Shine On Auto Detailing

What are Swirls?

These are light scratches in the clearcoat or surface of the paint, that when seen in bright sunlight or under halogen light, look like circular swirl patterns, rather like a spider’s web sitting on the surface. Swirls are caused by dirt and other things being rubbed against the paint, usually through a poor wash technique and using a sponge. Cars live in a harsh environment and whilst some swirls are inevitable over time the majority can be avoided with care.

There are things that will make swirls appear a lot faster, such as subjecting your car to a battering from a mechanical automatic car wash, or a wash in your local supermarket car park with a dirty sponge that has already washed 5 other dirty cars that morning without even being rinsed.

Here’s a ’50/50’ picture taken during the detailing of a Maserati that has mainly been washed by supermarket car park ‘hand car washes’. The damage done is very obvious when compared to the other side that has had the swirls removed.

Petrol station or car park washes are convenient and might seem cheap, but when you see the damage that is being done to your paint through a combination of harsh products, poor techniques and insufficient water, you realise the real cost to your car and ultimately your pocket.

On an average condition car, we would typically suggest at least an 80% reduction in swirls, although more is often achievable. Other defects such as buffer trails and holograms, which look like greasy marks that float over the paint surface, together with random scratches will be reduced and removed where ever possible.