You have got that baby looking extremely sharp. Do you hire out?

 

Thanks,
It took forever. Credit goes to Andrew and the others for advice and help!

 

You did a great job, what a difference. I bet the hard work you put into it was worth it. Can't wait until the weather gets better by me so I can do it too.

 

Funny you say that FP, two days after I did all of this it rained and since has rained 4 out of the five days this week. I've been keeping on top of it though. Good luck with yours. Black cars are hard work but look the best when done right!

 

Thanks to CrossfireLTD I tried this. Specifically for black dark blue and red cars. Seems to work very well at removing swirl marks and fine scratches. It is a polish and I used it with Maguiars NXT (which also hides swirl marks and scratches).

The have a product similar to ICE called Glanz. It also works well.

Sonus also carries the Klasse products. Very fast shipping here in SoCal.

 

Nice job on the paint...Let's see some new direct-sun shots of the paint! Quick question...what did you use for "polish?" Secondly, did you do everything by hand or PC?

 

Sorry for the late reply was out of town without the Xfire, or I would have posted pics sooner. I used Pinnacle Advanced finishing polish. Once out in the sun though only about half of the swirls and spider webbing was removed. I am pretty embarrassed about it!

I talked with a guy here in San Diego at a place called Detail Works Inc. I was referred to them by the Mercedes, Ferrari, and Jag dealership. He said he could remove them all with a high Speed buffer for $185 and that included the 4 stage polish and sealant. Any advice from anyone if that is a good deal. I've been back in the states for 4 months since '01 so can't compare prices.

 

It's disheartening that one can spend as much time as you did and still not get all of the swirls out. Your pictures looked great.

 

you can only do so much by hand...


that price sounds fair to me... this process is time consuming & a high risk... so take it to the recommended professional... be sure he is using 3m foam pads (cutting... polishing...etc)... i wouldn't recommend wool pads to be used on the car. ask him for the stage break down/steps he will be using as well as the products he will be using... i wouldn't mind hearing of them to provide further advice if needed. also... i would assume this price is for a full exterior detail??

one more tip... be sure he wraps the wiper blades/arms with a towel or removes them before buffing... the compound will stick to them like a magnet.
better yet... ask him to do this for you... then he will realize how detail oriented you will be.

also... when you pick the car up... be sure to inspect all rubber (around windows, etc) to be sure he didn't burn/mare them... also be sure he doesn't leave residue/compound in all the cracks and crevices... raise the wing in front of him... this will tell you the complete truth of the job you paid for... if the attention to detail was true... the area under the spoiler should be free of any remaining wax, compound, etc. but take it in with the spoiler down... a good test.

ps - be sure not to wash 'or' dry a black car in the sunlight... the uv rays create havoc on a black finish when doing so.
eagle 1 'wet' is the best quick detailer for wipe downs after a washing with a black cars finish... applied in the shade on a cool surface.

hope this helps!

 

$185 seems just fine for me. His "4 stage" package is probably a compound, then finishing polish followed by a sealant and wax. Ask how long he is going to take as well? What about a clay-bar treatment?? To be honest, with less than $20 you can probably eliminate most of the remaining swirls yourself by using a glaze, such as Clearkote's Red Moose Glaze. Using a glaze will prevent you from cutting the clearcoat even further. Another way of looking at this is by realizing that you can get an orbital polisher (such as the Porter Cable 7424) for less than $150, then add in a light cut pad, polishing pad, and finishing pad, then a backing plate for about $40 more. This would give you the detailing power for the rest of the car's life! Add some high quality towels as well.

 

Andrew,
Great tips on pic up and drop off. I never thought of that before thanks. I will be at the Cali Motor Speedway next weekend so I won't even start till after that date of course. Will definitely be wise on my questions now.

golfdude,
I actually purchased a Porter Cable 7424 but was scared to use it on black except for the final Pinnacle concours wax application and removal with a microfiber towel.

