Ok ever since the GREAT day that i purchased my beloved NHBP Fit, i have had swirls in the paint . At first it stumped me on how exactly they got there, then i relized when they washed and prepped my car, they must have used a bad towel while drying my Fit ...Anyway my Fits black and they show very easy on black. Its absolutly driving me insane to say the least. Is there a way on this earth to get them damn swirls out of my paint, or am i screwed forever..

 

Mine is black as well and I didn't notice it until a few days after when the sun finally came out. I saw the hood and flipped. I called the dealer, asked them how they prepped the car and did they do it by hand or by machine or what exactly? He said they did it by hand and that the tech's didn't have to do much because the car came in clean and it's got clearcoat. He didn't seem like he could/would do much and that made me all the more angry. Since I really only notice it on the hood and the paint there is (in my opinion) extremely shitty I'll probably have to end up getting it repainted. I've had the car 2 months now and there's so many chips in it. I'm really, really disappointed in this aspect of the car. If you read up on it here in the forums we aren't alone. I know of no such way to get rid of them. I've heard people mention the claybar but I don't think that's going to do anything.

 

Yeah man the paint on this car is pretty damn cheap..Hopefully it doesnt start fading down the road....

Anyway i was reading up on how to remove the swirl marks and, i saw this special "Swirl removing wax"..This weekend when i wax my car ill let you know how it worked.

 

some people say eagle1 nanowax works well. i tried nufinish's scratch doctor, and it doesn't work. so don't use that one.

 

meguires 3 step method. The paint cleaner and wax itself should do it actually. I got all the swirls out of my friends NHBP

 

You are not alone. I have only hand washed my MR Fit since purchase. I used microfiber everything from washing to drying. I wash the micros out each time after I wash the car. I use the absorber to dry and finish with the microfiber towels slightly misted by clean water. I keep a clean bucket of water to rinse out the hand mit after each use and I start from the top of the car and use a different mit for washing the lower body kit. Still I noticed some swirls in different areas. I talked with a friend who has antique cars and he recommended the Mequires three step method too. I have already used their Gold Wash and Wax so I purchased the polish/wax cleaner and will add that to the mix next detailing effort. He said it will remove the swirls! So good to hear from someone else that this should work.

Cat :x

 

Phew! I'm so relieved, well, kinda. I walked out to my car today, and was thinking what a beautiful sunny day it was, when I saw my 2 week old car, and this horrible patchwork of swirls staring back at me. I DID have it "prepped" by the dealer. They did that for me, without asking, and without me being able to say "no", but then, until reading here, I wouldn't have known to either. Looking forward to hearing what all "cures" worked for others.

 

I have a 99 amythyst (purple) civic. What I do to remove any swirls is use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze to prep the paint before a waxing. Apply the hand glaze in a back and forth motion instead of circular/swirl motion. In fact, my local body shop who has been in business for nearly 40 years just told me to use the Hand Glaze when shining it up. But if you just want to wax, the back and forth motion will make the blemishes caused from waxing a whole lot less visible when in direct sunlight. To buff off, I have 1 towel to take the majority of it off. Then, I have a damp cloth to go over the part that was just hand glazed. Then finally a dry, clean terry cloth to dry the area from the damp cloth. While its drying, it removes any haze/cloudiness left behind. (Same idea when you notice that your car looks shinier the first time you wash it after an application) A little patience is required when using Hand Glaze...but the shine is worth it. It even removes those annoying water spots. My answer to swirls after this year is just to buy a white or a silver car.

 

Lots of good tips in this thread! My Fit will be looking swirl free after its next wax, cant wait!

 

Swirls are something we can't really avoid but we can STILL MINIMIZE it. Provided we wash our cars ourselves and have separate wash mitts for upper and lower parts of the car.

And always make sure you rinse the mitt after cleaning each section - I use the 2 bucket system - it works for me so far.

Getting swirls out is definately a bitch, especially when you don't own a rotary. ANd I can atest to that!

I have tried using MG's Scratch X by hand. It does work but to apply it on the entire car with several passes is way beyond me. So far I've only managed to get pass my hood and 2 front doors!

And I don't believe there's any "wax" out in the market that will remove swirls as they only fill-in the swirls temporary. At least until the next wash.

That's my 2 cents...

 

You can remove swirls by polishing it using quality (not cheapo brand) orbiters. Polish however, will slowly cut into your clearcoat, but it will definitely diminish most, if not all light swirl marks. Deep swirls (ones you can usually feel with your fingertips) cannot be removed.

Wax only fills in the light swirl, it does NOT remove them. It's usually best to polish and wax together, as the wax protects your polished work.

For future reference, it's a good idea to use high quality microfiber towels to dry the car (Meguiars is at the top of my list). When washing microfiber towels, do not use bleaches or fabric softeners (they will ruin the towel). I typically "pat dry" my car, as opposed to swiping back and forth.

Also the most important aspect in preventing swirls is washing the car with a high quality mitt. High quality (yes, I emphasize good quality materials) sheep skin mitts are typically very gentle to the car's clearcoat.

It becomes a big money pit, but it really reduces those ugly swirls. If you're not comfortable with using polishing tools, I would recommend finding a person who has experience with them. The very last thing you want to do is eat your clearcoat and destroy your paint. Hope all this helps.

 

i use waffle weave MF drying towels from detailer's paradise.
also Griot's MF wash mitt along with Griot's CarWash. super lubricity.


if you're real anal about swirls, blot dry using the waffle weave after
rinsing the car with the water house nozzle off. given you have a decent
coat of wax, the water will roll off.

then use a leaf blower (115mph or less, i use a electric cordless) to
get most of the water out of the crevise. and finish off using a waffle
weave MF towel. lay the towel over the damp paint, then rub the
towel gently to absorb the water without moving the towel at all.
some people like to tap their hands over to 'blot', but it's more efficient
to just gently rub the towel from the back side for maximum coverage.

 

Thanks those are great suggestions. I hope that the swirls can be worked out and then prevented from future reappearances!

Cat :x

 

You need to use a dedicated rotary as the speeds on anything else is far to fast, use a rotary with megs 80# to start if the swirls are to severe step up to megs 83#, you can find all the info you need here, Detailing World - A world for detailers by detailers.
Check out the showroom for some amazing work,

 

Ken knows whats up!

 

Can't own a black car without one of these:

Porter Cable 7424 Car Buffer / Polisher at Tools Plus

(should be required at the dealership before you can leave the lot)


Great tips on this thread, but no matter the color, it's only a matter of time before you'll need the cure.

 

 

I used to live in stockton too...I loved it there will be moving back but i am stuck in texas for now due to the army....

i will pm you for greater detail.. on how and what to due to my black honda fit...


thanks for your help sr.

 

my friend suggested ICE products so i bought the ICE liquid clay bar and ICE paste polish but i haven't used it yet

whats your guy's take on it??

 

ice is great products I use their car wash soap...but for swirl marks...i would recommend...3M Perfect-It 3000 Swirl Mark Remover..that the stuff...it lil $$$ for a bottle but totally worth the $$$