Swirls that are only visible at night??

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DetailingGeek

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So yesterday I finally washed my car the right way.. I had taken it a few times to the coin op self service car wash, but I didn't do everything properly there.. It's been probably months since I washed it.. It's a daily driver, but it needs a paint job anyway, too many chips and imperfections to be worth fixing all of them. I know, I should have been washing it regularly, which I will be doing now.

Anyway, so I gave it a quick rinse, then used a microfiber mitt with Meguiar's Gold Class.. rinsed it... Should have dried it, but I didn't. The way I rinsed it, it wasn't very wet anyway, but still, I just started claying without drying it. I used Meguiar's Clay kit. (I was wiping the clay lubricant off with a shamois. Is that bad to do?) Then I used Meguiar's Ultimate Polish using a microfiber pad to apply, and a clean microfiber towel to wipe it off. Then I finished with Meguiar's Cleaner Wax.. used a fresh clean microfiber pad, and a clean microfiber towel.

The car looks great, and I can't see any swirls during the day, in the sun, out of the sun, or anything.. Not yesterday, nor today. But last night, I looked at it under street lights (dim lights at that), and there was swirls all over the car! They are very noticeable too, not like the initial swirls on the hood that were kind of hard to notice, even under light. (When I got the car, there were swirls on the hood that you could barely see, but still see during in the daylight. No swirls anywhere else on the car.)

Why would this happen? I tried my best to use a clean pad, towel, whatever, at all times. I kneaded the clay after wiping each small section. I didn't drop anything on the ground ever.
 
Are you sure the swirls weren't already there?

I couldn't see swirls on my silver car during the day, but I could see them under even dim street lights at night.

But I don't have swirls anymore.
 
I'm pretty sure they weren't already there, I look at my car all the time at night under the same lights. The swirls look so fresh and obvious too, and all similar. I also have clayed the car before, I forgot to mention. There were no swirls back then. Maybe since my car hadn't been waxed for so long, other than that crappy spray wax at the car wash, it was getting so dirty it caused the swirls?

Well how did you get rid of them? Did you polish them out at night? Because I've been looking in the day light now, with different kinds of bright work lights, and I can't see the swirls no matter how close or how hard I look.
 
Did the car wash you took it to have a brush to clean your car with or something?
 
When I did my silver car. I thought I got rid of all the swirls cause in the day time there's no possible way for me to find it. Even in my garage lighting. Until one day I was heading out for dinner and there's a street light where I park. To my surprise they popped up small lights swirls on certain panel not all. The week after I went back at it again. Now using a dim led light to spot them. So I think you just need to go over yours with a white lc pad and M205 and you should good.

Other than that try not to touch the paint too much after you polish it all off. Try and keep track and pay attention of what you do. Also no car washes from anyone else.
 
Meticulous-Detail said:
This thread might help.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-love-touches-show-weekend-car-detailing.html
Click to expand...
It kind of helped, but mostly just made me feel even worse about not doing things properly the first time around. Haha. See I've already gone too far, in that thread they were mostly debating how to keep a paint job pristine. But it was an interesting topic, and I'm gonna get a paint job soon, so thanks.

B-M-D said:
Did the car wash you took it to have a brush to clean your car with or something?
Click to expand...
Yeah it did, and I used it lightly on dirty spots where the pressure washer didn't clean up. Of course I know now everything I did was just a complete mistake. It was about 9 months ago when I took it to the self service car wash. I know now not to use a pressure washer on the car, and definitely never use a brush at a self service wash.

But anyway, these swirls only recently appeared just yesterday after claying, polishing, and waxing the car. I have clayed the car before, though I didn't use a shamois to dry it up before. I'm thinking I might have used too much polishing or waxing product. In the videos I have watched, they definitely apply a very thin layer. Since my car is white, and the Ultimate Polish is white too, it was very hard to tell how thin it was applied.

Could it be the microfiber pads or microfiber towels? They were all from either OReilly's or Target, and the cheapest deals possible. Maybe too much pressure applied? Or that combined with too much product?

dorkiedoode said:
When I did my silver car. I thought I got rid of all the swirls cause in the day time there's no possible way for me to find it. Even in my garage lighting. Until one day I was heading out for dinner and there's a street light where I park. To my surprise they popped up small lights swirls on certain panel not all. The week after I went back at it again. Now using a dim led light to spot them. So I think you just need to go over yours with a white lc pad and M205 and you should good.

Other than that try not to touch the paint too much after you polish it all off. Try and keep track and pay attention of what you do. Also no car washes from anyone else.
Click to expand...
What's a white lc pad? Do you know anywhere that sells M205 in a store? I have only seen it online. Would ScratchX be too abrasive?

So do I need to wash, clay, polish, and wax the car again? Since I'm going to use polish to fix the swirls. Mine don't show up under a dim LED light. I tried all the LED flashlights I have, from bright to dim. So I guess I'll just have to do it at night, or in some kind of darkness with artificial light.
 
DetailingGeek said:
It kind of helped, but mostly just made me feel even worse about not doing things properly the first time around. Haha. See I've already gone too far, in that thread they were mostly debating how to keep a paint job pristine. But it was an interesting topic, and I'm gonna get a paint job soon, so thanks.


Yeah it did, and I used it lightly on dirty spots where the pressure washer didn't clean up. Of course I know now everything I did was just a complete mistake. It was about 9 months ago when I took it to the self service car wash. I know now not to use a pressure washer on the car, and definitely never use a brush at a self service wash.

