How much does the summer sun and and high temps contribute to paint swirls ? How much does heavy rain contribute to paint swirls while you are driving (hot hood temperature from engine) ? I am trying to understand why I still get somewhat uniform paint swirls even when using good car washing methods. I do not wash the car with circular motions.
Are you washing in straight line motions and seeing straightline marring? The swirls are obviously caused by touching the paint. It can washing, drying, applying detailers, waxing, buffing, etc. You can have bad or dirty towels or poor technique.
After a while without hitting my car with the DA, i get them as well. No matter how careful i am, they seem to come back. Just a little. (my car is Imola Red) Its impossible NOT to find somthing wrong. Most people on this site spend hours looking, inspecting, examining their car surface. If I look hard enough, I can always find something wrong, or at least something that bothers me. I have found that I reach a point where if i continue looking for things to be wrong, ill be in a straight jacket in a mental ward.
It's inevitable. No way around it. There is no such thing as prevention; only reduction of severity. I believe driving induces marring as well, with little particles hitting the surface.
Try to keep the glove always wiped clean every avoids much problem with swirls and also a good towel to prevent drying helps!
to answer your questions summer sun does not cause swirls there just visible in the sun, heavy rain also doesn't contribute to swirls it may make hard water stains but not swirls. Swirls are made from having a poor wash method. your either taking it thru a friction wash tunnel or if your hand washing not using proper methods or products swirls can be removed and you can protect them using various methods of protection from waxes to polymer sealants like c-quartz . I think all in all your method is ok But you are probably applying a wax after and it is filling in the the swirls sort of a glaze is what we call it, and you think you are removing swirls and when you see it after a few weeks you think more swirls are there
Thanks for the replies ! I first pre-soak and rinse using a Gilmour foam gun and then use a 2 bucket method (microfiber mitt) with a grit guard in each bucket. Drying is done using 2 white terry cotton towels, no wiping motions....blotting method to cut down the friction across the paint. Optimum Instant Detailer or Optimum Spray Wax is used with microfiber towels to finish up the wash and dry process. The swirls I see are uniform circular webs....but I use straight line motions when washing and also when using OID or OCW. 24/7 exposure to harsh NYC environment is not helping me. My questions above were guessing the "flexing" of the paint is what is giving me these circular spiderwebs. Heat causes expansion. Sudden heavy rain on a hot surface causes contraction. Any more comments welcomed !
Q: The swirls I see are uniform circular webs....but I use straight line motions when washing and also when using OID or OCW. 24/7 exposure to harsh NYC environment is not helping me. Halo-scratches - (swirl marks or spider webs) which, when the light reflects off the raised edges of the scratches, appear to be circular but in reality they are made up of numerous straight line random scratches which are caused by washing, drying and everyday wear and tear. Some are surface marring, whereas others can be deep into the clear coat. Q: My questions above were guessing the "flexing" of the paint is what is giving me these circular spiderwebs. Heat causes expansion. Sudden heavy rain on a hot surface causes contraction. The urethane used for automobile paint is classified as a semi-solid , micro structured permeable membrane, due to its micro-fissures, or pores’, being a thermosetting polymer it remains flexible, whilst retaining its tensile strength, to enable it to expand and contract to follow temperature fluctuations (elongation). So paints flexibility would not contribute to swirl mark. Rain and normal sized road grit do not cause damage to a paint surface (see above) due to its flexibility. Stone chips on the vehicles hood and lower area are another matter
