Swirl Marks From Washing Your Corvette: How to Avoid Them

Caring for your paint while washing your Corvette: there’s a right way and a wrong way.

The appeal of the Corvette is multi-faceted, and affects all of our senses — the sound of the engine, the smell of high-octane gasoline, the feel of the leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, the taste of the wind, and the look of the body. Most owners and admirers would agree: the Corvette is as appealing for its shape as it is for its performance.

So it stands to reason that keeping your Corvette looking its best is a quest many owners undertake with great care and dedication. As such, in a recent Corvette Forum thread, member black2007c6 asked about how to avoid nasty swirl marks while washing and caring for his Corvette.

We’ve assembled a few of the suggestions and added a few of our own for this article, so that you can keep your Corvette shining like it did in the showroom.

When washing your Corvette, use a microfiber wash mitt, and be careful to avoid the grit that collects at the bottom of your wash bucket. Consider adding a grit guard, or even buying a wash bucket with the grit guard already built in.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About These Helpful Tips

Wring out and hose off your mitt frequently to avoid dragging contaminants across the surface of the car, and always start by cleaning the highest portion of the car first and working your way down — panels get dirtier the closer to the road they are. To that end, wash your wheels and tires last. Work in sections to avoid soap and water spots baked into the paint.

Use a microfiber drying towel to dry, as cotton terry towels scratch the paint, causing the dreaded swirl marks. Squeegees are also available to make the job even easier and safer on your paint.

Following those tips carefully , in addition to a good polish and wax, will keep your Corvette shining bright, mile after mile, year after year. For more tips, be sure to read the original thread here.