This is sort of a two question thread. My car's exterior is in some pretty bad shape. There are swirls and cobwebbing all over and rock chips on my front bumper/fenders/hood/side mirrors. I was wondering, because I have swirling, would waxing the car make it look even WORSE because of the swirls? Enhance the swirls, is what I am asking.

And second, is it possible to wax without a...forgot the word for it but an example is the "PC". I have tried waxing with a terry cloth and it just didn't come out too well, I fail at waxing. Should I purchase one of those "turtle wax" kits that come with the applicator in the auto store? Any help would be appreciated.

 

1. wax only protects... it can slightly enhance, but it is not likely to make your swirls significantly worse looking. sounds to me like a glaze might work for you. a glaze is easier to use than a full swirl remover. it rounds the edges of the swirls so that they do not catch the light to reflect... so you dont see them. glazes also contain some slight amount of filler to fill in swirls
wax can not improve the surface- it just protects and can give some depth to the paints shine.

2. yes, waxing is usually done by hand. i do like to use the machine, but i am a rarebird. i would not wax with a terry towel. you are likely to absorb too much into the towel. the applicators are fine. for waxes, i like p21s and it comes with an applicator. not sure which one you are referring to, but if you can give us a link we can tell you whether we like it or not

when you are ready to remove those swirls, we have the secrets that you need!!