Car Cleaning Myth: Waxing removes swirl marks

Don't we all wish! No, unfortunately swirl marks are actually paint damage -- scratches to be exact -- and the only remedy is to polish them away.  Here's the real bummer: it's very difficult to remove swirl marks by hand on clearcoat finishes, so a car polisher is essential.  It used to be that you could wax your car with a good cleaner wax (remember Simoniz and Turtle Wax?), and the polishing abrasives in the wax would clean, polish and protect your car in a single step.  This type of treatment no longer works on clear coat finishes.  In fact, some of the older cleaner wax products will scour a modern clearcoat finish.  For best result, use two steps: polish to remove swirl marks and wax to protect.  Here's a foolproof system: Griots Garage Random Orbital Polish & Wax Kit.  This is a perfect starter kit.