Wax Help

[dmg]

I have a 1986 Monte Carlo.
After waxing the car, I noticed white swirls on the hood.
What can I do to get rid of these swirls?

[Rick McDonough]

Re: Wax Help

dmg, welcome to the forum. To get rid of swirls below the surface you are probably going to need to address that issue with a paint cleaner. Paint cleaners are formulated to get rid of below surface defects such as swirls. Here a are a couple of good links on removing swirls by hand:

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

The best paint cleaner to use would depend on the severity of the blemish. Also, if you get the results you want with a paint cleaner you will want to put a good coat of wax back down on that surface as well. I hope that gets you pointed in the right direction, if you have further questions let us know.

[yeppi]

Re: Wax Help

what causes swirl marks in the first place?

[Murr1525]

Re: Wax Help

Well, all kinds of thing can cause swirls. Some will slowly appear no matter what you do over time, esp on a daily driver with all the dirt hitting it, etc. But most you can minimize.

Bad washing techniques are a big one; either using a single bucket, poor quality sponges, towels, no grit guard.

Bad waxing/polishing; again, bad applicators, bad removal cloth.

Using a rotary buffer badly can leave horrible marks, even using it well can still leave marks.