So you just detailed your car, or had it done by some awesome professionals such as ourselves, and now all can seem to focus on, is all of the swirls and scratches all over the paint. When bad enough, it can make the whole car look like a big spider web of scratches. So what’s the deal? Where are they coming from?
Lack of Protection
When your vehicle’s clear coat has no form of protection on it such as a wax, sealant, ceramic coating or paint protection film, it leaves your paint much more vulnerable to damage of all kinds, including swirls and scratches. Let’s relate this to a cell phone. If you drop or scratch the screen on your phone but you have a screen protector on it, the screen protector stops most, if not all of the damage from harming the actual screen. Same exact idea with keeping protection on your vehicle’s clear coat. As long as there is some form of protection on your vehicle’s clear coat, it will substantially reduce the chances of it becoming covered in swirls and scratches.
Improper Wash Technique
This is a big one. How you wash your vehicle will also be a big determining factor of how well your clear coat will look. First and foremost, never use an automatic car wash! Automatic car washes are the number one cause for swirls and scratches to your vehicles paint due to the way they operate. This is even stated in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. If hand washing, most people will use one bucket of clean soapy water for the entire vehicle. This is a poor wash technique because the dirt you are wiping off of the vehicle, is being transferred back into your clean soapy water by the wash mitt, thus being rubbed all over your vehicle’s paint which can also cause swirls and scratches.
To properly wash your vehicle, always make sure you are using the proper towels and mitts when washing and drying your vehicle. We recommend using nothing but microfiber products for the entire process. Also, make sure to never wash your vehicle in the open sunlight. It should always be in a shaded area, and the paint cool to the touch. We recommend washes using the 2 bucket method. The first bucket will be your clean soapy water, and the second bucket will be plain water for rinsing off your wash mitt. Wash about a fourth of your vehicle at a time. After every section, your wash mitt should be rinsed off and cleaned in your plain water before going back into the soapy water to continue washing. After washing is complete we recommend drying with a microfiber towel. We also recommend using a third and separate bucket for when washing your wheels.
The Solution
If your vehicle already has swirls and scratches on it, no worries! We provide services that will remove all of those defects and bring your paint back to life. Be sure to always use proper wash technique when cleaning your vehicle and always make sure the clear coat has a form of protection on it. Between these 2 things, your chances of getting swirls and scratches in your vehicle’s paint will be greatly reduced.