Car Detailing

[Brett Dikeman]

At 4:55 PM -0400 5/10/04, David wrote:

>I do not know how to wet sand, but I have no problem paying a good 
>shop to do it for me. The question is...how much is reasonable to 
>pay a shop to wetsand my Coupe GT? It's black (not metalic) and the 
>paint is about 1.5 years old. it was never "perfect" ( a few 
>imprefections, fish-eye like) and now has some swirl marks I'd like 
>to get rid of.

Wet sanding is complete, gross, total overkill for that new paint, 
unless you've been grossly negligent in taking care of it.

Wet sanding is for when there is SEVERE damage to the paint.  Sean 
Ford had someone take a garage broom to his car at a community car 
wash (he described one of those cinematic slow-motion "Nooooooooo!!!" 
scenes) - THAT is when you need wet-sanding.

As for other comments in the thread- I've been using P21S wax since 
around the time it came out, and it is good stuff for black cars.  It 
is a "show wax" and not particularly durable- if you want the most 
durable wax, get One Grand Blitz wax which is widely regarded as one 
of the 'toughest' waxes; it costs a third as much and comes in a 
larger container.  If you want low maintenance, Klasse stuff 
(however, be aware that some people find the stuff very difficult to 
apply).  Perfect for the mom-mobiles, -especially- on wheels which 
never get washed enough- what is it with women and brake dust? :)

Random Orbital buffers- the key word here is -random-.  Porter cable 
makes an excellent unit which is available from tool stores- DO NOT 
get it from Griots, they charge almost $100 more.  Make sure you get 
at -least- one foam pad (one usually comes with the unit, but they're 
sold as RO sanders or RO buffers with corresponding accessories so 
pay attention to what's coming in the box).

Zymol's HD Cleanse is quite aggressive(which is why it works so well) 
and as far as I know, not machine-safe.  Zymol's products are 
completely, totally overhyped and overpriced; I believe you pay for 
all the umlauts.  I remember their leather cleaner+conditioner came 
in tiny little bottles and cost as much or more than giant bottles of 
Lexol's stuff.  As Taka noted, they're experts at product packaging, 
which is why the stuff costs so much.  My particular "favorite" of 
this marketing is the brand-specific wax; special Volvo wax?  Gimme a 
damn break.  Skip them unless you've won the lottery.

The best way to get rid of swirls is to never put them into the paint 
in the first place.  RO buffer with a clean pad.  Cotton cloths with 
labels snipped off for removal/buffing/spot drying.  Car wash 
brushes, not sponges or (eek) those lambswool (or even worse, fake 
lambswool) mitts.  Squeege, not chamios, for drying.  Keep it waxed 
so stuff doesn't stick, and cause a scratch as you remove it.

If they're already in, you can either remove them or cover them up. 
Glazes are for covering them up, and many products contain "fillers" 
to do so.  For example, I use Pinnacle Paintwork cleanser and it 
contains some fillers.  Sample process:

-start with moist buffer pad(remember, random orbital)
-spray some water from a spray bottle onto the panel
-apply a dime-sized amount of cleanser on the pad
-fire up the buffer
-buff off with clean cotton cloth

The water means that I don't have to use much stuff, I get a very 
gentle action, and it's easier to remove since it's diluted.  PPC 
contains some fillers and so swirls and spider webs for the most part 
disappear.  The paint surface is left super-smooth.

If you want to remove the scratches, use 3M's swirl remover or 
similar, which is abrasive, so use it only occasionally (remember, 
never put the scratches in!)  Apply with RO buffer, remove, inspect 
for improvement, repeat until panel is done to your satisfaction. 
Overhead flourescent lighting is the best lighting to do this sort of 
work, makes it easier to see the swirls/scratches.  Never do any of 
this in direct sun or on a warm/hot car.

Oh, and if you're on a budget- Mother's.  Everything, particularly 
their car wash, works well, and the stuff is all very easy to use. 
Their plastic polish is my first choice for restoring a beat up 
plastic surface(turn signal lenses etc).  Use their hard wax, not the 
liquid wax however- liquid waxes are almost all worthless.

Brett
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