I use to wax my vehicles, but got sick of eventually seeing those swirls in the paint. I broke down 6 years ago, and had a professional ceramic coating done. No more washing, and waxing like before, and zero swirls. The exterior paint finish still looks like it did 6 years ago. I can sit back, and enjoy more beer.

 

What did it cost you?

 

Many cars come with swirls and minor scratches even when they are new off the lot. Take a good look at the paint of the unwaxed area to see if this is the case for yours. Black cars are the most visible for non-perfect paint surfaces. The wax itself should not produce the swirls. Dirt on the surface, dirt in the wax, dirt trapped in the pad applicator or microfiber cloth usually is the cause. The best way to get the swirls out is to use a good quality polish to buff it out, then wax it after. Buffing with polish is taking a layer of the paint off to smooth out the surface, so don’t go crazy. If the swirls are over a large area, or the whole car, best to use a random orbital buffer. If you have not done this before, good to try it first with an older car before doing your new one, or get professional help.
Ceramic coating is currently the best available way to keep the shine. It is costly due to the amount of labor involved. It is best to have it applied when the car is new, and/or right after the swirls and scratches have been corrected.

 

Cost a lot,anywhere from 450.00 to 800.00. I never had issues with other vehicles I owned in past. Maybe they clear coat thinner than previous year. Thought about spray wax verses the past wax?

 

You’ll have to do a wet sand of the area to knock it down some. If you’re not comfortable, then take it to a pro detailer.

Biggest challenge is not to burn the painted surface with a high speed tool.

 

I've gotten most swirls out by using a plastic polish like mothers. Trouble is, your removing some clear coat in the process.

 

The dealship where I go,don't do that.

 

Even since covid, I kept hearing dealers found people willing to pay more to get the same services, or vehicles that had an adjusted msrp. There's still a few dealers left that you can negotiate with, but its gotta be a cash deal.

 

If you like to do ceramic coating, don't go to the dealer. Most dealers just send it out and charge you more for their cut. Get some quotes from your local shops.
Don't think either spray wax or paste wax would make much difference to solve your swirl problem. I tried spray wax and found they are easier to buff off. They shine about the same, but I like paste wax better because they seemed to last longer. I can't comment on recent products because I ceramic coated my cars about 5 years ago and now also spend my time drinking more beer.

 

My wife bought a 2000 Integra GSR, rare dark violet purple paint. The dealer did a “complimentary wax” on it before she picked it up, and she nearly cried when she did; swirls all over it.
Luckily I managed to get it cleaned up again, and wouldn’t recommend letting most dealerships even wash your car. They have the lowest paid kids doing that work and can quickly make a huge mess.
Only exception to that was Burien Toyota, that had its own dedicated, top notch body shop on the property.

I use PRO W-14 carnauba wax, can build up a few coats a week at a time and last over the winter.

 

I just going to get a professional due,it when I get the monies,so expensive.

 

According to the invoice on my truck it was done with this adams graphene ceramic coating. It was the amount of prep time is what I couldn't believe, and the truck was new new, just delivered.

 

Not all ceramic coating are created equal, so carefully research the type you are getting & the shop that is doing the work. Some are just glorified, overpriced wax jobs. The professional-grade ones have multiple applied hard layers & take 3-4 days to complete properly as each layer is cured under heat/uv-lamps. I had a higher-end "lifetime ceramic coating" (~$2K) applied about 3 years ago to my Mazda CX-30 after purchasing it & had to leave it at the independent shop that I chose to do the work for the better part of a week for it to be completed. Today, my paint/plastics/trim are still new & vibrant looking without a blemish or scratch to be found. It was worth the money for me & takes a lot of the headaches & worry out of washing/waxing the vehicle. I always use a quality-rated Si02-infused wash for cleaning & touching up the vehicle & reinforcing/maintaining the original ceramic coating.

 

I was told at the time the coating this shop used on my truck isn't one of those two year jobs that others shops charge big money for. They put in writing I should get over 9 years to lifetime. Apparently they don't know I keep my vehicles much longer.

 

This summer I intend to do my car up with a diy ceramic job to see what all the fuss is about. I won't spend more than $60 or $70 on it though. Plenty out there to choose from and I'll just pick whichever one has the best beginner friendly reputation in the various detailing forums.
i already have the various stuff necessary like clay bar, compound, polish, DA polisher, etc. so my investment will be pretty minimal.

