Not sure where to put this one but does anyone with a black Xb have servere swerl marks from the factory, or any other color? If so anyone know a good way to deatail the car and try to get them out or do i need to go to a professional? Any help would be great. Thanks all for any info.

Jay

 

Welcome to the world of dark color cars... i have the Blue Onyx ...and yes the swirls are normal...

although it was spotless during the first couple of months of ownership...the gloss sort of faded and the swirls started to emerge...although it's not that visible...u can tell especially on the hood under direct sunlight.

my solution was to wax the car...and protect it with wax mist wipes by Meguiar.

White and silver/gray cars will be less noticeable for swirls...but dark color cars are prone to be swirled. don't freak out unless those swirls are actually scratches.

You can wax the car at your home after a good clean wash ..or take it to a wash. I suggest that you try waxing it yourself first...although it's hard work...it's worth it. Your car will shine with gloss and the color will look deeper than you can imagine.
not to mention... the surface will be smooth as a baby's butt.

key note: when waxing...don't wax under extreme heat or sunlight...try waxing it in your garage or under a tree shade...use a motorized buffer if you have one...this will save you alot of time and energy. Those liquid wax are coo...where u just apply and wipe off..but i found that traditional dry wax are more potent and tends to last longer.

Good Luck ... Wax on ...Wax off ... daniel san~

 

I have a thundercloud metalic XB, probably one of the best colors other than white at hiding swirl marks. Even though, I still get swirl marks big time. I get rid of them swirl marks by waxing my car by hand, but that only lasts until the next time I wash my car. It seems that the wash mit I use is causing those fine spiderweb-looking swirl marks.

 

Thanks for the comments. Yeah I have waxed my car a few times now and it looks a lot better afterwards. I swore to myself I would never own a black car again but damn that blank sand pearl looked so nice. Damn the Swirl marks,,, lol

Hope to get down to KK over the holiday break to meet all of you and hand in my 40 bucks to join tsw. My lil box is pretty much stock except for my sound system. Still working on the right rims that fit my taste and to air bag or not. Plus other lil mods to my car. If only that money tree I planted last week would start sprouting. Hmm maybe not enough water... So many things I want to do to my car and the money is slim since my pops passed away. My bro and I are living back home helping my mom out with bills and all that fun stuff. Anyways enough of that.. funny what comes out when you start typing. Have a great holiday all and hope to met everyone soon.

Peace

 

Good news- Swirls can be prevented........I see swirls occur when washing a car with an old towel or cloth, old brushes, and / or the soap that one could be using....... Also depending on how hard you apply pressure to your hand waxes will cause permanent streaks and swirls. I use a Meguiers brand soap wax combination and a soft wash sponge I get from a detailing guy here at work. Not a mit , brush, rag, etc..a sponge, it is less prone to hold abrasives....and I dry with a Shamis. I know some people use the same ol towel over and over again like my girlfriend, big no no. I wanna kick her when she does that, Clean ___ civic w/ cool swirl paint job... There are certain detailing chemicals supplied to dealerships and bodyshops that are worth paying the price to keep your paint rico suave'. It doesnt hurt to pick someones brain and find out what the pro's use. I will find out what we use here at my work and I will post it, this is the only place I'll wash my ScionZkidZ.

 

I wash mine with the armorall car wash concentrate and it works great. I always get compliments, I also wash my car twice a week. :D

 

Thanks for the tip about using a sponge instead of a wash mit. Also, I tried using a chamois, but it didn't seem to dry off my car as good as using a soft terricloth towel... I know this may sound dumb, but do you guys have any tips on using a chamois? I know that you are supposed to get it a little bit damp before using it, but it still doesn't seem to do the job.

 

Go out to Wal-Mart or Fred Meyers and buy a California Water Blade......Its made of surgical silicoln and it is like a big sqeegee for for your car.....The blade will get the access water off, and then go back and use a towel to dry the rest. When i bought my new Focus, i went out and bought brand new nice towels to dry my car. some idiots wash thier car with dish soap, and dry them with nasty garage towels, and wonder why they get scratches...Geez

 

This may be a no-brainer for those in the know, but a trick to getting most of the excess water off your car when washing it is to take the spray nozzle off of your hose and simply use just the hose on your final rinse (kinda like watering plants, only you're watering you car). This removes most of the small beads of water that accumulate on your car's surface from using the spray nozzle.

 

got lazy and didn't read all the posts, but when you wax your car NEVER use a machine. that is what leaves the swirl marks. always do it all by hand. there is a 3 step meguairs that you can try, but it is a long process and it works really good.

 

Let me just tell ya, I love this website!!I have that same problem & I thought it was just me. I'm so relieved to know it's fixable.

 

PepBoys here in NJ sells a brand called The Wax Shop. Its a tan bottle with red lettering. I have heard from several people owning NEONs in dark colors that if you use their product called safe cutter ( i think this is it, its been awhile since ive been in a PepBoys ) this will remove the small swirls. Then you re-wax.

Me, i use Miguires car wash, Malco Premiem car wax and Detailer ( these i have to get in NY, they dont sell it here in NJ ), and Simple Green on wheels and engine. Works like a charm

 

i got the black xb. i bought the car at night and the next day i saw swirls, but i already drove it off the lot. That means the dealer cant do anything. I called them back and they said swirls are normal and if i wanted to do a full detail, it would be like $150. I found a local car wash that would clay it and buff it after for a lot cheaper. I still havent waxed it yet though. It sucks. I am feeling that the scion coating sucks.

 

ikonXone wrote:

Depends upon what kind of machine you use. Most of the swirl marks you see are from the use of normal polishers, which will "cut" the surface. The proper use of a Random Orbital Polisher, with the proper pads, etc., not only reduce the effort necessary to apply and remove polish and wax, they leave a swirl-free finish.

Been doing this for years. Check out: http://www.griotsgarage.com/index.jsp

YMMV.

 

I would agree, most any pro detail shop will use a machine to polish rather then by hand.