But anyway, these swirls only recently appeared just yesterday after claying, polishing, and waxing the car. I have clayed the car before, though I didn't use a shamois to dry it up before. I'm thinking I might have used too much polishing or waxing product. In the videos I have watched, they definitely apply a very thin layer. Since my car is white, and the Ultimate Polish is white too, it was very hard to tell how thin it was applied.

Could it be the microfiber pads or microfiber towels? They were all from either OReilly's or Target, and the cheapest deals possible. Maybe too much pressure applied? Or that combined with too much product?


What's a white lc pad? Do you know anywhere that sells M205 in a store? I have only seen it online. Would ScratchX be too abrasive?

So do I need to wash, clay, polish, and wax the car again? Since I'm going to use polish to fix the swirls. Mine don't show up under a dim LED light. I tried all the LED flashlights I have, from bright to dim. So I guess I'll just have to do it at night, or in some kind of darkness with artificial light.
Click to expand...

You my friend need to invest in a DA. Polishing by hand is possible but the results are not too great.
 
I noticed they come out really good at night time under the gasoline station lights. In my case.
 
hernandez.art13 said:
I noticed they come out really good at night time under the gasoline station lights. In my case.
Click to expand...
You mean you can see them, or it's easy to polish them out under that light? I don't know if a gas station would like me doing it, but I guess I could go to one of the 24 hour ones. But yeah, the swirls really do show up at night under gas station lights.


BlackHawk said:
You my friend need to invest in a DA. Polishing by hand is possible but the results are not too great.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was thinking of picking up a $80 Nikita one.. I just wanted to learn it by hand first. Plus I thought it was easier to create swirls when using a DA though, if you do too many rpms or too much pressure.. But yeah a DA will be useful, especially since I want to be able to remove oxidation
 
Yeah it was spam.. I have another question.. Is it better to polish out my swirls right away or can I just wait? What about if I garage it? (Might buy another car soon and garage this one) I just don't feel like doing the wash, clay, polish, and wax process all over again so soon.
 
DetailingGeek said:
You mean you can see them, or it's easy to polish them out under that light? I don't know if a gas station would like me doing it, but I guess I could go to one of the 24 hour ones. But yeah, the swirls really do show up at night under gas station lights.
Click to expand...

I own the gas station haha jk

The other day I was putting gas in my car and this swirls were really noticeable under the lights at night.

So yes I could see them more

Come out or stand out
 
DetailingGeek said:
Yeah it was spam.. I have another question.. Is it better to polish out my swirls right away or can I just wait? What about if I garage it? (Might buy another car soon and garage this one) I just don't feel like doing the wash, clay, polish, and wax process all over again so soon.
Click to expand...

If the swirls are light use a finishing polish and it should take them out. You shouldn't have To polish again if you use proper wash techniques. Make sure that when you wax and buff off the polish no debris from the air lands on the paint bc that can scratch too.

Sometimes though swirls on a daily driver can be inevitable
 
dorkiedoode said:
When I did my silver car. I thought I got rid of all the swirls cause in the day time there's no possible way for me to find it.
Even in my garage lighting. Until one day I was heading out for dinner and there's a street light where I park.
To my surprise they popped up small lights swirls on certain panel not all.
B-M-D said:
I couldn't see swirls on my silver car during the day,
but I could see them under even dim street lights at night.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

hernandez.art13 said:
I noticed they come out really good at night time under the gasoline station lights. In my case.
DetailingGeek said:
You mean you can see them, or it's easy to polish them out under that light?
I don't know if a gas station would like me doing it, but I guess I could go to one of the 24 hour ones.
But yeah, the swirls really do show up at night under gas station lights.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
1.)
-The ability for most Humans to "see" visible-light, and perceived colors lies within ~400nm-750nm wavelength band.

2.)
-The illumination, enabling visible-light, can be from many sources.

3.)
-One such source is fluorescent-lights (non-incandescent).

-Fluorescent-lighting generates a series of wavelengths that are often concentrated into narrow bands called:
Line Spectra...(Being non-continuous over the visible light spectrum)

-Consequently...fluorescent-light sources do not produce the continuous spectrum of illumination that is
characteristic of incandescent sources (Being continuous over the visible-light spectrum).

-Since the SUN is a burning entity:
Is it to be considered a type of an incandescent-light source?
I will say: "Yes".

4.)
-Street lighting that employs a fluorescent-light source, such as sodium-vapor, is a good example
of a non-incandescent visible-light source with a single wavelength.

-This single wavelength is the 589nm range... perceived as a yellowish light being emitted.

5.)
-Some things will "reflect unusual" in light from a non-incandescent visible-light source...
especially fluorescents (But also: LED's, Lasers).

-Lighting sources that emit more continuously over the visible light spectrum have the ability
to wash-out/have-hot-spots...thereby, at times, hiding objects---possibly even "swirls".
This includes natural-light, IMO.


Note:
-I've found that it's best not to purchase any "highly-colored" items in a Business illuminated by fluorescent lights.
Ever notice that they'll always appear to be a slightly different color under natural sunlight or other incandescent lighting?

-Clothes and vehicles come to mind.


Hope this helps some.
-That...and fill-up during daytime hours like I do.
-Or: Wear sunglasses at night...Wasn't there a song about this?

:)

Bob
 
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