 

I used to detail my cars ,took 8 hours

In short here

You need to wash, then clay bar the car

Wash your car ,then run your hand over the paint

There's all sorts of crap that gets stuck in the paint

You wax that ,there's your swirls

To fix your pic,get a porter cable orbital and menzerna polish

 

I used to detail my cars ,took 8 hours

In short here

You need to wash, then clay bar the car

Wash your car ,then run your hand over the paint

There's all sorts of crap that gets stuck in the paint

You wax that ,there's your swirls

To fix your pic,get a porter cable orbital and menzerna polish

Clay bar,like how do I use it?

 

After all that prep work, its critical to chose some real long lasting ceramic paint protection like the Adams stuff they used on my truck. From what I've learned from others there's a lot junk out there that doesn't last more than a couple years.

 

there are tons of videos on line. This is a rabbit hole that people can easily fall into.
AmmoNYC is a professional detailer who has tons of videos online. he also has classes and tutorials on line as well.

the clay is like modeling clay. after you stripwash the car, you get it soapy again, and gently rub the clay along the panel in a linear motion (l to r or top to bottom). fold the clay after each section. rinse the car and then use ipa alcohol on a microfiber to remove the clay residue.

now your car is completely "clean". there should not be any contaminants/particles/dirt stuck in the clear coat anymore. now you can polish. you should be able to use a onestep compound at this point.

youll need either allot of endurance or a DA polisher. polish the car and wipe the residue off with a microfiber.

ok, now the car is clean and the clearcoat is no longer scratched/hazed. Now you can apply the paint protection of your liking. I really enjoy the Turtlewax Ceramic +Graphine paste wax. 303 had some graphine spray coating that i liked as well. Turtlewax hybrind solutions always performs well too.

the thing is, if the cars paint/clear has not been maintained, you should really clay before you wax. the problem is that the clay introduces some micro scratches. its ok though because the next step is the polish and that should remove all of that. then, once the paint/clear is clean and neat, you can apply the wax. you essentially skipped over every preparation step and went right to waxing.

after the 1st cay, polish, and coating; youll only need to wash and reapply the protection you like.

 

Clay bar lubricant

 

With clay bar, use something other than water. Water evaporates too quickly and it will cause the clay to burn the paint. You can use water, but must be close by.

Also, the clay will dry out as it thins out. It isn’t designed to hold much moisture. Hard body lines and curves need to be avoided. It can still be cleaned with the clay bar, but have to pay attention in these areas.

 

I use a fine grade synthetic clay sponge with soapy water. I've found the sponge to be much easier to use and store for later use. Lasts forever.

If you do use clay of any type you can expect to get a bit of marring that will have to be polished out. My sponge mars less than a true clay bar, but it's still there.

This is the sponge I use and found it at a discount store for $4. A real steal.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NCBE302697800

 

That’s why I have always used lint free wipes and prep sol when prepping for polishing or total rewax.
I would avoid the clay especially on darker colors unless you have a long time to carefully polish everything again.

 

That’s why I have always used lint free wipes and prep sol when prepping for polishing or total rewax.
I would avoid the clay especially on darker colors unless you have a long time to carefully polish everything again.

Prep sol,

 

indeed water is pretty crappy as a clay lubricant; thats why i use soapy water.

and unless you have time for all this, simply claying the car "could" make the clear worse. the clay has a tendency to introduce micro-scratches as it picks up contaminants. you dont "need" to polish after claying the car but youll need to use a paste wax or similar product on the thicker side to fill in all the little scratches you made with the clay. the upside is that you wont be adding even more scratches when you wax later on.

the 1st time you do it, it will take forever to complete all the steps. but man is it worth it. and after that, its just about maintaining the coat. 2 bucket method, proper technique, and it will be a breeze. hell, you wont even need a towel to dry the car, you can just blow it off with a small leave blower...

good luck

 

indeed water is pretty crappy as a clay lubricant; thats why i use soapy water.

and unless you have time for all this, simply claying the car "could" make the clear worse. the clay has a tendency to introduce micro-scratches as it picks up contaminants. you dont "need" to polish after claying the car but youll need to use a paste wax or similar product on the thicker side to fill in all the little scratches you made with the clay. the upside is that you wont be adding even more scratches when you wax later on.

the 1st time you do it, it will take forever to complete all the steps. but man is it worth it. and after that, its just about maintaining the coat. 2 bucket method, proper technique, and it will be a breeze. hell, you wont even need a towel to dry the car, you can just blow it off with a small leave blower...

good luck

It's why I chose to have a professional detail shop do the ceramic coating on my truck. I can do all sorts of electronic trouble shooting, and repair, even wire a home, but when it comes to vehicle detail work, count me out. I now know what these shops go through when applying these coatings, and it's not a 1 hour job. Imo, you have to have well trained employees, and use good products.

 

https://www.toyotanation.com/posts/15081147/