What causes fine swirl marks on the paint?

Here is my method of washing the car

-2 Wash Bucket method with Grit Guards in each 5 gallon bucket
-Sheepskin mitt
-Final rinse with no nozel
-Waffle weave drying towel

Applying Sealant and Wax

-Foam applicator
-Cookie monster buffing towels

I had 3 coats of Zaino Z2 and it didn't have much swirls, and applied some P21S and I didn't see much swirls. I just bought some Meguiars #16 and applied it several weeks ago. I applied thin coats and it cured very quickly. It was a pain in the butt to remove and I had to apply some pressure to get it all off. I am noticing much more swirl marks now.

I was required to use some pressure to remove the wax, would this have caused the fine swirl marks? I really have to look in the light or sun to see the swirl marks.

I just tried rubbing the bottom of a CD with the microfiber towels, and noticed with a lot of pressure, it would cause some fine swirls.

I don't think I am going to use the M16 anymore, only reason I got it was because of the durability, but I am going to stick with P21S for ease of application and removal.

What do you guys figure caused the swirls? I am going to purchase a PC 7424 with CSS Orange, white and black pads. Going to try Poorboy's SSR 2.5 and SSR 1. Then apply a couple coats of Zaino Z2 Pro and 2 coats of P21S. Do you guys think the SSR 2.5 and 1 will be good enough?

Thanks.

 

you can never prevent swirls

what you can do to help it even more is
-stack 2 gritguards into each bucket
-use 2 or more different washmitts at a time
-mineral free water

 

Always make sure none of your mitts, rags, sponges, towels ever touch the ground. You can pick up fine gravel particles that can scratch your paint. You may already know this but its worth a mention.

 

microfibers can pick up particles and you can drag them along your paint to scratch, id go with 100% cotton if possible

although I still stick to microfiber due to the ultra absorbing

 

Sounds like your microfiber. A lot of pressure applied will make fine scratches. This irked me as well after doing a full detail (PC and polish), but, I have learned to live with it. My car is 95% swirl free, and the the swirls on it, you have to look directly in the sun to see.

 

I'm curious what you can do to remove stubborn waxes and/or sealants.

I tried QD like others have recommended, but this had no affect on it

 

Using the PC, doesnt that take most of the clear coat off. I have an 06 s2k but Im a little skeptical to take the swirls off my car since I think the paint is in fairly good condition.

My peeps down here tell me not to buff it yet. Not till a couple more years and they tell me to use a polish instead of wax since was supposedly takes ur clear coat off. I always here its the other way around so i dont know...i give up!

Jmike

 

100 microns is the typical thickness on S2000's. 2-3 microns are taken off when polishing.

 

wow, i had no idea.


i was actually signing on here to post the same thing: what am i doing wrong?

I just polished my car with the PC and it was swirl free. a few days later (and after rain) I washed the car and lo and behold..swirls! I also used a grit guard in each bucket and the sheepskin mitt and all that good stuff. however, i've never washed my sheepskin mitt because I don't know how. is this the problem?

 

yes, it adds to the problem

swirls are all the dirt from drying and washing

using 2 mitts if possible, rinse as long as possible between each mitt

invest into another grit guard per bucket helps a lot