Is it normal to have a TON of swirls after claybarring? I detailed my car at Honda(friends work in detail dept.) for free using their products. But I noticed after clay barring before applying the wax that their were tons of swirls in the paint. is this because their was no longer any wax to hide them? Granted they all almost entirely went away once I applied the wax/polish with the orbital. But I can still find some swirls if I look hard enough, they dont really go in circles though, just kind of random straight but curved fine scratches. I think these might just be my own fault though, from buffing with their cheap MF towels

Overall I am still happy though, the paint was getting out of hand. everytime i would wash the car i would just get pissed because i was tired of it not be in "showcar" quality. I mean it is only 3 months old it should be perfect right! The paint does look a whole lot deeper and the swirls are ALMOST gone completely.

And just incase no one knew...when Honda gets a car on their lot and it goes into detail they wash it using a brush(like the ones at a local carwash ) then they claybar the top half of the car from door handles up, then wax ONLY from door handles up using a hand pad most of the time, then buff it off using cheap MF towels. That is IT! So I would advise anyone who buys a new car from honda to most definately apply some wax/polish.


Oh and I will post some pics up either tonight or tomorrow

 

not normal to get swirls from clay...
it means either the car had swirl fillers that you removed, or (more likely) your clay was not pure (was it new? what brand?). i would either get rid of it or use it only on the lower parts of the car- very low.

yes, dealers always swirl the car... each dealer does it differently, but they all apply swirls from their rags- they usually use cheap rags that are never clean enough. and they dont know what they are doing either.

lookin forward to your pics (i like the one in your signature, btw)- and when you are ready to remove those swirls, we can help!

 

amen!

 

eh, looks like I still need to buy a porter cable and some products of my own.I knew this already but my car needed SOMETHING and fast before it deteriorated...still looks a ton better than it did before though!

 

This thread's got me thinking.... There's so much talk here about various products, but it seems cleaning the car while adding minimal scratches the most important thing. With the exception of a fairly expensive pro detailing, it seems you can only trust yourself (and your own gear) to do it right.

 

Very well put! A large number of people getting into detailing completely under estimate the importance of proper washing technique (of course good washing tools help too ).

Also, the old saying applies "if you want something done right you've got to do it yourself!"

 

I just got a job at a local detail shop inside a car lot. The manager keeps telling me these are the best guys, blah blah. But everytime I watch them, I cringe b/c of what they are doing to the cars. There was a black vette and they try to make a small little dab of wax detail the entire car...so basically he is just rubbing a foam pad all over the paint! Stuff like this makes me want to learn more and faster so that I can do a GOOd job on a car!


Speaking of which, does anyone here own their own mobile detail or just a detail shop? How does that line of business do? I was thinking of maybe getting some experience for a while and then maybe try going on my own with it. this is still just a thought...but im sure someone on here has some answers.

 

When I picked up my car it had been sitting on the show room floor. People getting in and out scuffed up the driver side sill plate. I asked to have it replaced. Their detail guy said it was just a matter of using the right chemicals. In the end, they replaced it. My first experience on this car, that I know better than the dealer.

When I went for my first oil change, they really insisted on rotating the tires. I asked him, if he was really sure he wanted to do that.

 

They did the same thing to me!! I went in for my second oil change and asked if there was anything else I was supposed to do and he said it twice that i am supposed to rotate my tires and i just said you cant do that and hes like what do you mean? im like its an s2k...you just cant. lol

 

The pad maybe could have been primed and your suppose to put on a thin layer of wax.