how do you search for swirls... its a real pain in the ***.... anyone got an easy way?

and also..after i applied wax... i couldnt tell alot of difference..unlike black car.... i went from owning a jet black car to a white car.... i dont feel like detailing anymore... because i dont feel its as rewarding as a black one...

any comments guys?

 

Looking for swirls on a white car is quite easy. Get yourself a 500-1000 watt halogen light and shine it on the paint...you'll see all the imperfections. Also, if you have polarized sunglasses, taking you car outside on a sunny day, reveals things too.

Waxing isn't the most important step. White cars actually can have depth and shine provided they're polished properly. I worked on a Ford GT a few weeks ago that had only 100 miles on it. The client was skeptical as to how much better it could look. With something as simple as Swissvax Cleaner Fluid, you could see a remarkable difference from a polished portion to what we started out with. Suddenly, after polishing, the white was brighter and richer than before. So focus on polishing the paint properly, then you'll see a huge difference.

 

100% agree w/ Moe. I have seen perfectly white cars begin to yellow...the sun can do crazy things to unprotected paint....keep it waxed!

 

Try using the halogens as Moe suggested, but the turn the other lights in the garage off. You should be able to see the swirls alittle easier using just the halogens in a dark garage...

 

Light coloured paint:
Lighter colour paints i.e. Silver, White, etc (the exception is speed yellow) will never obtain jetting (the so called ‘wet-look’) of black or dark colours as they do not exhibit visible depth, light colours tends to reflectlight instead of absorbing it and providing a 2-dimentional look.

You can obtain a good gloss provided the paint is good quality and if it’s prepared and detailed correctly; washed, cleaned, polished and a polymer sealant added (Zaino, Klasse AIO and SG, Jeffswerkstatt - Acrylic Jett ) these sealants will provide a flat silvery-white shine, but without ‘depth’ the exception is Zaino Clear Seal (Z-CS).

By adding a Carnauba wax or a Glaze as an LSP (Pinnacle Souverän Paste Carnauba or Autoglym Super Resin Polish or Danase Wet Glaze)the oils and / or polymers that are formulated in the Carnauba waxes provide a reflective gloss, which causes jetting (a ‘wetting’ of the surface) For optimal results the surface of a light coloured paint to show gloss is very much dependent upon good / excellent paint condition, adequately prepped to remove contaminants and minor imperfections.

Detailer’s clay (Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay Bar) and / or Paint cleaner (Zaino PC or Klasse AIO) should be a regular part of the preparation process. (See also section 21 Optically Perfect Crystalline Shine)






Surface preparation – for optimal results the surface of a light coloured paint to show gloss is very much dependent upon good / excellent paint condition, adequately prepped to remove contaminants and minor imperfections. Washed, cleaned, polished and a polymer sealant or a Carnauba wax added

Products- (Klasse AIO and SG, Jeffswerkstatt - Acrylic Jett) these sealants will provide a flat silvery-white shine, but without ‘depth’. By adding Zaino Clear Seal (Z-CS) or a Carnauba wax as an LSP (Pinnacle Souverän Paste Carnauba or Autoglym Super Resin Polish)the oils that are formulated in the Carnauba waxes provide a reflective gloss, which causes jetting (a ‘wetting’ of the surface)

Detailer’s clay (Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay Bar) and / or Paint cleaner (Zaino PC or AIO, Klasse AIO) should be a regular part of the preparation process.
(See also Light, Section 21 Optically Perfect Crystalline Shine)

 

With enough prep work (proper polishing) even white paint can "pop". It took me quite a while to get the hang of working on my white Benz, but I've placed in car shows against darker colored cars in my class. My car has single-stage paint, which I think is a little easier to work with IN WHITE. White with clear coat is harder to work with in my opinion. I used both flourescent and halogen lighting to see the real condition of the finish and it did take a lot of work with Meguiars 105/205 (with an orbital) to get the 22 year old paint back to an acceptable level. I also used Meg's #7 show car glaze, which works really well to bring out the depth of single stage paints. It worked good for me, anyway.

For me, wax is wax...it's the prep work that determines what shine you end up with. I'm still learning.

Forgot to mention that I usually finish the car with NXT 2.0 followed up with a coat of Meg's #26 carnauba.

 

Well-said Kevin. If prepared properly, a white car can have great depth and brilliance. We use carnauba-based waxes and are use to seeing greater depth and reflection than traditional synthetic or polymer-based waxes.