Do black and swirls go hand in hand?

[LMB]

I couldn't have looked after my car's paint work any better. Washed regularly, waxed/polished as well yet I've still haven't prevented the car having swirl marks. Maybe it's happened via the dealership giving it a clean after warranty work. But I've come to the conclusion that it's impossible to prevent them.

[obehave]

Quote: Originally Posted by LMB

I couldn't have looked after my car's paint work any better. Washed regularly, waxed/polished as well yet I've still haven't prevented the car having swirl marks. Maybe it's happened via the dealership giving it a clean after warranty work. But I've come to the conclusion that it's impossible to prevent them.

Don't panic right away.Odds are the swirl may only be in your wax.
Try a swirl remover product or strip off the wax in a spot and see if the swirls are gone.
If these don't work THEN panic
Yes black is high maintenance

[LMB]

Quote: Originally Posted by obehave

Don't panic right away.Odds are the swirl may only be in your wax.
Try a swirl remover product or strip off the wax in a spot and see if the swirls are gone.
If these don't work THEN panic
Yes black is high maintenance

It's a pain is the is what it is.

I'll give it a wash/polish/wax this weekend, if they go they go, if not, I'm not going to loose any sleep over it. It is probably the wax, if not then the clear coat. All black Mini's must have them.

[Shorty]

Tried all of the above, and yes the swirls are still there! I think you'll just have to learn to live with
the swirlsI'm afraid LMB!

[benmcguire]

the only times my car has been washed since ive had it (delivered late nov 03) has been by the dealer, i think its been back about 3 or 4 times and i have swirl marks too.it looks like they have cleaned it with a brilo pad!

[LMB]

Quote: Originally Posted by Shorty

Tried all of the above, and yes the swirls are still there! I think you'll just have to learn to live with
the swirlsI'm afraid LMB!

Cheers Shorty.

You only notice them if you really look closely and even then its only in certain light.

So its still the best colour IMO.

[MiniMinor]

I had a black bmw 3 series once, never having black again. Must admit it's nice while clean but that doesn't last long..

[Wul]

LMB a few hints to help rid you of those nasty swirls!

1. When car goes to the dealer leave a sign on the seat "DO NOT WASH THIS CAR" I have a black MC and have suffered as you have - one weekend i spent the two days waxing - car went into dealer on monday, on tuesday collected car - covered in dust from not being dried after washing and bonnet looking like it was attacked by a scouring pad! safer to not let them wash it at all!

2. Follow the following when washing/drying/waxing: DO NOT use circular motions - these cause the swirls - only use straight movements.

Roof/Bonnet/Boot = forward to back motions only.
Doors/Wings = Vertical motions only.

Doing this also helps the optical clarity of your wax apparently.

[KenL]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wul

2. Follow the following when washing/drying/waxing: DO NOT use circular motions - these cause the swirls - only use straight movements.

Hey Wul,

Doesn't this give you lines instead of swirls

I really want a black MINI but I am worried about keeping it looking good. My current Silver ONE is so easy to maintain.

[benmcguire]

i think i can live with the swirls , the way my car looks for the 2 minutes its clean makes up for it!

[Wul]

You'd have thought so Ken - but since i've adopted this tact my paint seems to look better!

Few articles of interest:

Washing: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-wash.html
Waxing: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-wax.html
Removing swirls: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-swirls.html

[basil the dog]

I remember driving my local dealers black MCS Works two months ago and being appalled by the condition of the paint work - swirls everywhere!! The Works car was the same age as my Cooper S (Dark Silver) but you would never have believed it from the outside.

[LMB]

I think all non-metallic colours have the same problem. I saw a Red Cooper S in direct sunlight and it was covered with swirls.

[profyaffle]

washing and polishing in lines rather than circular motions still leaves marks but they aren't as noticeable as swirls.

[johnlondonw3]

Agree about doing it in lines rather than circles,my DS has a black roof and Ive managed to avoid all swirl marks so far.

The Zaino web site has advice on how to remove swirls,but WULs advice is sound .

I think the best tip is to hose the car down and then use two buckets of water,the first with the shampoo in and the other with clean water to rinse the towel in and then wring it out ,not in the bucket,before going back to the bucket with shampoo,this means you are reducing the amount of reatined dirt on the towel,which is the thing that causes the scratches ,to a minimum ( I always use terry towels)
I washed mine yesterday and the water in both buckets was virtually clean at the end of it.

Then hose down at end with the spray attachment off ,so the water "sheets" over the car and washes off ,with minimum friction any remaining residue.Then dry again using straight line movements.

All of these may help reduce the effect.