Black Cars - Can you ever avoid the swirls?
May 28, 2009 | 03:08 PM
#11
Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 23,875
From: Orange County
Why spend money keeping it perfect for the next owner??
May 29, 2009 | 09:51 AM
#12
Teamspeed Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 97
From: Chicago, IL
I agree with Clever Nickname to an extent... well actually I agree 100% but the way he makes it sound is that you'll have swirls in your paint every time you wash, which isn't necessarily true. Yes, at a microscopic level, you're scratching the paint by washing and drying no matter what... however, when these scratches start becoming visible depends on the color and how hard/soft the paint is to begin with...
If you use proper, or better yet anal, washing techniques, even a jet black BMW or Porsche will stay swirl free for a few months. However the paint on these is generally just way too soft and 2-4 months down the road you'll begin to see some of the swirl marks... this 2-4 month period can be extended, in a sense, by using a good filling wax on top or instead of a good sealant like Klasse SG for example... so yes, by extended I mean giving yourself more time between polishing.
In short, what year/make/model you want to purchase matters a lot in this case... if you want to buy a jet black Porsche or BMW, I'd highly advise against it if you're that anal about keeping it swirl free, unless you can be even more anal about washing and drying it properly. However if it's an Audi, metallic black, etc., in general they have very hard paint, and even if they're black, can be kept swirl free for quite a while... I have no problem keeping a client's 2001 or 02 A4 swirl free for 6-7 months with regular weekly washes.
If you use proper, or better yet anal, washing techniques, even a jet black BMW or Porsche will stay swirl free for a few months. However the paint on these is generally just way too soft and 2-4 months down the road you'll begin to see some of the swirl marks... this 2-4 month period can be extended, in a sense, by using a good filling wax on top or instead of a good sealant like Klasse SG for example... so yes, by extended I mean giving yourself more time between polishing.
In short, what year/make/model you want to purchase matters a lot in this case... if you want to buy a jet black Porsche or BMW, I'd highly advise against it if you're that anal about keeping it swirl free, unless you can be even more anal about washing and drying it properly. However if it's an Audi, metallic black, etc., in general they have very hard paint, and even if they're black, can be kept swirl free for quite a while... I have no problem keeping a client's 2001 or 02 A4 swirl free for 6-7 months with regular weekly washes.
May 29, 2009 | 11:34 PM
#13
Teamspeed Junior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 75
From: Atlanta, Ga.
Regardless of what washing technique you use and what you use to wash your car, you're going to have some light scratches if there's contact with the car. I've even had uber-soft microfibers right out of the package lightly scratch a ceramic finish. I use a leaf-blower too, but regardless of how hard it blows I still have to go over the car in some spots with a MF to finish up. I'm sure there's people out there that will say they can wash a car scratch-free, but I don't think it's 100% true. They can greatly reduce the amount of scratches during the wash process, but 100% is just not possible if there's contact with the car, especially if you wash it outside. Buy yourself a DA, read the detailing forums and polish the car yourself every couple of months... that's the money-saver 
!
!Dead-on.
May 30, 2009 | 09:08 AM
#15
Teamspeed Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 213
From: At my house
. Last edited by Clever Nickname; May 30, 2009 at 09:11 AM.
May 30, 2009 | 01:17 PM
#16
TEAMSPEED.COM
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,457
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Yes, depending on the depth of the swirls.
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