Wot's causing this?????

[Justin]

Hi Guys

I was wondering if you could give me some advice. I have been washing my car with NXT wash and lambs wool wash mitt. I have polished it with DC1, followed by #80 and waxed with NXT Tech Wax. The car is my daily driver, and after two washes, I have lots of swirls. I have attached an image of the bonnet. What could be causing this?



I am really careful about not getting grit in the wash mitt and check it regularly, and the car is dried with a water magnet towel.



I can get rid of them by re-polishing the car, but it is not always practical due to time constraints to polish and wax the car every weekend.

Is this normal??

[TH0001]

Thats not normal! Are you using two seperate wash mitts and a two bucket method? The webbing looks like year and years of neglect.

What kinda car is that and please describe your washing method in complete detail....

[Accumulator]

Well, it might not be abnormal but it's not good I'm ticked off if I have to polish out any marring once a year, let alone every week.

The general explanation is that you're rubbing something abrasive against the paint. Well, "duh, I already know that" huh but I like to start at the beginning.

I'd try to figure out what's causing the marring. Does it appear after you wash, after you dry, after you start using the DC#1, when? I suspect it happens during the wash/dry process.

See how the marring is in fairly wide swaths? You're covering a lot of real estate with each motion. Not the best way to minimize marring because if you pick up something abrasive during the first inch, you'll then have sandpaper for all the other inches you cover. It looks like you cover the hood (sorry, "bonnet" ) in maybe three-four passes whereas I'd use *many* times that.

I'd do a small area, rinse the wash media/mitt, inspect it carefully, redunk in wash solution, and then do another small area.

Make sure your mitt is utterly saturated with wash solution. I like to hold mine "underwater" so it fills with shampoo, then I hold the cuff shut and gently whisk it across the finish while the solution seeps out of it (which provides lubrication and rinsing).

I myself find that I have to use a foamgun when I wash to avoid any marring, but many people don't find this necessary.

Similarly, don't cover a lot of ground when you dry, do small areas at a time and try to blot more than you wipe just in case there's still a little dirt on the paint.

Make sure your wash/dry media isn't too abrasive. I test mine on the data side of a CD (generally softer than automotive paint); if it scratches I don't use it. Remember to test wash media while it's wet with wash solution, not dry. Remember to test drying media while it's dry.

When polishing, I'd still do small areas at a time. But I bet the problem is happening during the wash/dry.

[Michael Stoops]

Are you perhaps scrubbing vigorously when washing or removing polish and wax? I don't know for sure if that could cause such a large amount of defects so quickly, but I have seen some people wash a car with such enthusiasm as to wonder if they're just being too darn aggressive on the finish.

[Justin]

Yes, I am using the two bucket method.

I remove the any loose dirt with a hose, and then clean wheels with hot rims.
I then wash with NXT car wash using two bucket method starting from the roof and working down, washing a panel at a time.

The lower part of the car (sills, fender etc) gets washed with a separate older wash mitt. It is then dried with a water magnet.

When I apply a coat of NXT wax, the webbing disappears, but returns after 2 washes.

Any ideas??

A pic of the car after waxing......

[danielsan]

Could be hard paint that he is applying the DC1 and #80 too gently on, with the wrong applicator pad, holding the pad correctly. The NXT could be masking the problem which has never been truly fixed.

Unless this is the softest paint ever, or he's drying it with a really abrasive towel, I can't imagine all that occuring so quickly.

[SVT Lightning]

Hey Justin...just a thought. Are you using a "real" lambswool mitt or one of those so called "psuedo" lambswool mitts. The reason I ask is that the real cheap synthetic lambswool mitts will cause marring. I used to have one. Found out the hard way. Now it's just for wheel wells.

[SOLDSHORT]

has he said if hes applying by hand or not?

[Justin]

Originally posted by SVT Lightning
Hey Justin...just a thought. Are you using a "real" lambswool mitt or one of those so called "psuedo" lambswool mitts. The reason I ask is that the real cheap synthetic lambswool mitts will cause marring. I used to have one. Found out the hard way. Now it's just for wheel wells.

Hi SVT

The wash mitt is a 'Meguiars Ultra Plush Wash Mitt', could this cause my problem?

Hi SOLDHORT

The car was polished with dc1 and #80 using pc, and nxt wax was applied by hand using the supplied applicator pad. Prior to waxing, there was no swirls or marring.

[Accumulator]

The wash mitt is a 'Meguiars Ultra Plush Wash Mitt', could this cause my problem?

Test the wash/dry media as advised to find out if it's the culprit.

Could be hard paint that he is applying the DC1 and #80 too gently on, with the wrong applicator pad, holding the pad correctly. The NXT could be masking the problem..

Note that the DC #1 is nonabrasive; it shouldn't factor into this at all unless the polishing media (applicator, removal towel) are abrasive. Test this stuff on the CD too. But from the sound of it everything's fine until the (next) wash and even if something is hidden one wash shouldn't make it all "come back".

IMO anything that touches paint oughta be tested, no matter what it is or who it comes from. The only way you'll truly *know* it's safe is to see for yourself. It's the media, or the technique, or a combination of the two, oughta be simple enough to determine. Just gotta isolate the variables and evaluate them one at a time under controlled conditions. The variables it's easiest to start with are the various media, the wash technique isn't as easily evaluated. But those long, sweeping scratches do indicate that IMO too much ground is being covered at one time.

[Justin]

Hi Accumulator

Thanks for the advice, I will carry out some tests over the weekend and post the results.

[SVT Lightning]

Originally posted by Justin
Hi SVT

The wash mitt is a 'Meguiars Ultra Plush Wash Mitt', could this cause my problem?

Nope.....that's a quality mitt. Hmmmmm?

[benhui86]

my guess is that those swirls arent new and that u just havent taken them out yet....... when you apply the 80 are you going very slowly and pressing down on the PC w/ about 20lbs of pressure and at speed setting of about 5?.... it could also be that your paint is super hard and that 80 couldnt take the swirls out but the polish in it just filled them in each time.... how bout trying some 83 and really working it in at a very slow pace.....

[Jeff Smith]

When I dry, I tend to use a leaf blower. But here have been times when I have used the Water Magnet. I like it and keep in in my "GO" bag. But I find it can be a little easy for me to install some swirl with it.

So what I do is hit the WM with a little QD before starting. Do a panel or 2, flip to a new side, re-apply QD etc.

That might be another thing to try.

Something else to to to do to eliminate the possibilities is, repeat your currnet method doing everything exactly as you do it now on something like the hood. After each step use a 50/50 Mixture of Isopropyl Alcohol/Water after each step and "Gently" wipe down the area. If you are getting rid of this with the #80 but reinstalling it with a subsequent step, the IA will reveal this.

This is assuming you are doing a good job of removing this with the #80 in the first place. But if you wipe down with the 50/50 after the #80, you'll know whether you got rid of it or not.