Ok talked to the guy today. Here is the process that my car will go through if I decide to do it in two weeks:
wash of course.
then they clay the car.
use a wool pad (Andrew?) w/compound to remove swirls.
2nd coat with a foam pad to remove hazing from compound.
3rd coat to remove hazing from 3nd coat.
and fourth coat polish.
then wax with finishing pad and remove with microfiber bonnet.
optional sealant for $75 more but of course that takes out the wax process.

I didn't ask about the product brand he used but I did here 3M in there for compound.

I keep hearing AMAZING things about Maguire's NXT and Sonus Swirlbuster.

What do you guys think?

 

Any plans on making it to Florida so you can do my car, too? Yours looks amazing!!! but then again, since it was Andrew's suggestions, Andrew, want to come do my car?

Very nice job indeed...

 

HAHAHA,
Thanks Sharonaln67 yes it looks great but the sun reflects all my tiny swirls at the right angle. The paint is really in good condition with no oxidations but the clear coat does have its share of tiny hair line scratches not even deep enough to catch a fingernail.

 

In all honesty, I might be in FL over the summer so I might be able to help you on this, Sharonaln67.

Maxximussquid...wow, for the money you have already spent on products and machines, I wouldn't even bother with hiring someone for a detail if they are going to charge you full price. Did the detailer even take a look at your car before offering a price? PS...a wool pad will make swirls that will have to be removed from further polishing, hence the multiple polishing steps.


Nevertheless, I recommend you whip out your PC 7424, get a light-cut pad (typically orange in color), crank the sucker to a speed of 6, and viola, the swirls are gone. Don't be afraid of the PC because it will NOT harm your (almost-new) paint at all. It took me months to realize how safe it is to use. Now, still use the machine with care by not tossing it around the paint and keeping it moving always. Apply light pressure to the PC 7424 and try to keep the pad level or at a very slight angle with the paint surface. A nicely polishes surface will not have holograms. Be patient and moderately paced. Now, speed 6 is intense, so for practice, use a lower speed for the first couple of tries, but use the huge C-pillar or the hood for practice, going to a speed of 6 eventually. At this point, I say go for it yourself. The most harm that I feel someone like you will ever put into the paint are holograms, which can easily be corrected by polishing with a finishing pad at lower speeds (speed of 4-5).

 

Did a little swirl/scratch removal on my Roadster Limited yesterday, I will post pics later today after the second coat of wax...here is what I did.

1) Wash with DP Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo & Foam Gun.
2) 2nd wash with Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo.
3) Pinnacle XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover #3 w/CCS Orange Light Cutting Pad.
4) Pinnacle XMT Ultra Fine Swirl Remover #1 w/CCS White Polishing Pad.
5) Pinnacle XMT XMT Carnauba Finishing Glaze w/CCS White Polishing Pad.
6) 1 Coat Pinnacle Souverän Paste Wax

All work done with a Porter Cable 7424 Random Orbital DA Buffer. (Great Machine).

 

Excellent...good to see you use some high-quality products. Personally, I am not too happy with my DP car wash, it doesn't rinse well, but you seem to have a different version than mine. One question...I was under the opinion that the XMT intermediate swirl remover was the more aggressive product compared to the XMT Ultra fine swirl remover. With this in mind, the Intermediate swirl remover and orange light cut pad should be used first, then the Ultra fine swirl remover and the white polishing pad. Oh, at what speed did you use the PC? I can't wait to see the pics!

 

You are correct...I was so tired that I got the sequence twisted in the post (now corrected). I had the PC set on 5,000 rpm. Also with the DP I think the Foam Gun makes a difference, I also found it hard to rinse off using a regular hose pipe.

 

It's ok! As much as a love detailing, it will beat you up when it is all said and done with. I feel the results are worth it though. PS...I sent you a pm.

 

Results after Pinnacle XMT Products and Porter Cable 7424 DA Buffer.

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Nice job...let's see a direct sun shot buddy!