Paint swirls

[Newff]

Saw a picture of someones Z4 on here today and the paint swirling on his black Z4 was crazy...is there much you could do to prevent this and if not does waxing get rid of those (until it needs to be waxed again)?

I'm supposed to be buying my car (black)before the end of the month but seeing that has me thinking twice and thinking about maybe a different color.

[Thisisdudewhoru]

Yea there is alot you can do to prevent it but it most likely will happen sometime or another. Yes, wax HIDES it. But all swirls can be removed with paint correction by a good detailer.

[HOG4DNR]

^ What he said. I have an IB that had a few swirl marks and faint scratches, after the professional detai,l I can pretty much say most of them are gone. It was definitely worth the money to have a detailing expert do the job (since I do not know how or have the patience for such work).

[Newff]

What is involved in a paint correction from a detailer and how much does it usually cost? Thanks

[Thisisdudewhoru]

Most professional detailers charge anywhere from 20-30/hr coming in with around a good 6-7 hours work. Give or take some.

Check this page, it'll give you a good idea what happens in full detail with paint correction...
http://tennspeed.net/forums/showthread.php?t=26118

[JPWEraser]

Originally Posted by Newff

Saw a picture of someones Z4 on here today and the paint swirling on his black Z4 was crazy...is there much you could do to prevent this and if not does waxing get rid of those (until it needs to be waxed again)?

I'm supposed to be buying my car (black)before the end of the month but seeing that has me thinking twice and thinking about maybe a different color.

The best way to PREVENT swirls, micromarring, and RIDS is to use the 2 bucket washing method.

Here is a thread I put up on another forum describing the 2 bucket method:
http://www.fullthrottleforums.com/sh...ad.php?t=34809

Originally Posted by Thisisdudewhoru

Yea there is alot you can do to prevent it but it most likely will happen sometime or another. Yes, wax HIDES it. But all swirls can be removed with paint correction by a good detailer.

Originally Posted by Thisisdudewhoru

Most professional detailers charge anywhere from 20-30/hr coming in with around a good 6-7 hours work. Give or take some.

Check this page, it'll give you a good idea what happens in full detail with paint correction...
http://tennspeed.net/forums/showthread.php?t=26118

I detail cars professionally and I charge $25-$30/hour depending on the job so what Thisisdudewhoru said is right on.

[Newff]

Wow that thread was awesome (pics of paint correction step by step). Thanks guys.

JPWEraser, just saw your post will take a look.

[bucko521]

Originally Posted by Newff

Saw a picture of someones Z4 on here today and the paint swirling on his black Z4 was crazy...is there much you could do to prevent this and if not does waxing get rid of those (until it needs to be waxed again)?

I'm supposed to be buying my car (black)before the end of the month but seeing that has me thinking twice and thinking about maybe a different color.

Eeek...I think that was my car you were referring too.

Yes, black does show a lot...more than any other colour. But with proper washing techniques you can help avoid those. In my case, the car was like that when I bought it.

It is going in my detailing in a short bit...hopefully those fine swirls will be history! And then the black will shine like no other colour out there!

[Newff]

Originally Posted by bucko521

Eeek...I think that was my car you were referring too.

Yes, black does show a lot...more than any other colour. But with proper washing techniques you can help avoid those. In my case, the car was like that when I bought it.

It is going in my detailing in a short bit...hopefully those fine swirls will be history! And then the black will shine like no other colour out there!

Ha yeah it was your car..after seeing what a good deatilng does I'm not worried though. GET THAT CAR DETAILED MAN!!

[Amylovebus]

Zaino is also GREAT stuff! It's around $100. for the basics. The clay bar is awesome. When you're done, the paint looks and feels like new!

[Kgolf31]

I'm not a big fan of Zaino. It's overpriced IMO.

I'll be doing a full write-up of my car when I detail it later this week, look out for the thread

[krnnerdboy]

http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthre...&highlight=vs8

mine after a 1 step paint correction detail. 5 hrs on paint alone, but I'm a newb

I tried some detailers but the products they used pretty much just covered the swirls for a month. And the trust worthy detailers were upwards of $300 Thought it was time to learn for myself. I did, but now the problem is that I can't find time anymore

I'm thinking of picking up a porter and surbuf pads as they are a beginners/easy but highly efficient/idiot proof way of correcting paint.

