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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 F10 Technical Topics Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs Are Very Light "Swirl/Line Marks" Inevitable?
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      06-30-2018, 10:35 PM   #1
FiveGuy
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Are Very Light "Swirl/Line Marks" Inevitable?

So I just got my 2018 5 series. I absolutely LOVE it. I have never been more in love with any of my other cars.

Anyway, I got Carbon Black and I told myself I was going to be extra careful not to get swirls or lines. I bought all the best stuff after watching countless videos and I decided to wash the car and put a coat of protective wax on. To my surprise, the car looked better than when I first got it!!

View post on imgur.com


Anyway, when my car is in sunlight I noticed that there were feint lines. You definitely have to be looking for it and as you can tell, the shine is great. But it made me wonder considering how careful I was -- are the feint lines inevitable?

I can't help but be a bit anal but now I even notice a few on the headlights when the light is shining through. Is this just what happens no matter what? I mean, I was SO CAREFUL.

I hope someone here can put my mind at ease and tell me that these feint lines are just going to happen no matter what but if I maintain being careful they just won't get worse. Or perhaps I did something wrong?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
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      07-01-2018, 03:15 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FiveGuy View Post
So I just got my 2018 5 series. I absolutely LOVE it. I have never been more in love with any of my other cars.

Anyway, I got Carbon Black and I told myself I was going to be extra careful not to get swirls or lines. I bought all the best stuff after watching countless videos and I decided to wash the car and put a coat of protective wax on. To my surprise, the car looked better than when I first got it!!

View post on imgur.com


Anyway, when my car is in sunlight I noticed that there were feint lines. You definitely have to be looking for it and as you can tell, the shine is great. But it made me wonder considering how careful I was -- are the feint lines inevitable?

I can't help but be a bit anal but now I even notice a few on the headlights when the light is shining through. Is this just what happens no matter what? I mean, I was SO CAREFUL.

I hope someone here can put my mind at ease and tell me that these feint lines are just going to happen no matter what but if I maintain being careful they just won't get worse. Or perhaps I did something wrong?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
The only way to prevent "spider" scratches is to NEVER let ANYTHING touch the finish. Pretty much impossible in real life! I have Carbon Black and need to do a correction to remove the scratches that have accumulated over the last year or so. Unfortunately I have to wait until my shoulder totally heals so I just have to deal with the scratches for now.
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      07-03-2018, 12:26 AM   #3
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I have JetBlack and have done a couple of paint corrections over the 4 years of having her. there's no way to prevent faint scratches and swirls as they just happen. you can help by just doing what most of us do by using the recommended 2 bucket method. stay away from public drive thru car washes. I will say that each year I will use CG's BlackLight which is basically a glaze that helps fill in some of the light swirls. But just owning a black car does have it's con's






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      07-04-2018, 12:58 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc View Post
The only way to prevent "spider" scratches is to NEVER let ANYTHING touch the finish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lsturbointeg View Post
There's no way to prevent faint scratches and swirls as they just happen.
Gents - fully agree with you. I can also add that a ceramic coating seems to help slow down the inevitable faint or spiderweb-like scratches. I applied mine (Wolfgang Uber Ceramic) last summer, and after one year's normal wear and tear, the paint still seems nearly perfect.
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      07-04-2018, 04:42 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cdmulders View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc View Post
The only way to prevent "spider" scratches is to NEVER let ANYTHING touch the finish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lsturbointeg View Post
There's no way to prevent faint scratches and swirls as they just happen.
Gents - fully agree with you. I can also add that a ceramic coating seems to help slow down the inevitable faint or spiderweb-like scratches. I applied mine (Wolfgang Uber Ceramic) last summer, and after one year's normal wear and tear, the paint still seems nearly perfect.
This. Do one full correction, ceramic coat the entire vehicle and essentially forget about it. Jet black is the neediest of paint finishes and a ceramic coating is absolutely something you should consider. But, while a coating will largely prevent scratches, you still must practice good washing/drying habits and use clean high quality MF towels when detailing. I like these towels for detail: https://www.autogeek.net/quick-detail-towel-6.html And these for drying (if you don't have a MasterBlaster): https://www.autogeek.net/cobra-delux...026.1530740185

On the rare occurrence you come across a blemish following application, you can hit it with this jeweling agent and a gold ultrasoft pad to re-correct the coating without stripping it. https://www.autogeek.net/carpro-essence-plus-250.html

The coating makes regular washes super easy, and as far as I've read, it lasts years, not months. I also used Wolfgang's version with impressive results.
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      07-04-2018, 11:00 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quicksilv3r View Post
This. Do one full correction, ceramic coat the entire vehicle and essentially forget about it. Jet black is the neediest of paint finishes and a ceramic coating is absolutely something you should consider. But, while a coating will largely prevent scratches, you still must practice good washing/drying habits and use clean high quality MF towels when detailing.
I learned to use a leaf blower to dry a car down as well as getting some of the water hiding in cracks and crevices
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      07-09-2018, 09:53 AM   #7
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Oh my God, thanks guys. I definitely need to get that ceramic coating!

Yesterday I spend 5 hours detailing the outside of the car. I only use high quality micro-fibers as I learned from YouTube. Most of my stuff is from Chemical Guys and before waxing I did a once over with the Black Light stuff. I think the Black Light definitely helped in some areas but on the side I definitely still see the lines.

Obviously they are not bad since the car is brand new but I'd rather not have any and put that protective stuff on so I can be more diligent in the future with my wash.

To be honest though, I am scared to try to buff them out now on my own since it will be my first time.

