Contamination: After you wash and dry your car, run the palm and fingertips of your clean hand across the top surfaces. Don't be surprised if what you feel is rough and bumpy. The roughness you feel is harmful environmental bonded contaminants such as over-spay, fallout, brake dust, tree sap, tar and more that have bonded to your paint finish. To remove these contaminants a Clay bar is used.
Swirl marks: Generally caused by automatic car-wash machines or poor hand wash techinques. They consist of fine circular or spider web type scratches. These are very noticable in direct sun light.
Holograms: These are like 3d effects on paintwork caused by micro marring. They appear to float on the paint surface when in direct light
Buffer trails: These are caused by improper use of a machine polisher and/or too harsh compound used
Oxidation: Is a result of UV light and no protection, the paint surface becomes oxidized causing paint to fade and become dull. In the photo to the left you can see where the section that has been machine polished has removed this layer of oxidised paintwork, leaving a glossy finish