I thought my swirl days were over.

[db2]

I thought once I sold my black car that my swirl days were gone. I washed my car this weekend and noticed some light swirls on the top of the trunk. I saw the swirls in direct sunlight looking at an angle. Should I be concerned or is this normal? I have some Klasse AIO on and thinking about switching wash mits I currently use a good sheepskin mitt.

[Nick T.]

IMO washing causes more micro-marring than any other procedure - - and I think that using a mitt only adds to the problem!



I’ve not yet found a wash mitt that is light enough to allow you to get a good feel for the car’s surface - and I’ve tried all types of mitts. Try washing with a 16�x16� microfiber towel folded into an 8�x8� square - four layers of fabric. On the horizontal surfaces apply no pressure to the towel - just the weight of the wet towel is enough. On the vertical surfaces just use enough pressure to maintain contact with the paint. If there are any spots that resist cleaning with this light pressure, then approach them individually and with a great deal of care. Rinse frequently to avoid drying during the wash. For drying blot, don’t wipe, and use a waffle weave MF towel. A reversed small shop vacuum is excellent for blowing the water out of the crevices. Put a scrap of T-shirt material between the hose and the wand to prevent any debris from being blown at your paint.



Good luck and have fun!



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[imported_Wes]

Don`t wait till the car is quite dirty to wash it.....washing an exceedingly dirty car will be very tricky to avoid marring.



Use a fertilizer hose attachment filled with car soap for the prewash rinse.....this will remove a lot of the dirt on the car before the mitt gets to work........might help a bit too........Learned this trick from an autopian here forgot who long time ago.

[db2]

currently which is the best mitt to use ?

[imported_Wes]

I still have my Viking 100% from 1.5 years ago.....stocked up a few.

They burn to left a tiny bit of black ash......I don`t really care as they have been working great for me.



I found mixing 3 batches of car soap and rinse out the bucket between batches helps a lot too. If you mix one 5 gallon soap the mixture gets dirty when you are half way thru.

[Anthony O.]

c240,



Washing can be a problem for sure and you have been given some real good advice so far and perhaps the only tips I could add are use the two bucket method where one 5 gal. bucket is your wash and suds bucket and the other is filled with just clear water and is used for rinsing only.



So you would dip your sponge or wash mitt in the suds bucket and wash one half of the roof. Rinse your sponge or wash mitt in the rinse bucket, rinse off that half of the roof and then place it in your suds bucket to draw more soap. Continue like this all around the car, doing only one panel at a time, rinsing and sudsing.



You may need to change your car soap also. I prefer Pinnacles Car Shampoo as I feel it is very lubricating to the paint. Also, try washing with a FLOW of water just to the front of your wash mitt or sponge. I do this for real dirty cars and it helps out a great deal.



I would though recommend an electric leaf blower for water removal over a wet/dry vac blower attachment but that is my personal preference. As already noted a MF towel is the way to go for drying and using the BLOT technique along with a QD and you should notice the washing lines reduced a great deal.



I have a soft water tank for my business and it works great and I will soon hook up what they call a DI (dionized water) tank to it and I am told this is a true "spotless" rinse. We`ll see.



Anthony

[Nick T.]

You’re always posting excellent tips Anthony! :xyxthumbs




Originally posted by Anthony Orosco

As already noted a MF towel is the way to go for drying and using the BLOT technique along with a QD and you should notice the washing lines reduced a great deal. Are you saying that you use a QD as you’re drying? Please explain. Thanks.



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[Scott301]

I really like "The Glove" washing system. I think I purchased mine at autobarn.com. Washes very well I think.



Brad

[Tim Lingor]

What about the Simonize MF wash mitt? It feels very soft and since it is MF, it should help you with avoiding the marring.



As the others have said, avoid waiting too long between washes. I have a truck that I take camping and fishing. Although it is spotless right now, when spring finally arrives, the muddy roads will mess up the paint. It is the price that I am willing to pay in order to go fishing.

[Scottwax]

Anthony-DI is truly spotless. One of my customers has one that I use when I clean his bus. No spots.



C240-you may be getting drying streaks from trying to dry paint that is already 99% dry with a completely dry towel.

[yankees1]

I use a sheepskin mitten and have experienced no swirls on my C5 vette which has a very soft clearcoat.

[Accumulator]

2hotford- The only real problem with (plush) MF mitts is that they can really hold on to contaminants. Mine wouldn`t wash (let alone rinse) clean.



gti- The fertilizer siphon mixer DOES work well :up



When I`m not using my Griot`s Garage Boar`s Hair Brush :) to wash, I`ll do the siphon-mix with the hose nozzle (it`s rubber) INSIDE the mitt. This gives a constantly flowing stream of soapy water while washing. Sorta an over-the-top version of Anthony`s method. Using this method and a foam-gun presoak, I`ve been able to wash even VERY dirty (but well waxed/sealed) cars without much, if any, marring. It IS pretty labor-intensive, though, and you can go through a lot of detergent. AND it helps to have a dedicated rinse hose that you haven`t run the soap through.



Oh, and if you like a high-lubricity detergent, Griot`s Car Wash is about as slippery as the Pinnacle, but much easier on wax (IMO).

[Scott301]

You might want to look at "The Glove" if you like the hose in the mitt. I bought mine from Autobarn.com. It is a light mitt without too must plushness but is still soft. Water goes into a bottle that contians soap of your choice and then mixes it consistently and sends it through a hose that goes into the mitt so there is a constant flow of soap and water through the mitt.



Just my 2 cents.

: )



Brad