yes, 3M swirl mark remover is a good product, my husband uses it on our IS300.

as for a buffer, i would go with a porter cable, i bought one for christmas for my husband, and it works like a dream...

oh, and your wife should be shot! automatic car-washes are a big no-no!

 

there is a putty or should I say a clay that is something like a putty that you can use alot of detail shops use it for overspray removel but I found out that it will remove most if not all swirl marks then follow with a good wax as for my .02 don't buff clear coat it seems at least in my luck to always leave swirls as for putting it on I believe in the side to side .........I'll see if I can find the tub of that clay I got and post the name of it for ya in case you want to try it..the way you use it is simple you wash your truck and while you keep it wet you rub this on it and rinse then you move on to the next area (best to use joy and not dawn dawn is too harsh I have used joy for years and no paint problems yet......just my .02 worth

 

Jnd-

What kind of clay removes swirl marks? Clay is more likely to leave swirl marks than remove them.

Swirl marks are fine scratches in the top layer of your clear coat. If the clay is removing them, then it is acting as an abrasive and also removing some of your clear coat.

Or the swirl marks you were seeing were in the wax. The clay bar would have stripped any wax you had on.

 

The best stuff that I have used is called Liquid Ebony It is a professional swirl remover and you can buy it at auto body and paint suppliers. Napa might have it.