BTW: zaino sucks....I believe I have some products left over if you'd like to try...just pay for shipping

[Newff]

Originally Posted by krnnerdboy

http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthre...&highlight=vs8

mine after a 1 step paint correction detail. 5 hrs on paint alone, but I'm a newb

I tried some detailers but the products they used pretty much just covered the swirls for a month. And the trust worthy detailers were upwards of $300 Thought it was time to learn for myself. I did, but now the problem is that I can't find time anymore

I'm thinking of picking up a porter and surbuf pads as they are a beginners/easy but highly efficient/idiot proof way of correcting paint.

BTW: zaino sucks....I believe I have some products left over if you'd like to try...just pay for shipping

I think if I ever get the chance I would get some old useless hoods to practice on from a scrapyard or something. How many passes with the sander do you usually have to get the swirls out of an area? Looking at the video on another forum it looks like around 2 passes and then move on or do you just look at it and stop when it looks clear?

I think detailing cars would be an awesome small business. When I get the money I may try to buy some equipment to get my brother learning everything because he spends so much time on his car and is a perfectionist. Would be perfect for him to make some extra cash.

[krnnerdboy]

Originally Posted by Newff

I think if I ever get the chance I would get some old useless hoods to practice on from a scrapyard or something. How many passes with the sander do you usually have to get the swirls out of an area? Looking at the video on another forum it looks like around 2 passes and then move on or do you just look at it and stop when it looks clear?

I think detailing cars would be an awesome small business. When I get the money I may try to buy some equipment to get my brother learning everything because he spends so much time on his car and is a perfectionist. Would be perfect for him to make some extra cash.

no sanding!! thats a polisher with a foam pad.... wet sanding by hand is the only detailing sanding that I know of, and that's professional status

I have over a couple of thousand in detailing supplies and I'm just an enthusiast a lot from trial and error purchases.

as for practice cars...I learned off of project cars, and my offroading rigs

[Newff]

Even though it's a foam pad.. it's rotating at fast speeds so can you damage the clear coat easily and maybe remove too much? I'm just wondering how much damage can be done for a newb trying to remove swirls and scrathes or if it's pretty safe.

[bucko521]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

I'm not a big fan of Zaino. It's overpriced IMO.

I'll be doing a full write-up of my car when I detail it later this week, look out for the thread

Please do....any and all information on technique and supplies is also of value.

Can't wait, as I am thinking of tackling this myself.... seems a lot of local places will polish/wax the car...but none seems to know anything about detailing paint.

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by Newff

Even though it's a foam pad.. it's rotating at fast speeds so can you damage the clear coat easily and maybe remove too much? I'm just wondering how much damage can be done for a newb trying to remove swirls and scrathes or if it's pretty safe.

With a Porter Cable or any Dual Action Polisher, it's impossible to damage you paint. In order to do anything, you'd have to have the polisher on the same part of the paint for 5 minutes

Originally Posted by bucko521

Please do....any and all information on technique and supplies is also of value.

Can't wait, as I am thinking of tackling this myself.... seems a lot of local places will polish/wax the car...but none seems to know anything about detailing paint.

Gotcha!

I'll be starting Wednesday, so expect some thread to be up by Saturday Night or Sunday Morning at the latest

[jdl1pt]

Originally Posted by Newff

Even though it's a foam pad.. it's rotating at fast speeds so can you damage the clear coat easily and maybe remove too much? I'm just wondering how much damage can be done for a newb trying to remove swirls and scrathes or if it's pretty safe.

Yep, here is a good vid showing just how safe. I would spend some time watching vids on youtube before jumping in. Will save you time and headache. Autogeek has many good vids.

[HOG4DNR]

^ Thanks for the vid

[blender]

Another source: Griots garage sells a wide line of excellent polishes and waxes as well as a professional random orbital polisher. I can vouch for the results.

[bhoch]

oh yeah.. Nice vid.. AJ's da man when it comes to car detailing.

[RBull]

Polisher,,,,not sander. You won't have any paint left if you sand it.

Originally Posted by Newff

I think if I ever get the chance I would get some old useless hoods to practice on from a scrapyard or something. How many passes with the sander do you usually have to get the swirls out of an area? Looking at the video on another forum it looks like around 2 passes and then move on or do you just look at it and stop when it looks clear?

I think detailing cars would be an awesome small business. When I get the money I may try to buy some equipment to get my brother learning everything because he spends so much time on his car and is a perfectionist. Would be perfect for him to make some extra cash.