Is living with a black DD without swirls just a dream?

S

simplybao

New member
There are a couple of other posts on here with people with Black BMW's and having issues with swirls. It got me to thinking that maybe having a swirl free black car is just a dream.



I have a Black CTS and right now, it's a bit swirled up. In the sun it isn't too bad, it only seems that I notice. My friends don't seem to notice. But under halogens, I cringe because it looks really bad.



I only found autopia a couple of months ago and bought the car in Feb. of this year. So from Feb. through about August of this year, I've been washing my car with old wash clothes, using a single bucket, and drying with old towels. So in that amount of time, I've managed to install a bunch of swirls and rids all on my own :wall



But since I came to this site, I upgraded everything I own. From buckets and MF towels to all sorts of waxes, cleaners, and polishes.



I now do a 2 bucket wash, sometimes 3 and am obsessed. In the spring, I'm going to polish out the rids and swirls with my cyclo. But I'm wondering if it is even worth doing. I wonder how much of an obsession it will become to try and keep it swirl free. It gets driven daily and is kept clean all the time (I wash it a couple times/week). But the time and patience required to keep it swirl free is nuts. Or can I even keep the car swirl free?



It is black and every time you touch the paint it seems like a new swirl is installed. In fact, I tried it. A couple of weeks ago, I shined a halogen on the paint while I was waxing the car. This was after a wash, claybar and application of KAIO (by hand). Prior to wax application, I found a spot that was free of swirls and rids. I applied the wax then, with the halogen shining on the paint, I went to buff of the wax. As I was removing the wax, I was seeing swirl marks show up on the paint. Maybe I'm pressing too hard? I only use light to medium pressure when I remove the wax.



I was using a DD Uber MF towel to remove the wax and a clean damp sponge applicator pad for applying the wax.
 
I have a 08 Black Yukon Denali XL that is swirl free with almost 20K on it. It's not a dream but just a nightmare to keep it looking good. I'm constantly cleaning it and always checking it for defects. A garage really helps!
 
Proper washing and drying techniques will help.



I have learned from many Autopians here and could not have done it without help.



Have patience!
 
Sup guys,



I don't have a black car but I have a 2004 G35 coupe in Twilight Blue. Basically its very dark blue, at night it looks dark purple or black. And I definately hear what you mean.



I've always taken good care of it MF, two buckets, two wash mitts. I bought the car in August 2006 and from then to September 2008 I didn't have a garage(apts). So my car was basically out in the elements 24/7. The worst part is there was no place to wash it. Since it was a PITA to wash it I neglected it a few times.



Since then I have my own house with a 2 car garage and my car is very well taken care of. Now its finally worth it to wash my car(since it will be clean for a week at a time, instead of 30 minutes).



I guess my point is, you can only do what you can do. If you don't have a garage then start thinking about a car cover. If you do have a garage then definately use it. You can take steps to help it stay swirl free. Ex: Dry with leaf blower, keep it waxed or sealed and not letting anyone else touch it always helps.



If you find that you're putting swirls in the paint by waxing it you might want to take a look at your application process and see if that may be why. Try not to apply wax using jagged rocks covered in paint stripper.
 
Any DD is going to have some swirls. It is just a fact of life. I usually reserve about 2 times a year to really polish the vehicle and take care of the swirls. I use PB's Black Hole is a quick glaze that does an admirable job for quick fixes.
 
I have a carport so there is at least some protection. I've not had a really "clean" surface to work with so we'll see if I can actually keep it swirl free after I correct the defects.



I think I'm just using too much pressure when buffing, that's why I'm leaving some light marring when I remove the wax. I'll try that as well.



Auto detailing as a hobbyist can be so much fun and frustrating at the same time.
 
