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Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

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  • #1

    Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

    Hi guys, first post here, hopefully I'm posting in the right subforum. Long story short, just discovered there is some sort of swirl or haze on my brand new car.

    They are not really visible unless you shine a light directly at them and look for them from certain angle, you simply can't see it during daytime. I've taken some pics that show what they look like with a flashlight. I feel like this probably comes from a terrible detail job by the dealer when I took delivery of the car. When I run my fingers over them, the spot over the door handle feels a little squeaky, kind of like that part has not been waxed. On the other spot, it is pretty smooth, almost as if the swirl/haze is covered by a layer of wax.






    I have doubts about dealer being able to address the issue without making it worse, so I want to try fix it myself if possible. Is this fixable with a clay bar and maybe SwirlX? I am hoping I can get by with the least aggressive paint cleaner without needing to go to Ultimate compound or ScratchX.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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  • #2
    Re: Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

    Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

    It is difficult to tell exactly what the defects are from the pictures, but if I had to guess it looks like holograms or buffer trailers inflicted from a rotary polisher. Unfortunately we run into new cars with these all the time, so don't worry, you are not the only one.

    A defect which has been inflicted by a machine like a rotary hologram, typically takes a machine used properly to remove. Most often times we use a dual action polisher like our MT300 with our Ultimate Polish or Ultimate Compound, depending on the severity of the hologram.

    If you can try to capture some more pictures, even at a wider angle in direct sunlight, it would help us further evaluate exactly what is going on.
    Nick Winn
    Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Online Forum Administrator
    Meguiar's Inc.
    Irvine, CA
    nawinn@meguiars.com

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    • #3
      Re: Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

      Thanks for the welcome Nick!

      I parked my car under the sun just a while ago to check on the spots and sure enough I can see them, seems like they are more visible when there is a direct light source on them. I'll try to take some more pics as you suggested.

      I don't have a DA polisher or buffer, is this something that can be fixed by hand if it is indeed holograms/buffer trailers as you mentioned?

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      • #4
        Re: Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

        I'll agree with Nick on his assessment, looks like buffer trails. What kind of car is this rds? Just wondering whether you have a softer clear coat or harder. My opinion on an answer to your question, can it be fixed by hand, is it would be tough. Of course that all depends on what exactly caused the scuffs. If they are very light and superficial you may be able to remove them. So, of course, it's worth a shot. Jumping to worse case scenario, and you need a polisher to remove them, knowledge is power. Armed with what you'll learn on this forum you can go back to the dealer and request a paint correction. The key here is finding out exactly HOW they would plan to fix the problem. It could be that they have a very capable detail guy, one that maybe you can talk to, who'll be able to solve your problem. If he knows his stuff and uses a random orbital polisher instead of a traditional rotary polisher, you might feel comfortable having them do the work. After all, they should be the one to fix it. You might even get lucky and they refer you to a local detailer and they foot the bill!

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        • #5
          Re: Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

          HCAD, it's a Mazda.

          Just sneaked out during lunchtime to snap a couple more pics, but the blemish didn't come out as much as earlier in the morning probably due to the sun not at the most direct angle. Let me see if I can do that again later during the day.

          It's hard for me to have confidence in the detail guy at the dealer, since he is probably the one who caused it, and after inspecting more closely on the condition of the car overall. I figure it shouldn't hurt for me to give it a try first as long as I use the least invasive method, hence my idea of clay + SwirlX by hand.

          Will post back with some more pics.

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          • #6
            Re: Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

            Originally posted by rds14 View Post
            HCAD, it's a Mazda.

            Just sneaked out during lunchtime to snap a couple more pics, but the blemish didn't come out as much as earlier in the morning probably due to the sun not at the most direct angle. Let me see if I can do that again later during the day.

            It's hard for me to have confidence in the detail guy at the dealer, since he is probably the one who caused it, and after inspecting more closely on the condition of the car overall. I figure it shouldn't hurt for me to give it a try first as long as I use the least invasive method, hence my idea of clay + SwirlX by hand.

            Will post back with some more pics.
            Try using an LED flashlight to capture what you are seeing.

            I wouldn't take it back to the detailer at the dealer. Generally those guys are turn and burn and don't really care if the finish is perfect.

            I bet that could be pulled out with ultimate compound by hand. They look like fairly light buffer trails.

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            • #7
              Re: Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

              I've taken a couple more pics to share, didn't come out as clear as I'd like to, but let's see...

              This is the spot above the door handle under sunlight:



              Under an LED flashlight:






              This is the other spot under the sun:



              Under LED flashlight:



              I googled for images of buffer trails/holograms and judging from some of the pics I see, it seems like mine is exactly that but relatively light by comparison. Which product would you guys suggest if I were to try fix it by hand myself? Ultimate compound or polish maybe?

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              • #8
                Re: Swirl/Haze visible only in certain lighting condition, how to fix?

                It is always suggested that you use the least aggressive product possible. You could try some Ultimate Polish on the affected areas, though Ultimate Compound may be needed to completely remove the marring if it is somewhat deep. Getting a bottle of each isn't a bad idea. Try the polish and if it isn't aggressive enough use the compound and follow up with the polish to refine the area.
                Aaron

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