My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

[Mike Phillips]

My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

I don't know how many pictures I took in total but quite a few, in most cases I would take a moment to inspect for swirls while near each car.

I purposefully didn't take pictures of cars with swirls as the focus of the photos was to showcase the great cars at SEMA not any of their downfalls.

Overall I was impressed with the quality of finishes at SEMA this year in that while not all cars were perfect, to my eyes a greater majority of cars were in very good condition versus horribly swirled-out condition.

Did I find swirled-out paint jobs? Sure. But I chose not to capture the swirls with pictures but instead focus on the big picture showcasing the cool factor of each car.


I'd like to think that detailing discussion forums are having an ever increasing positive effect as they serve to educate the serious online enthusiasts in this industry and then online enthusiasts share what they learn with their non-online friends.

Just my take after photographing and inspecting hundreds and hundreds of cars...


On the topic of swirls,

On the way to the hotel a bus passed us while we were taking a Taxi to the Venetian and I was able to capture a few photos of the horrendous swirls in the finish while it drove by...













Keep in mind it was moving pretty quickly as it drove by us so the last picture is a little blurry but you get the idea....


Where's Superior Shine, he's done a few Extreme Makeovers on buses...

[gsxr310]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

thanks for sharing Mike!

[Superior Shine]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

Where's Superior Shine, he's done a few Extreme Makeovers on buses...

All they need to do is wave some cash in the air and I will be there!

About swirls at SEMA......

When I see swirls / buffer trails / holograms on a car that is displayed at a show such as SEMA, that had been highly modified, I see where much time, money and trouble had been spent on rims, engine mods, interiors etc, etc... but little importance paid to the detailing of the finish.

Unfortunately the importance on "detail" of the finish is almost universally unimportant. Look around at our neighbors, the cars in any given parking lot, the new car dealership where the mechanic is indoors and the detailers are out back under a tarp.

So your going to pour tons of $$$$$$ into a show car....... and skimp on the detail, yes my feels are hurt

[CieraSL]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

That reminds me. I was watching an episode of Knight Rider earlier and in one of the frames showing KITT, it had a lot of swirl marks. Isn't that sad? A paint job impervious to bullets, rockets, auto accidents, and all this other stuff, but it still suffers from the unforgiving swirl marks. Go figure.

[cnfowler]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

[Markus Kleis]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

About swirls at SEMA......

When I see swirls / buffer trails / holograms on a car that is displayed at a show such as SEMA, that had been highly modified, I see where much time, money and trouble had been spent on rims, engine mods, interiors etc, etc... but little importance paid to the detailing of the finish.

Unfortunately the importance on "detail" of the finish is almost universally unimportant. Look around at our neighbors, the cars in any given parking lot, the new car dealership where the mechanic is indoors and the detailers are out back under a tarp.

So your going to pour tons of $$$$$$ into a show car....... and skimp on the detail, yes my feels are hurt

I'm with Joe on this one. I don't see how they can spend in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars on a vehicle, and then turn around and skimp on a detail that would have been around a thousand dollars.

However, I do understand that many vehicles are finished the night before etc and they simply run out of time.

I talked to a few owners of vehicles that I was in charge of detailing at the show and many DID pay for a "professional" detail job, but sadly the quality of work just wasn't there.

Luckily the umpteen million coats of Ultimate Quik Wax Jesse and I applied did a fantastic job of hiding holograms and making the vehicles camera ready

[Ganesa]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

is it a bad habit when walking passed a cool, modified, high-end, rare car or any other non-daily used car that is supposed to be a show car...
and you only focus on how the finish and condition of the paint work is??

*Actually it counts for all cars I walk by.. :]

[Michael Stoops]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

Surprising though it may be, many of you here have daily drivers with less swirls than many vehicles found at both SEMA and Barrett-Jackson, and it comes down to knowledge.

