cquartz finest

[swifty]

Ok so I had a detailer here apply Cquartz finest. Car came out amazing and thoroughly impressed with his work as there were tons of swirls etc when I picked it from the dealer.

Question is, I've been going through touchless car wash since it's cold here to handwash and noticed swirls on the trunk. Not sure if it's from the microfiber cloth I'm using to dry off after.

Any suggestions I can do to get rid of it without doing anything to affect the Cquartz coating on the car.

BTW i'm a noob at detailing.

[Alex Boyce]

I would assume that the detailer that applied the Finest made sure that the finish was outstanding prior to application.

It is possible that your towel is putting some minor swirls/marring in the finish. I would contact your local installer and I'm sure they would help determine a solution. CQuartz Finest is a thick layer than can be polished lightly without removing it, but to judge how much is removed is very hard to do.

Again, I would recommend to bring it back to the installer and pick their brain.

Just my .02, never put your towels on the ground or a spot that it could collect particles that might damage the paint. If a towel accidentally falls to the ground then throw it away, or don't use it on the paint ever again.

[Z K]

Your problem is the touchless car wash. They use high pressure water and strong detergents to clean the car. Water can scratch the surface if there is enough pressure applied.

Also, automatic car washes do not thoroughly clean the car. There are many places that it does not clean and stay dirty. Wiping with a microfiber afterwards is asking for trouble as you drag the dirt across the paint. I would definitely avoid wiping after using a automatic car wash.

[swifty]

I went over it throughly when i got the car back few months ago from the detailer. He spent close to 7 hrs and there wasn't any swirls etc.

I started noticing it a week back after going through touchless constantly and then drying the car off.

[swifty]

Originally Posted by Z K

Your problem is the touchless car wash. They use high pressure water and strong detergents to clean the car. Water can scratch the surface if there is enough pressure applied.

Also, automatic car washes do not thoroughly clean the car. There are many places that it does not clean and stay dirty. Wiping with a microfiber afterwards is asking for trouble as you drag the dirt across the paint.

That explains it. Is there any way to get around it since it's too cold to wash it by hand in the summer. Is it better to let it air dry?

[Z K]

Originally Posted by swifty

That explains it. Is there any way to get around it since it's too cold to wash it by hand in the summer. Is it better to let it air dry?

Well, you have two problems. You can eliminate the microfiber wiping and let it air dry - that will rule out the microfiber. I would avoid wiping on anything that is not completely clean anyway.

If you are still getting swirl scratches, then you know it is the car wash doing it.

[Semi-Poor]

IMHO if the weather is so cold you can't wash the car yourself, you are better off leaving it dirty than subjecting it to mechanical car wash. I never run my car through a car wash under any circumstances. Better to leave it outside in the cold, the salt is inert when frozen, when you put the car in a heated garage everything melts. If you must, go to a spray booth rinse car and drive it dry. Winter sucks and it is hard on cars I try to inflict the least damage possible. Hope this helps.

[Alex Boyce]

I agree with Semi-poor and Z K. No automatic wash is good. Do you have a garage that you can park the car in, and does the garage stay above freezing? If so I would suggest to looking into a product like Optimum ONR or Ultima Waterless Wash+. They are great for washing inside a garage. I would still suggest to go to a coin op and blast off as much build up as you can and then use a rinseless wash. Dedicate a few microfibers for the wash, a few for drying (or buy waffle weave), and a few for Quick detailer products.

[IzzyGray]

Swirl marks are not caused by touchless car wash, unless your car wash sprays a circular pattern(unlikely). It could cause scratches but I've ran all my vehicles through touchless car washes before and I've never had any damage. In fact, I had some plastidipped and vinyl wrapped products on my MINI before and that car ran through touchless almost biweekly. No marks on either(which is far less tough than clearcoat) Are you drying the vehicle using a swirling motion? If so, that's your culprit. I would just air dry the vehicle. Only reason I wash mine during winter is to rinse off the salt so I do get the cheapest option at the car wash.

[swifty]

^ I do dry it in circular fashion.

Yes, the car is kept in the garage but it's not heated at all so will be difficult to use optimum rinse.

[ddas]

cQuartz Finest will assist with keeping a vehicle that is properly maintained looking great. Abuse is abuse is abuse. I am not being mean but neglect will cause damage no matter what.