> Which of the two is better for washing your car and minimising the affect of
> swirl marks on your paintwork, a sponge or a woollen mitt?

I have a white 2003 Accord EX 4-door without the sunroof.

I purchased the car new, and it now has 10K miles with very little, if any,
swirl marks on the paint finish. I never take the Accord to a car wash where
you drive through. Even if it's a "100% cloth" car wash, you never know how
many particles or dirt could be clinging to the spinning cloths (which would
then scratch your finish).

If the car is lightly dirty, I park within a car wash bay that has an
attached water gun, and spray the car with its soapy water on the low-intensity
setting. I use the high-intensity trigger for the lower areas of the car and
around the wheel wells, even inside the wells themselves and underneath the
car. I then fill up a water bucket I usually carry empty in the trunk, and
with a huge sponge, apply the soapy suds to the finish -- never using the
long brush provided by the car wash bay.

I seldom drive in the rain or on wet pavement, so the car does not get that
dirty. So when it rains and is parked outside, I get a "free" car wash!!

Paul


Paul