ACSGP

How do you keep the swirl marks off your car, especially if you don't wash it yourself.

Even the guys from Zymol detailing shop create those swirls when washing the car, albeit on a lesser scale.

The car is going back for its final glazing with the spray shop, and I want to make sure that it stays really nice.

Kevin B

I have a good friend with one who works at a BMW dealership; he has his detailers do it and they do a great job. I would say they do a little buffing to remove the swirl marks, that's how I've seen it done.

Egil A64.2s - S6

I use touch-less wash - not great but it works.

tkao2025

i have phantom Black....I think it's probably inevitable that you will get Swirl marks.

S6driver

...you need to do it for yourself. I have had brilliant black, now currently have phantom black, and I usually hand wash my car and hand dry it and wax it myself. Its pretty much the only way to make black look great.Of course it takes quite a long time to do it right. If you use a carwash, keeping a good layer of premium wax on will help. Black is a tough color to keep clean if you don't give it a good hand wash and dry regularly.

AF 4.2

It is a buffer that is awesome for the Beginning/Amateur. Here is a link to show you what I am talking about.
http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/port/7424_car_buffer.htm?E+coastest

Then go to Griot's garage's website, they sell some amazing products but they also have a LOT of information on car care and how to use the portal cable buffer.

You don't have to live with swirls if you buy the right products and with the buffer you'll be amazed how you can do it pretty quickly.

mpuzach

...try this.

- I only wash my car in the shade or when it's not under direct sunlight; otherwise it will definitely pick up waterspots from evaporation.

- I start by washing the wheels, tires, and inside areas of the wheelwells with soapy water (I use Meguiars Gold Class but just about anything would work) and a terry towel. Note that in this step nothing comes in contact with a painted surface.

- To wash the car's exterior and windows, I use the Mr. Clean AutoDry system (per the instructions) and a clean microfiber cloth. I wash only one exterior section (e.g. roof, hood, rear hatch, front or rear bumper, door, or fender) at a time. I begin each section with a thorough plain water rinse (using the plain water setting on the Mister Clean), then soapy water through the Mister Clean, then a thorough plain water rinse, then on to the next section. It's critical to rinse all of the soapy water off.

- When washing the exterior and the windows with the Mr. Clean system, I rinse the microfiber cloth in a bucket of plain warm water after each section.

- After I've washed the entire exterior, I do the ionized water rinse over the entire car. (This is the final step using Mr. Clean, the step that prevents water spots.)

- I then use a leaf blower to blow off as much water from the car as possible, starting with horizontal surfaces (roof, hood, rear hatch).

- For the final step, I pull the car into the garage and gently blot off any remaining water with a fresh, clean microfiber cloth.

The end result is a beautiful wash with no spots and no spiderwebs. The entire process takes me roughly 2 hours.

Note that if your finish already has swirls and/or spiderwebs, the best this process can offer is to not add to the problem.

A6Gary

Either find a detailer who knows how to do it right or wash it yourself.

NR04

and it's impossible to avoid swirl marks (at least minor ones). I always wash it myself with high pressure filtered water at a local self-wash. I only use clean microfiber clothes to soap and dry. This is the price we have to pay to have a brilliant black. As suggested, I use a orbital buffer with a quality polish once every 4 months to remove any minor swirls. I'm sure your local detailer can do a great job for minor cost.

ACSGP

the minor swirl marks, unless I follow what mpuzach does