If you take a close look at pretty much any car on the road you will find that the paintwork is covered in a haze of tiny scratches and swirls. These are generally created by poor washing techniques at home, cheap road side car washes or the use of automatic car washes. You may have a brand new car and have meticulously looked after it but if you inspect your paint the scratches and swirls will be there. This may not be your fault. Quite often a brand new car, on the day of delivery can have paintwork in a very poor state. It looks great until you get up close.
The paint on modern cars is made up of 3 layers on top of your panel (the substrate). Primer, colour and clear coat. 
The clearcoat is the top layer and this is what you polish and cleanse when cleaning your car. Clearcoat hardness varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and the scratches and swirls are very minor gouges into this uppermost surface. These scratches and swirls are most evident when a car is in full sun or is being inspected with bright LED lamps. They seriously affect the gloss, relflectivity and overall appearance of your car.
Depending on the severity of these marks a professional car detailer will, by machine polishing with various cutting compounds and pads be able to remove or greatly minimise 
the presence of these scratches. The cutting action of the compound takes very fine layers of the clearcoat away and flattens the uppermost surface towards the bottom of the scratches. You’re right. I never went to art school! However, the image above right illustrates what I mean. It shows a magnified view of the scratches, of various depths, within the clearcoat 
and how the cutting compound shaves away the clearcoat to try and level the surface and remove the swirls. The net effect of this process can be quite dramatic. This can be an expensive process that takes time and care. Whilst it can be done at home it is best left in the hands of a professional with the right equipment. The last thing you want to do is go at your paint with a machine polisher and burn right through the clearcoat and damage your paint. This then needs a respray. A professional detailer will measure the depth of your paint/clearcoat to ensure it is safe to be machine polished before starting.
The overall result can be very pleasing and leave a car much the better for it. Not only does this improve the car for you but it also helps to maintain your cars residual value.
That said, not everyone wants to have the perfect looking car. Furthermore, it’s hardly worth the investment of paying to have a professional remove only to continue with poor washing and put them all back again! There are some things you can do at home that will help.
A good quality polish such as AutoGlym Super Resin Polish acts as a paint cleanser and definitely helps with the visual appearance of your car. It will ‘mask’ some of the marks. It won’t be brilliant but it will look better for your time and effort. An alternative method is to use a glaze such as AM Details Glaze. This product cleanses your paint too but also contains a ‘filling agent’. This essentially leaves a clear residue behind in the scratch. This helps to mask it much more than the polish and gives a better visual outcome. This will wash away though so it needs a protectant over the top. AM Details have a sealant. This puts a hard cover over the glaze and helps to keep it there. A good wax such as Soft 99’s Fusso will do the same. Neither of these last forever though so regular maintenance and care is essential to keep the scratches as minimised as possible.
The video below shows the boot lid of a Jaguar that has been polished with Autoglym and what can be achieved. Toward the top of the picture you can see the swirls are still there on the left but much reduced. AM Glaze does the same, but in our view, slightly better. It then shows the rear quarter of a Ranger Rover that was machine polished yesterday where the scratches have pretty much been eliminated.
We are more than happy to help and discuss the condition of your paint and what you can do for yourself or what we can do for you. Get in touch.. no obligation at all.
The clearcoat is the top layer and this is what you polish and cleanse when cleaning your car. Clearcoat hardness varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and the scratches and swirls are very minor gouges into this uppermost surface. These scratches and swirls are most evident when a car is in full sun or is being inspected with bright LED lamps. They seriously affect the gloss, relflectivity and overall appearance of your car.
Depending on the severity of these marks a professional car detailer will, by machine polishing with various cutting compounds and pads be able to remove or greatly minimise the presence of these scratches. The cutting action of the compound takes very fine layers of the clearcoat away and flattens the uppermost surface towards the bottom of the scratches. You’re right. I never went to art school! However, the image above right illustrates what I mean. It shows a magnified view of the scratches, of various depths, within the clearcoat and how the cutting compound shaves away the clearcoat to try and level the surface and remove the swirls. The net effect of this process can be quite dramatic. This can be an expensive process that takes time and care. Whilst it can be done at home it is best left in the hands of a professional with the right equipment. The last thing you want to do is go at your paint with a machine polisher and burn right through the clearcoat and damage your paint. This then needs a respray. A professional detailer will measure the depth of your paint/clearcoat to ensure it is safe to be machine polished before starting.
The overall result can be very pleasing and leave a car much the better for it. Not only does this improve the car for you but it also helps to maintain your cars residual value.
That said, not everyone wants to have the perfect looking car. Furthermore, it’s hardly worth the investment of paying to have a professional remove only to continue with poor washing and put them all back again! There are some things you can do at home that will help.
A good quality polish such as AutoGlym Super Resin Polish acts as a paint cleanser and definitely helps with the visual appearance of your car. It will ‘mask’ some of the marks. It won’t be brilliant but it will look better for your time and effort. An alternative method is to use a glaze such as AM Details Glaze. This product cleanses your paint too but also contains a ‘filling agent’. This essentially leaves a clear residue behind in the scratch. This helps to mask it much more than the polish and gives a better visual outcome. This will wash away though so it needs a protectant over the top. AM Details have a sealant. This puts a hard cover over the glaze and helps to keep it there. A good wax such as Soft 99’s Fusso will do the same. Neither of these last forever though so regular maintenance and care is essential to keep the scratches as minimised as possible.
The video below shows the boot lid of a Jaguar that has been polished with Autoglym and what can be achieved. Toward the top of the picture you can see the swirls are still there on the left but much reduced. AM Glaze does the same, but in our view, slightly better. It then shows the rear quarter of a Ranger Rover that was machine polished yesterday where the scratches have pretty much been eliminated.
We are more than happy to help and discuss the condition of your paint and what you can do for yourself or what we can do for you. Get in touch.. no obligation at all.