Light swirl marks from hand washing

Been handwashing my 21 since i bought it last year with no swirl marks. My last wash apparently something went wrong i now have quite a bit of light swirls here and there especially on the sides of the doors. Should i let a detail place/expert handle this or are there products i can easily use myself even if i dont have a polisher/buffer whatever u call it?

 

Depends on the level of perfection you want. I personally got Ceramic coating with paint correction done by a professional. Was it cheap? The difference is night and day. I was told to use a foam cannon, have dedicated sponges for body and wheels separate and exchange water often. Its worth the 2 K in my opinion.
Here a good guy to follow. He shows how to do it yourself and he has another video where he talks of the experience after washing his truck.https://youtu.be/qxcymSqnqco

 

Lots of beer breaks

 

If you are hand washing, use the 2 bucket method with some grit guards in the bottoms. If your truck is really dirty, do a pre-wash so the bigger stuff comes off. Lots of suds = lubrication; don't exert a lot of pressure on the washing mitt/sponge/whatever you are using to wash with.

 

What color paint do you have? With darker colors, swirl marks are almost evitable. That's is why I will not have a black or darker vehicles anymore, they show all the imperfections in the paint. There are many products out there that claim they "reduce the appearance of" scratches and/or swirls, etc. The best results I've found (recommended to me by a professional detailer/body shop) is Meguiar's. They have many products and different abrasive grade cleaners and polishes. Larger grit equals more aggressive. Basically your putting more "scratches" into the paint/clearcoat but just finer to a polished glass-like finish which give the appearance of a highly reflective surface. Here is one of their products I've personally had great results with removing scratches. https://www.meguiarsdirect.com/meguiars-m2-mirror-glaze-fine-cut-cleaner-16oz.html. But like anything abrasive you need to be careful with it. It has a fine dissolving grit that works into a emulsion. After that you would apply their standard polish and/or wax sealant. Other things to consider is the cloth you are using to clean you car. Never use cotton rags or old tee-shirts as they are generally bad and will scratch the clearcoat. Use a high quality fresh/clean microfiber cloth. Also you must ensure a good soapy wash when cleaning your car to remove all the dirt and road grime, otherwise you wind up rubbing that into the paint hence the swirls. Hope this helps!

 

yea mines magnetic gray metallic i love it but everytime i look at it i notice a new small hairline scratch or swirl, rock chip somewhere.

 

Using 2 bucket wash, clay bar, Megs Pro polish and/or megs ultimate polish, and megs ultimate liquid wax removed 99% of my swirls. Its a ton of work but satisfying when complete. That took a solid 5 hours! I think the glassiest my truck looked is when I used Megs NXT 2 wax.

 

I've given up!

 

o wow. I watched the vid. Something i definitely wanna try and do myself. So the polishing should get the swirl marks out?

 

certainly. The shop I had my truck at did same steps. wash, decontaminate, clay bar, 2 step paint correction, 2 layers of ceramic coating. 3 guys for 9 hours

 

The sad truth about these trucks is that they have very soft clear coat. The bad news is that they scratch/swirl easily.....the good news is that they correct easily. Correction by hand is possible, but difficult. With todays DA polishers, pad choices and product choices, you can tackle this yourself, if you are reasonably mechanically inclined. Chances are, the swirls could be handled with a light to medium polish, and you'll not have to go as aggressive as a compound. There are also a number of coatings on the market that DIY'ers can do with outstanding results.

If you are sheepish about attempting it yourself, take it to a local, reputable detailer and get an estimate. Most shops offer a variety of packages to choose from, so you can probably find something that fits your budget. Be prepared, however.....proper paint correction and a professionally applied coating can be pretty expensive.

 

Well, stop doing the Mr Miyagi wax on wax off method....NEVER wash in circles...NEVER NEVER NEVER!
ALWAYS wash in straight lines, washing in a circular motion only emphasizes the fact you have used a dirty rag contaminated with fine grit to produce swirls...
I have been washing my daily driver, my Kia Niro since 2018, I do not have swirls.I use a VERY clean wash mitt, , and a foam gun. Always wash in sections, and always constantly clean the mitt with clean rinse water after completing each section.
NO SWIRLS HERE!!

But, if they are light swirls, wash and strip old wax off the car, use a clay bar and a clay bar lubricant, and a clean rinse. Dry it, I have a warm air cannon that blows all the water off, and get yourself a random orbital buffer. Use a good rubbing compound and gently remove those swirls. Be careful not to burn the clear coat and paint!
I use Car Guys washing materials, and have to say, all my vehicles look terrific.
If necessary, visit YouTube, watch a few videos, and get into the proper habits of wash & wax!