Swirl marks, scratches and other surface imperfections can come to life in many different ways. Some of these are unavoidable, such as road grit and grime. Dallas / Fort Worth roads aren't free of environmental and industrial contaminants that will always inflict microscopic scratch on your car.

Contaminants

Bugs splatter, brake dust, bird droppings, water-spots, and tar are probably the most common causes of staining or etching on your clear-coat. They can easily leave behind permanent imperfections on your paint that will require paint correction. By removing them quickly instead of leaving them to bake on your clear-coat you can avoid permanent damages but how you remove them can then leave behind marring or scratches.

This is why it is always better to remove them using the 2-bucket wash method to avoid inflecting a different kind of paint defect while trying to prevent another. When you remove these things, you can scrape the surface and leave marks. Tar and water spots can also cause clear coat problems. We know we're probably overloading you with information but our team will always assist you after a paint correction on how to maintain your better than brand new finish!

Improper Car Washing Techniques

There are also instances where the car owner themselves are to blame for the poor condition of the clear coat. Poor car washing techniques can leave swirl marks, micro-scratches, and other problems. For example, using a regular cloth to wash your car or a beach towel for drying your paint can create some serious swirl marks on your car. We recommend using the two-bucket washing method with high-quality microfiber washing mitts and drying towels as a good starting point for washing your paint.

DIY Paint Correction

Some enthusiasts like to polish or "paint correct" their car by themselves and we applaud them for their courage and dedication. But one must be entirely sure that he has the proper equipment and experience before polishing their own car. The rule of thumb is: if you've never mechanically polished a car before, start with a scrap hood as you are likely to inflict more damage than anything when starting to learn the art of "paint correction".

Low-Quality Hand Car Wash & Automatic Touch Car Wash (The Ultimate Swirl-Machines)

Last but not least, getting your car serviced in an automatic touch car wash or cheap hand car wash is guaranteed to turn your paint into unsightly matte finish over the years. This is usually the #1 reason why cars are covered with swirl marks as those kinds of car washes do not care about the integrity of your clear-coat, after all their only purpose is to get your car clean no matter the kind of damage it creates on your paint.