If you love your car or truck, your probably share the distaste we have for swirl marks. There is nothing like looking at your beautiful new car on a sunny day and realizing the vehicle’s paint is covered in swirl marks.
The Golden Rules of Avoiding Swirl Marks
It is important to understand that even if you have a ceramic coating or paint protection film, these rules still apply.
Never take your car through a car wash. Period. Hard stop.
Never let your dealer wash your car.
Always use the Two Bucket Wash Method
Always run your sponge or rag in the direction air is intended to travel across your vehicle. Never in circular motions,
We highly suggest investing in paint protection such as a ceramic coating and or paint protection film.
Why Automated Car Washes Cause Swirl Marks
The best example we can give is your standard car wish filled with brushes and other washing devices. They have taken years of abuse. The mud, dirt, grime, and contaminants either get stored in them or damage them before they touch your vehicle. Now they act as sandpaper destroying the appearance of your car paint.
How to Paint Swirls in Car Paint?
Paint correction is the process of restoring a car’s finish without repairing it. Paint correction is typically done professionally, however many car enthusiasts can learn the art of paint correction given the correct polishing system and education. In our shop we use the Rupes system.
In the simplest form, paint correction consists of a buffer, such as a Rupes dual-action polisher. Then you have polishing pads of different grits and polishing compounds with varying levels of cut and polish. Cut is how much clear a polishing pad will remove whereas polish is how much gloss it will add back.
How To Protect Your Vehicle From Swirl Marks
The best way to protect your vehicle is to utilize the golden rules above and bring your vehicle to a Ceramic Pro Elite dealer for Paint Correction and protection. In most cases this will consist of a two-step paint correction, a 7 year to lifetime ceramic coating and possibly some paint protection film
