Toyota MR2 Message Board - View Single Post - Detailing your MR2 Scrathes, Swirls, and Holograms

PHOENIX · 02-07-2006, 12:35 AM

Since there may be some confusion as to the difference between Swirls, Scratches and Holograms and other types of damage, I thought I would give you some examples.

Swirls
Swirls are mostly circular. They look like spiderwebs, and are often called that. They are caused by many things, but most often they are caused by improper washing and drying tools and processes, but they are also caused by just driving the car. Dust in the atmosphere while driving can cause them. Driving on dusty roads is a good way to see swirls occur. The fact is, they are totally unavoidable. You can stay on top of them if you care for your car though. They are very difficult to polish out by hand and will likely require a machine. Not a buffer kind of machine, but rather a Porter Cable type. Buffers are great at applying wax, but they don't do so well on swirl removal. You will more likely create holograms in your efforts to remove the swirls.

Scrathes
Scratches are lateral lines in the paint. They are caused by using coarse towels to dry with, driving next to bushes, rubbing against the paint, washing with a sponge full of dirt, claying with a dirty clay bar, and a million other things. Why some cars swirl and others scratch is a mystery to me. The process for removing them is much the same as with swirls. While swirls can be caused simply by driving, scratches need a little more effort put into creating them. Your car won't scratch by just driving it around. If your car looks like this then you can be assured that something you are doing wrong is causing them. Try to identify where your car care process can be improved and see if that makes a difference in how many scratches appear.

Holograms
These are also often called 'Buffer Burns" due to the fact that they are caused by el cheapo buffers. They are wavy lines in the paint that sometimes zig zag across the body. Holograms are not created naturally. They are also not created by hand. These are marks that are created by buffers and polishers in the hands of amatures. Holograms are also more difficult to remove than swirls simply because of the nature of the damage. If you pick your car up from a paint shop or a detail shop and it has holograms on it, then take it right back and have them fix it. Holograms are easily hidden with greasy glazes and may not show up right away. When they show up you should take the car back in. Don't let them tell you that you created them. Any detailer knows what holograms are caused by and they know that you didn't cause them. These are best removed by a professional.

Clearcoat Failure
You can't stop clearcoat failure. Once it starts you are pretty much doomed. Your clear coat has somehow seperated from the rest of your car and that is why it looks cloudy. Your clear coat is only clear as long as its stuck to the paint. It will get all cloudy and start slowly chipping off of your car. Clearcoat failure is a result of not protecting your car from industrial fallout (meaning you don't clay your car) and you don't protect it from UV rays (meaning you aren't waxing). Don't let clearcoat failure happen to your car. It most often starts shows up after 5 or 6 years of neglect. Soon you will start to see it on neglected '99 and '98 models. You may already be seeing it on your '95 and '96 model year cars. The only way to fix it is to sand it all down and respray it. That will require a body shop to do properly. Its an expensive problem that is easily avoided if you care for the car.

Oxidation
Oxidation is what happens just before clearcoat failure. It is when the surface is unprotected and it just sits out in the sun all day. Rare washings and even more rare shade can accelerate oxidation to the point that the clearcoat just gives up. More often than not you will see oxidation on non-clearcoated vehicles. The clear helps protect the paint to a certian extent, but it doesn't stop the damage from happening. Red is the first to oxidize. You'll notice that your red will start to go to pink after awhile. That is oxidation. Its easy enough to fix with a good quality paint cleaner. I use Klasse AIO to clear up my oxidation issues. Here is an example of oxidation and what it can look like after a simple non-abrasive paint cleaning.

Hopefully that clears it up for you all a bit. Knowing what kind of damage you are dealing with will help in knowing what you can do about it. For example, swirls are easier to fix than scratches. Some scratches can be so deep that you need to paint them while others can be easily polished out with a PC. Holograms almost certianly need a polisher and swirls generally need one as well. If you know what kind of damage you have then it makes it easier for people who know how to help to offer suggestions. Pictures always help, but if you can at least identify if they are scratches, swirls, or holograms then it will give us more to go off of.

