions and I've seen people wash black cars with a old pair of underwear and it not turn out near that bad.

[gregcavi]

I could be like you said that the fillers hiding that stuff in the paint was revealed after a few washes.. the damage could have been from the dealer.

Greg

[05PhillyStang]

FWIW, when I first got my car in March, a few washes revealed some buffer swirls instilled by the dealer. The damage was no where near your damage. Scratch X did the trick for me, but like someone mentioned, it will require ALOT of time and hard work. I only had about 3-4 buffer burns and were not as severe as yours.

Long story short: the damage can be fixed, but it will take time

[Jeff Smith]

If it turns out that this is the DISO (Dealer Installed Swirl Option), you might want to seriously consider taking this thing down to the clearcoat and doing up a full 5 Step program on it. You might get carried away fixing what you can see now just to have more reveal itself later.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain


It might be wise to do this anyway as once you take it down you will then be able to more easily see which of these marks are into the WAX and which are into the ClearCoat and can proceed from there.

Also, I would seriously look into a G-100A. I am no pro at this stuff but it looks to me like you are going to have a lot of work on your hands. Plus, that thing is black. the G-100 is going to pay for itself if you are seriously trying to maintain a great appearance.

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher


I know they are a bit pricey but I just recently bought one and have used it on 2 vehicles thus far and don't know why I waited to get one.

[RLdetail]

It's possible that the paint is "scratch sensitive".

It's not soft but easily scratched.

My wife has a Saturn VUE that is also a GM and I can scratch it with the flat part of my finger with a little pressure. But the paint also appears to be soft as I buffed it to remove scratches/swirls and I had to use a light compound to get it smooth.

It's possible that it happened between washing and drying the last few times. I did a BMW 2 weeks ago that had the same thing and I think it happened when I used 2 new micro fiber towels without washing them first.

I would give the Scratchx a try and see what happens.

[lee16]

Here is what you need to do.

1. Scratch X, working within a small area 10"x10", 3 times.
2. Polish with Step 2 polish.
3. NXT wax.

*remember the do not apply the scratchx and polish like wax. You need to rub the product into the paint. You don't want to apply it and let it dry*

This works everytime

[rusty bumper]

I like the above answer.

But a G-100 will give you a showcar shine with a little practice and the right products.

Edit: It would be a good idea to clay the finish too.