Are swirls just part of it?

[Kenneth]

Well I have been washing my RAM for several months now using the two wash pads. I do one panel at a time and fun flip the pad to do another panel. I then go to clean bucket, scrub on grit guard, I to soap bucket, and scrub onto the grit guard. Then I use large pad for top half and small for lower half. The problem is that I'm starting to get swirls and don't I ow if I'm doi g something wrong or if that's just part of it? I have t done a full correction so I'm looking to get it down befor then. I wash all towels with woolite and wash the wash pads thoroughly.

 

Are the wash pads machine wash safe? I feel that they have stuff in them and I just can't get it all out.

 

Does me machine super sealant prevent swirl marks at all? They are very light but showing up everywhere. My truck is black and a daily driver so I know its not gonna look perfect.

 

I have a flex kit just need a garage to work in and some direction on how to do it properly.

[diver88]

your truck is black right?

 

I would guess for any color (my experience) no matter how careful you are you are going to have to correct occasionally to keep that beautiful deep gloss. it's going to be work and you might not have to enjoy it but you have to not mind taking the time to keep it that way. black increases the freqency and the care needed between corrections IMHO.

 

this is why I won't own a black, midnight blue, or dark charcoal vehicle... beautiful as they are I spend enough time and OCD effort to keeping my blue car and white pickup truck as perfect as possible. I swore my next vehicle would be silver but it might actually be Plum Crazy Pearl...

 

good luck,

[Pureshine]

Yes swirls will come back over time and yes you will have to buff them out again. The two bucket was limits them from coming back as fast. Black cars are much harder to tack care of cause they show everything.

Todd

[egott_91]

Swirls are just part of it. You can reduce the severity of them by doing what you're doing, but small hairline swirls will show back up no matter how careful you are, especially with black and a daily driver. You also might want to look into getting a foam gun to loosen up the dirt before going to the wash pads. This will help loosen up the dirt and make it easier to remove while gliding the pad across the panel. As long as you are physically touching the paint there is always a chance to create scratches or swirls.

 

On a positive note, it shouldn't take much more than one or two passes of FMP to remove the hairline swirls that are showing up.

[gymrat7953]

I had a black SRT8 and now have a Kona blue GT.

 

Rinse, foam gun, 2 bucket wash w/ merino wool mitt (washing in straight line back n forth motion) , pool rinse , master blaster blow dry and a lite DS spritz & wipe. My swirling is almost nothing. The back n forth washing motion.... swirls are circular in nature why add to the problem.

I clay, polish, MSS , glaze and Americana top off.

[DaveVY]

One step that doesn't get enough attention is the first rinse. When I first started detailing I was doing a quick "wet down" and then couldn't understand why I was introducing so many swirls even when using the two bucket wash and techniques as the OP mentioned.

 

Once I took time to adequately wash all the loose dirt off during the initial "rinse" the number of new swirls introduced have declined dramatically. Depending on the condition of the vehicle I use the fire hose nozzle or in some difficult cases will pull out the pressure washer.

Edited November 24, 2012 by DaveVY

[Kenneth]

Well I think I take an adequate amount of time of the first rinse. I usually go over the truck twice. I also use a foam gun after the first rinse if and let it sit on re truck for a few minutes before I do a second rinse off. Is the wash mitt a better option to the wash pads? Also when I wash my great whites how can I ensure they are clean they feel kinda rough when they come of of the washer.

[gymrat7953]

Wash mitt tip: I push the ridged cloth " wrist sleeve" inside the mitt before using. The wool mitt is very soft; the wrist sleeve ???

[Redbeard]

Is the wash mitt a better option to the wash pads? Also when I wash my great whites how can I ensure they are clean they feel kinda rough when they come of of the washer.

The wash pads are perfectly safe, the mitt is just more luxurious. Your GW shouldn't be very dirty, considering you only use it after your car is clean. But if it looks dirty you can pre-treat it with APC or Microfiber Revitalizer. Do you just hang it up to dry? I think it feels "rougher" or stiff when it air dries, but you can toss it in the dryer for a minute and it will soften up. If you like, you can also prime it with a quick shot of DS before you use it.

[Kenneth]

Well I wash the GW after every use and I do both air dry and use the dryer. It just feels rougher than it should. It's prolly in my head.

 

What is an alternative to APC? I'm out and need to clean applicators and such.