for more information, please visit www.ocdetails.com

This article is coutesy of jngbrdman (anthony) owner of ocdetails

02-07-2006, 12:35 AM	#1 (permalink)
PHOENIX Beams Owners Group Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: On Hiatus....... Posts: 9,266 Thanks: 92 Thanked 292 Times in 224 Posts Blog Entries: 1 My Google Map iTrader Rating: (49/100% )	Scrathes, Swirls, and Holograms Since there may be some confusion as to the difference between Swirls, Scratches and Holograms and other types of damage, I thought I would give you some examples. Swirls Swirls are mostly circular. They look like spiderwebs, and are often called that. They are caused by many things, but most often they are caused by improper washing and drying tools and processes, but they are also caused by just driving the car. Dust in the atmosphere while driving can cause them. Driving on dusty roads is a good way to see swirls occur. The fact is, they are totally unavoidable. You can stay on top of them if you care for your car though. They are very difficult to polish out by hand and will likely require a machine. Not a buffer kind of machine, but rather a Porter Cable type. Buffers are great at applying wax, but they don't do so well on swirl removal. You will more likely create holograms in your efforts to remove the swirls. Scrathes Scratches are lateral lines in the paint. They are caused by using coarse towels to dry with, driving next to bushes, rubbing against the paint, washing with a sponge full of dirt, claying with a dirty clay bar, and a million other things. Why some cars swirl and others scratch is a mystery to me. The process for removing them is much the same as with swirls. While swirls can be caused simply by driving, scratches need a little more effort put into creating them. Your car won't scratch by just driving it around. If your car looks like this then you can be assured that something you are doing wrong is causing them. Try to identify where your car care process can be improved and see if that makes a difference in how many scratches appear. Holograms These are also often called 'Buffer Burns" due to the fact that they are caused by el cheapo buffers. They are wavy lines in the paint that sometimes zig zag across the body. Holograms are not created naturally. They are also not created by hand. These are marks that are created by buffers and polishers in the hands of amatures. Holograms are also more difficult to remove than swirls simply because of the nature of the damage. If you pick your car up from a paint shop or a detail shop and it has holograms on it, then take it right back and have them fix it. Holograms are easily hidden with greasy glazes and may not show up right away. When they show up you should take the car back in. Don't let them tell you that you created them. Any detailer knows what holograms are caused by and they know that you didn't cause them. These are best removed by a professional. Clearcoat Failure You can't stop clearcoat failure. Once it starts you are pretty much doomed. Your clear coat has somehow seperated from the rest of your car and that is why it looks cloudy. Your clear coat is only clear as long as its stuck to the paint. It will get all cloudy and start slowly chipping off of your car. Clearcoat failure is a result of not protecting your car from industrial fallout (meaning you don't clay your car) and you don't protect it from UV rays (meaning you aren't waxing). Don't let clearcoat failure happen to your car. It most often starts shows up after 5 or 6 years of neglect. Soon you will start to see it on neglected '99 and '98 models. You may already be seeing it on your '95 and '96 model year cars. The only way to fix it is to sand it all down and respray it. That will require a body shop to do properly. Its an expensive problem that is easily avoided if you care for the car. Oxidation Oxidation is what happens just before clearcoat failure. It is when the surface is unprotected and it just sits out in the sun all day. Rare washings and even more rare shade can accelerate oxidation to the point that the clearcoat just gives up. More often than not you will see oxidation on non-clearcoated vehicles. The clear helps protect the paint to a certian extent, but it doesn't stop the damage from happening. Red is the first to oxidize. You'll notice that your red will start to go to pink after awhile. That is oxidation. Its easy enough to fix with a good quality paint cleaner. I use Klasse AIO to clear up my oxidation issues. Here is an example of oxidation and what it can look like after a simple non-abrasive paint cleaning. Hopefully that clears it up for you all a bit. Knowing what kind of damage you are dealing with will help in knowing what you can do about it. For example, swirls are easier to fix than scratches. Some scratches can be so deep that you need to paint them while others can be easily polished out with a PC. Holograms almost certianly need a polisher and swirls generally need one as well. If you know what kind of damage you have then it makes it easier for people who know how to help to offer suggestions. Pictures always help, but if you can at least identify if they are scratches, swirls, or holograms then it will give us more to go off of. for more information, please visit www.ocdetails.com This article is coutesy of jngbrdman (anthony) owner of ocdetails Last edited by PHOENIX; 02-07-2006 at 01:31 AM..