I have 2 black cars, and there is hope, both are relativly swirl free, looking good under even flourecent lighting. Both vehicles have never been on the recieving end of a water hose, instead being washed with a waterless wash product, or at worse ONR. Botha re driven about 60,000 kms per year, in just about every weather condition, sun, rain, snow, slush, and neither are garaged.
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simplybao said:
I have a carport so there is at least some protection. I've not had a really "clean" surface to work with...
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IMO that's a huge part of the problem. I keep my shop *VERY* clean and consider a spotless/dust-free/etc. working environment to be a virtual necessity.



The marring-while-waxing sorta makes me wonder...if you can do AIO without problems I wonder why you can't do the wax the same way :think: I'm assuming you used the same application/buffing media for both...
 
I disagree - I have a Black Sapphire BMW DD - Swirl Free. Began babying it as soon as I purchased it - always garaged (even at work). There are a few (so few you really have to search for them) random clear coat scratches (very very minimal & just need a light PC to hit them) that were caused by the Tint shop. . . but that is it. No swirls. It just takes some dedication and love. I have no problem taking my time when I wash it.
 
Accumulator said:
IMO that's a huge part of the problem. I keep my shop *VERY* clean and consider a spotless/dust-free/etc. working environment to be a virtual necessity.



The marring-while-waxing sorta makes me wonder...if you can do AIO without problems I wonder why you can't do the wax the same way :think: I'm assuming you used the same application/buffing media for both...
Click to expand...



I was using the same media for both. I use a sponge applicator and the same MF towels. i.e. I use clean ones.



I played with it today. The paint on my particular cadillac is quite soft. If I buff out with too much pressure, I induce swirls. But when I buff off more gently, it's nice and unblemished. I learn more everyday :D Also, I think I was applying too much Collinite and this time I used very little and it comes off much easier.



I didn't break out the machine. I just did a couple of small spots with Scratch X to clean up the swirls and then proceeded with the wax test. By the way, Scratch X is awesome for a hand polish. You work your arms to death, but it really does a good job of removing swirls.



As far as a dust free environment? Nope, don't have it. I think that is one of my other problems. I've noticed that if I start on the front left corner of the car, by the time I get to the other side, I can see dust settled on the paint. Previously, I just went right over the paint with the light dust on it without a thought. Now, I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm going to rewash each section with ONR before applying wax.



I tell you what, I'm never going to own another black car again in my life. I know that I probably induce swirls and other issues on my other cars, but they are yellow and silver and you can't see them. With my OCD nature, this black is driving me nuts.



But the funny thing is, I use the same procedure on my other cars and when I hit them with the high powered halogen, I can't spot any swirls.....maybe it's just the paint on the cadillac.
 
simplybao- Sounds like you're working out a plan :xyxthumbs



Yeah, at some point you do have to consider what color/etc. is really best for *you*, no point in letting things become not-fun. I'm pretty OK at this stuff, and I still bought my latest toy in white just so I could have *one* vehicle that'll look OK without a whole lotta [messing] around.



Inspecting colors like silver (or white for that matter!) via halogens never works all that well for me. I do *MUCH* better using a regular incandescent bulb in an othewise dark environment. Halogens have their place, but the are not the last-word in final inspection lighting IME.
 
You can keep just about any car swirl free, it's just a matter of putting the effort into it. Eventually, you'll hit on a wash method that won't mar your paint.
 
I guess it's all a matter of semantics because I have no swirls on my three black pampered vehicles, rids (that can mostly only be seen under revealing lighting) on the other hand.........



As has been stated it's quite possible to have a *relatively* mar-free black DD, the devil's in the details. Because I tend to keep my vehicles 10+ years I choose to do corrections to them only annually and have found that PB Black Hole is my friend for those times in between.



Edit: check out Supe's long winded wash method post as this is a good place to achieve the mindset and discipline necessary to achieve your means.
 
Take a poll of us pros about how many of us have black cars. I am willing to bet there are very, very few. To me, black paint just isn't worth the additional time investment to keep it a swirl free as a daily driver can be.
 
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