How Swirls, Scratches, & Hard Water Spots Happen & The Answer to Regaining Showroom Shine

In this article, you will learn what causes paint to lose it’s showroom shine and how to fix it!

What Are Swirls?

Swirls are a form of scratches in a circular pattern caused mainly by machine car wash rubber bristles that attack your paint. A drive-through car wash though convenient is the worst way to wash your car. You can learn the difference between a hand wash and a machine wash here.

What Are The Types of Scratches?
It sounds simple but there are different levels of scratches in your car. The popular key scratches usually caused by an angry EX bf/GF, scratches caused by other cars in fender benders, & plenty more. The rule of thumb is that if you can feel the scratch with your fingernail, it’s gone past your clear coat which will likely not be fixable unless re-sprayed at a body shop.

What Are Hard Water Spots?
Hard water spots happen when you get water on your car that sits for long periods of time and begins to etch your clear coat. Common scenarios are leaving your car next to sprinklers and not drying your car properly.

How to fix all of these paint defects.

All of these paint defects can be fixed by a Paint Correction AKA Cut & Polish. During a paint correction service, we use professional-grade machinery and lighting, wet sanding, compounds, and skills to reduce or eliminate paint defects. This process is labor-intensive and can take anywhere from 5 – 30 hours depending on the severity of the paint. We use color matching lights that allow us to see even the smallest of defects. Our goal is to bring your car’s condition to a better than showroom shine. We (Gloss Technique) are a detail shop in Fresno/Clovis, ca that is highly trained and experienced in the art of paint correction Fresno. You can view our paint correction packages here.