I just don't understand how I got them to begin with though. I was super careful. I even used my leaf blower to dry the car then pat down the semi-wet areas with a brand new CG micro towel. I think where I got some of the micro scratches was applying the wax. Buffing the wax out outside is not easy considering spots get dust while buffing out the other side! Damn, I wish I had a garage.

What's funny is my hood and trunk NEVER get any lines but other areas do. It's what leads me to think it's the buffing process because I do those areas first. It's so weird how my entire hood doesn't have one line on it. I even got some lines on the headlights!

I think my best bet is to buff these lines out and apply the ceramic next time. Maybe I should do some spots a little at a time to make sure I get all the areas and don't overwork myself to the point I start rushing some spots.

What do you all think?

EDIT: What do you all do with the black trim on the car and chrome areas? I noticed that the jet black trim has some lines on it as well.

Last edited by FiveGuy; 07-09-2018 at 09:59 AM..
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      07-09-2018, 11:09 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FiveGuy View Post
Oh my God, thanks guys. I definitely need to get that ceramic coating!

Yesterday I spend 5 hours detailing the outside of the car. I only use high quality micro-fibers as I learned from YouTube. Most of my stuff is from Chemical Guys and before waxing I did a once over with the Black Light stuff. I think the Black Light definitely helped in some areas but on the side I definitely still see the lines.

Obviously they are not bad since the car is brand new but I'd rather not have any and put that protective stuff on so I can be more diligent in the future with my wash.

To be honest though, I am scared to try to buff them out now on my own since it will be my first time.

I just don't understand how I got them to begin with though. I was super careful. I even used my leaf blower to dry the car then pat down the semi-wet areas with a brand new CG micro towel. I think where I got some of the micro scratches was applying the wax. Buffing the wax out outside is not easy considering spots get dust while buffing out the other side! Damn, I wish I had a garage.

What's funny is my hood and trunk NEVER get any lines but other areas do. It's what leads me to think it's the buffing process because I do those areas first. It's so weird how my entire hood doesn't have one line on it. I even got some lines on the headlights!

I think my best bet is to buff these lines out and apply the ceramic next time. Maybe I should do some spots a little at a time to make sure I get all the areas and don't overwork myself to the point I start rushing some spots.

What do you all think?

EDIT: What do you all do with the black trim on the car and chrome areas? I noticed that the jet black trim has some lines on it as well.
There are tons of YouTube videos on paint correction. Get the correct, quality products and go for it! The 1st time can be daunting, but if you follow the videos with quality products you will do just fine. My last car's previous owner was a fan of car washes. I got out all of the micro scratches following the techniques in the videos.
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      07-10-2018, 11:23 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FiveGuy View Post
To be honest though, I am scared to try to buff them out now on my own since it will be my first time.

I think my best bet is to buff these lines out and apply the ceramic next time. Maybe I should do some spots a little at a time to make sure I get all the areas and don't overwork myself to the point I start rushing some spots.

What do you all think?
Although I have not seen Junkman post many videos lately on this forum, I can state unequivocally that his videos are very informative and that his technique works.
Check it out here on this thread.
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      07-10-2018, 12:22 PM   #10
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here's a little detail journey I did when I started learning about detailing and paint correction if you have time to read. some good info as other member's have chimed in. if my car was brand new I would have done the ceramic coating but because I bought my car used I didn't see the need to do the ceramic coating so that's why I tackled this project myself and to learn as I went along. but like what cdmulders posted I watched a lot of Junkman's detailing videos for tips. Chemical Guy's also has an extensive amount of DIY videos for paint corrections as well

https://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1281487
https://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1290809
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      08-07-2018, 03:04 PM   #11
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An orbital polisher will become your friend. Do a cut, polish, and wax like once a year or so and it will help. As Isturbo said above the chemical guys videos are great!
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      08-20-2018, 05:11 PM   #12
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Here's possibly a dumb question... are there detailers that will do corrections and ceramic coatings for you? I live in a condo with a shared garage, and there's no way I could do this myself.
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      08-20-2018, 07:54 PM   #13
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Here's possibly a dumb question... are there detailers that will do corrections and ceramic coatings for you? I live in a condo with a shared garage, and there's no way I could do this myself.
Ceramic coatings should be left to the professionals. Yes they will do a full paint correction before applying the coating. Any defect under the paint with the coating on top will get magnified and they will need one buff off the coating and start over. This is a very very expensive product and very labor intensive. So be prepared for the big number they quote you.
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      08-20-2018, 11:44 PM   #14
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Ceramic coatings should be left to the professionals. Yes they will do a full paint correction before applying the coating. Any defect under the paint with the coating on top will get magnified and they will need one buff off the coating and start over. This is a very very expensive product and very labor intensive. So be prepared for the big number they quote you.
I figured if I had a professional do this, it would be pretty pricey. I guess the better question is, if I park my car outside for work (not covered) is it even worth doing this? my car gets covered in dirt within a couple of days after any wash.
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      08-21-2018, 06:46 AM   #15
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Best advice I have gleaned from various videos and films are :-
Don't let anyone else wash it , even dealers
Don't use a sponge to wash it traps grit.
Don't use a chamois leather for paintwork, again it can trap grit.
Use fibre cloth to dry but don't run just pat dry.
Use 2 bucket approach
Use a lambs wool mitten (or equivalent)

Remember most damage is done when cleaning.

Waxed and sealants may help to some degree but I feel the best thing is having the right washing technique , that should keep swirls to an absolute minimum.

Works for me .
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