Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 6
How to inspect paint for swirls using overhead sunlight
Swirls and scratches are the most common consumer complaint when it comes to a car's appearance. If you're new to detailing, here's one simple method you can use to inspect a car's finish for swirls.
First you need a sunny day with bright overhead sunlight.
Then stand to the side of your car where you can see the sunlight reflecting off the hood. If there are any swirls they’ll show up.
As I look at the finish on this brand new Audi, I happy to see that there are NO SWIRLS. This is how a nice or new paint job should look in the sun.
NOTE: This car would NOT work for a demo car at a car show to show attendees how to remove swirls.
You cannot inspect for swirls with the sun at your back as this is the wrong position to see sun rays bouncing off the car's finish.
What do swirls look like?
If you have a car that’s a few years older than chances are there are swirls in the clearcoat paint, especially if the car has been taken through an automatic car wash. To show you what swirls would look like using overhead sunlight, here’s the hood of an older BMW I detailed. These are the before shots when I was inspecting the paint.
Swirls in Artificial Light
You can also use bright, overhead florescent lights. Here’s the same BMW in the above pictures in Autogeek’s Show Car Garage with overhead florescent lights shining down on the hood.
Using artificial light to inspect for swirls and scratches
You can also use overhead lights like florescent lights or swirl finder lights to inspect for swirls. Here you can see the damage inflicted to the paint at the dealership. Luckily it appears they only used a rotary buffer on the hood but their were still sratches in all the paint from being washed at the dealership.
BMW pictures taken from this thread...
2014 BMW 535i - Removing Dealership Holograms, Swirls and Scratches
Technique Tip
So basically, you need bright overhead sunlight, then stand on the side of the car's hood or trunk lid, (a surface you can look down on), in a way that when the sunlight is beaming down on the hood the light is being reflected back to you and your line of vision.
This works best on dark colored cars. You can use the sun to inspect for swirls and scratches on light colored cars you'll just need to look more intensely at the paint surface to see them.
Swirls and scratches are the most common consumer complaint when it comes to a car's appearance. If you're new to detailing, here's one simple method you can use to inspect a car's finish for swirls.
First you need a sunny day with bright overhead sunlight.
Then stand to the side of your car where you can see the sunlight reflecting off the hood. If there are any swirls they’ll show up.
As I look at the finish on this brand new Audi, I happy to see that there are NO SWIRLS. This is how a nice or new paint job should look in the sun.
NOTE: This car would NOT work for a demo car at a car show to show attendees how to remove swirls.
You cannot inspect for swirls with the sun at your back as this is the wrong position to see sun rays bouncing off the car's finish.
What do swirls look like?
If you have a car that’s a few years older than chances are there are swirls in the clearcoat paint, especially if the car has been taken through an automatic car wash. To show you what swirls would look like using overhead sunlight, here’s the hood of an older BMW I detailed. These are the before shots when I was inspecting the paint.
Swirls in Artificial Light
You can also use bright, overhead florescent lights. Here’s the same BMW in the above pictures in Autogeek’s Show Car Garage with overhead florescent lights shining down on the hood.
Using artificial light to inspect for swirls and scratches
You can also use overhead lights like florescent lights or swirl finder lights to inspect for swirls. Here you can see the damage inflicted to the paint at the dealership. Luckily it appears they only used a rotary buffer on the hood but their were still sratches in all the paint from being washed at the dealership.
BMW pictures taken from this thread...
2014 BMW 535i - Removing Dealership Holograms, Swirls and Scratches
Technique Tip
So basically, you need bright overhead sunlight, then stand on the side of the car's hood or trunk lid, (a surface you can look down on), in a way that when the sunlight is beaming down on the hood the light is being reflected back to you and your line of vision.
This works best on dark colored cars. You can use the sun to inspect for swirls and scratches on light colored cars you'll just need to look more intensely at the paint surface to see them.
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