This past April at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in West Palm Beach, FL we were tasked with, among other things, wiping down every single car before it crossed the auction block. We saw very few that were even close to being swirl free, even when they had otherwise exceptional paint jobs. One in particular was an orange and white '57 Chevy that was beautifully restored with really excellent paint. We did notice some swirls in the trunk lid - certainly fewer than most cars that had gone before, but far from perfect. As we talked about the finish the owner of the car overheard us and asked what we were looking at. We pointed out the swirls, specifically the classic pattern circling the reflection of the sun on a clear day. The owner's response? "So?".

We were kind of shocked, but also kind of not. When we told him that those did not have to be there, that they could be easily removed, he was the surprised one! He had no idea, but he also had never been taught. We all start somewhere, don't we?

[Andrew C.]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

We were kind of shocked, but also kind of not. When we told him that those did not have to be there, that they could be easily removed, he was the surprised one! He had no idea, but he also had never been taught. We all start somewhere, don't we?

I couldn't agree with this more. I think so many people just have no idea what swirls even are. The general public thinks that the only thing that makes their finish look bad is if there is a visible scratch on it.

Little do they know that they have thousands upon thousands of little scratches all over!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

Surprising though it may be, many of you here have daily drivers with less swirls than many vehicles found at both SEMA and Barrett-Jackson, and it comes down to knowledge.

I would agree, especially any forum member that's also been to a detailing class...

While I didn't document all the swirls at SEMA in 2009 I did a little bit of this back in 2006 at Barrett-Jackson

Friday at Barrett-Jackson - January 21st, 2006



This red Corvette came up after the Jaguar and the entire finish was swirled out like this...

[BWINK]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

To be honest, up to this point I have not owned what I classify as a really nice vehicle. So i have not paid a lot of attention to them other than just keeping them clean and decent looking.
I finally bought one that I was wanting for a looooong time and it is black.
I noticed the swirl marks in the paint about a week after we bought it, and started doing research on how to remove them. I will be working on it this weekend and am looking forward to it.

I am surprised that people that fix up cars and spend all that time and effort would not pay closer attention to this.

Shouldn't showing car be kinda the same as a job interview? First impression is the most important detail!!!

[davey g-force]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

I would agree, especially any forum member that's also been to a detailing class...

While I didn't document all the swirls at SEMA in 2009 I did a little bit of this back in 2006 at Barrett-Jackson

Wow Mike, I simply can't believe that people would enter their classic cars into a show with swirls like that!

is it a bad habit when walking passed a cool, modified, high-end, rare car or any other non-daily used car that is supposed to be a show car...
and you only focus on how the finish and condition of the paint work is??

*Actually it counts for all cars I walk by.. :]

I do this ALL the time. I think I'm obsessed.

It might sound strange, but I think that spotting swirls on a cool / modified car actually makes me feel better about the few minor swirls which I get on my black dd from time to time.

[KC's]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

Surprising though it may be, many of you here have daily drivers with less swirls than many vehicles found at both SEMA and Barrett-Jackson, and it comes down to knowledge.

where the heart is the treasure would be also.....it speaks owner just pay others to do & expect others to finish....where we guys cant afford to pay one to do & we do it willing to its prefections


thanks Mike for bring out this topic

[Underdawg736]

Re: My take on SEMA 2009 - Swirls vs No Swirls

When I go to car shows the first thing I look at is the overall car/truck. Then I look for the defects and time and time again I'm greeted with hacked up paint from rushed detail jobs and or no detailing of the car at all.
If I had a show car that's what it would be..... SHOW car, I wouldn't even think of entering it in an event if there where any type of imperfections be it body, paint, mechanical. I just feel that it wouldn't do me or the car any justice.
A buddy of mine takes his '94 Camarro up to Carlise every year. His idea of a detail is slapping some NXT and calling it a day. He say's that only Meguiar's touches his car. Looking at his car one can only shake thier head at all the swirls and RIDS plagueing his paint.
I guess I'm gonna have to school him on the proper ways of obtaining a show car finish!!

Anyways it's a dissapointment to see these cars at SEMA or even at Barrett-Jackson, where the owner spent so much time and dedication building their car up only to leave the paint in less then "show" quality.