Would turtle wax get rid of swirl marks? I've never detailed a car and was wondering if this is all I would need....not looking to do a professional job like most of the threads here.

 

By "get rid of", if you mean eliminate; No. No wax is going to eliminate swirl marks at all. They need to be removed via polishing.

Now there are waxes and sealants that provide good "hiding" or "filling" ability on swirl marks. This sounds like the exact route you should go. Two products sold over the counter that are supposed to work well with good hiding ability are Meguiar's NXT 2.0 and Turtle Wax Platinum. I don't have any experience with the Turtle Wax but my brother uses NXT on his black G and it hides marks fairly well.

Good luck

 

No, if you could get rid of swirls that easily, there wouldn't even be any detailers. You can hide some swirls by using a filler wax like NXT 2.0, but have fun re-doing that every 2 weeks when it wears off.

If you want to do a basic detail, here's a list of stuff:
-NXT 2.0 + Foam wax applicator
-Meguiar's Gold Class car wash soap
-Stoner's More Shine Tire Shine
-Some microfiber towels
-303 Aerospace (trim+interior)
-Surf City Beyond Steel Wheel cleaner

That should be enough for what you're looking for, if you would like me to go more in-depth with the list I will. BTW, make sure you don't get the NXT 2.0 on any black plastic trim, it'll stain. Good luck

BTW, to answer your question, Turtle Wax won't hide your swirls, if it does it will only be the lightest ones.

 

I was able to get rid of most all the swirls the stupid dealer put on every freaking panel of my car when they washed my car (even tho I told them not to), by using Meguiars Crystal Polish System... Specifically #1 (Paint Cleaner) and #2 (Paint Polish). For some of the deeper scratches I used 3M Clear Coat Safe Rubbing Compound..

Keep in mind, these things will require a little elbow grease, but I was happy with the results.

As a side note, last weekend I had to go to the dealer again for something, and this time I strapped a sign to my steering wheel that said "DO NOT WASH ME" in big neon colors. This time they listened and didn't wash my car

 

wait, how does the dealer washing the car cause swirl marks? I thought swirl marks were caused when you go a car wash that uses machine equipment to wash ....

 

^ Several reason. Dirty buckets, dropped the sponge on the ground, and instead of rinsing it, they continue to scrub it all over the car, etc etc.

Some cars come off the lot looking like it was washed with sand paper.

People washing the cars at the steaership are all about doing things quick. And our paint are hella soft so it scratches real easily. Put it all together.