Like many owners with dark finishes, I am in a constant battle with swirl marks. It seems that anything that wipes over the surface of a well-detailed finish will leave visible swirls in the wax, that for us OCD types, is extremely annoying at certain angles in the sun. I've been trying different techniques, towel materials, wax products, etc. over two years to solve this, and haven't yet got it COMPLETELY nailed, but I've come pretty close.
One of the more frustrating things was to have a virtually swirl-free waxjob turn in to a swirl nightmare as soon as I used some Griots SpeedShine to do a quick detailing. Always looks fabulous under the flourescent garage lights. Out in the sun - SWIRLS!!! I have developed a technique that virtually eliminates them with Quick Detailing spray (at least SpeedShine), and I thought I'd share it.
Essential items:
I keep a clean MF bonnet for just this purpose, and nothing else. I have two more that I use for removing wax residue when waxing the car. I SpeedShine my hood and trunk just about every morning before I leave for work, and this process takes me about 5 minutes to do 'em both. :thumbup:
*Although I've had success cleaning my entire car with SpeedShine after it took a big dust load from a dirt road without any scratching or swirling, washing is still the recommended treatment. It took enormous amounts of SS, which can be quite expensive. However, if you want to try this, be very careful, keep presenting clean towel segments to the surface, and use lots of towels in addition to the gobs of detailing spray. You're on your own if you go this route - I'm not recommending it. :eeps:
One of the more frustrating things was to have a virtually swirl-free waxjob turn in to a swirl nightmare as soon as I used some Griots SpeedShine to do a quick detailing. Always looks fabulous under the flourescent garage lights. Out in the sun - SWIRLS!!! I have developed a technique that virtually eliminates them with Quick Detailing spray (at least SpeedShine), and I thought I'd share it.
Essential items:
- Random Orbital machine polisher
- Microfiber bonnet
- Microfiber wipe-down towels
- Quick detailing spray
- A few soft, cotton towels - the Griots diaper material cotton towels are great
- Apply and remove detailing spray in as cold conditions as possible, and make sure the surface is at ambient temperature. If you just drove the car, wait until it's cooled off (usually about 12 hours!).
- Before doing the general surface detailing, examine the paint surface for any blobs like bird droppings, that golden pollen splat (I call it beesh!t), etc. Soak a clean cotton towl in water and wring it out, fold it in quarters, and place it firmly on the blob(s). After 5 minutes or so, the blob should have loosened enough to be gently wiped off with the wet towel. Don't use any pressure!
- Cover the area to be worked (the entire hood or trunk, for example) with detailing spray. Only a very light misting is necessary for a clean surface (e.g., it was just detailed the day before, and didn't get dirty or dusty). Increase the amount used depending on the dirt loading. If the car is really dirty, you should wash it*.
- Using a microfiber towel folded in quarters (do not use the cotton!), gently spread and wipe off the detailing spray, in long, straight passes, parallel to the long axis of the car. Turn and refold the towel frequently to present clean fibers to the surface. I end up hitting both sides of one towel completely when doing the hood this way. That means that I am rotating through a total of 8 different "sides" of the towel as I work from one side of the hood over to the other. Let any excess streaks of detailer that are still on the surface evaporate - should only take a minute or so, if that.
- Grab your buffer with MF bonnet, set at a relatively slow speed (I set the Porter Cable to 3), and run the buffer over the surface without applying any pressure - allow the weight of the machine to be all the pressure applied. Adjust the speed so that the pad/bonnet rotates about 1 revolution per second (60 rpm).
- Follow the usual crosshatch pattern used when polishing or waxing. Do not make more than two complete passes over any part of the finish. As you get better at this, you can make it in one pass. The key here is to buff as little as possible, to prevent completely rubbing off the QD product just applied, but buff enough to kill the swirls.
I keep a clean MF bonnet for just this purpose, and nothing else. I have two more that I use for removing wax residue when waxing the car. I SpeedShine my hood and trunk just about every morning before I leave for work, and this process takes me about 5 minutes to do 'em both. :thumbup:
*Although I've had success cleaning my entire car with SpeedShine after it took a big dust load from a dirt road without any scratching or swirling, washing is still the recommended treatment. It took enormous amounts of SS, which can be quite expensive. However, if you want to try this, be very careful, keep presenting clean towel segments to the surface, and use lots of towels in addition to the gobs of detailing spray. You're on your own if you go this route - I'm not recommending it. :eeps: