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Subject: Some feedback & ideas... Author: GlossHaus : 163 posts Posted on: 2007-05-18 22:07:45

Edwin:

I am assuming you have some significant sand scratching (spider webs?) and as such you'll have to be a bit more aggressive in your approach to removing these blemishes. I have posted three pics below. If your scratching looks anything like these, you'll have to use some professional grade products, but the guesswork will be gone and you'l be able to KEEP your paint looking great for a long time. If your paint looks like any of these, I would also suggest that no amount of swirl remover will do the trick for you. It may hide the scratching for a short time because of its high pretroleum content which fills the grooves of the scratches, but they will still be there again when the swirl/wax content burns off again in a few weeks. The swirl is a very, very fine polish that just won't address the 1,000-1,500 grit scratches in your paint.

The first pic is of ZapperJoe's blue E38. The "after" pic is after the 1st application of the most aggressive product in my lineup. It was the only way to remove 95% of the scratches on Joe's paint/clearcoat. You'll see a few scratches left and those came out with a medium grade product. This pic has zero wax or swirl/glaze applied. IT is the "rough cut" as I refer to it.





The next two pics are much the same thing. Each vehicle had moderate to severe scratches, which over time totally obscures any kind of visual depth and gloss. The "before" pic in the bottom Chevy Pickup pic was pretty severe since I was standing directly in front of the tailgate when I took the pic. And you can barely make out my reflection.









I would also tell you that with the PC (porter cable right?) you don't have to worry about burning your paint. Also, it is true you are removing a very fine layer of clearcoat. However, the MOST I've ever removed in my experience (I've measured with a paint thickness guage) is between .25-.5 of one-thousandth's of an inch. And that was on a BADLY oxidized paint job. You certainly don't want to use an aggressive treatment more than a few times over the life of a car, but your paint/cleacoat thickness is in the 6 to 10 thousandths of an inch to start with, so don't worry. You perform the aggressive treatment once and then simple maintenace afterward.

So do this for me. Shoot me an email describing the equipment you have, especially your buffer and pads. It would be great to know the color, texture (rough to fine) of your pads and the products you are using now. I also need to know if you have access to a automotive paint supply store and whether they carry 3M or Meguiar's products. I'll send you back a list of stuff to buy and how to use it. Sound good? I'd send you some of my stuff (which is water-based and very effective), but we aren't set up for international shipping. So let's see what we can do for you via local sources.

Dave

• OT: Detailed car today have some questions!?!? - Edwin 2007-05-18 14:47:46 (154 views)
  • Some pics of detail job! not done yet! (nt) - Edwin 2007-05-19 05:57:05 (122 views)
    • Damn hit enter! (pic) - Edwin 2007-05-19 05:59:54 (230 views)
      • FYI! this is how my car lookd like after the last MF who detailed it! (pic) - Edwin 2007-05-19 06:10:40 (231 views)
        • Looks Much Much better!!! Good Work! (nt) - absessler 2007-05-19 13:33:22 (95 views)
  • Re: OT: Detailed car today have some questions!?!? (url) - reluctantmechanic 2007-05-18 22:48:25 (205 views)
    • Someone posted this a long time ago, and my comment remains. There's a sukka (nt) - born every minute..Rogue7 2007-05-18 23:16:25 (101 views)
      • Re: Someone posted this a long time ago, and my comment remains. There's a sukka - reluctantmechanic 2007-05-18 23:23:44 (107 views)
  • Some feedback & ideas... (pic) - GlossHaus 2007-05-18 22:07:45 (314 views)
    • Dave! YGM (nt) - Edwin 2007-05-19 05:00:12 (142 views)
    • dave, can you send me an e-mail with the products you recommend as well? - ian 2007-05-19 00:23:27 (127 views)
      • Ian, Ed go to Dave (nt) - LJBimmers 2007-05-19 01:04:13 (114 views)
        • Try this again, Go to Dave's web site, he has everything you (url) - LJBimmers 2007-05-19 01:07:11 (155 views)
      • Yeah can you email me too. edonohue24@yahoo.com (nt) - Ed 2007-05-19 00:35:20 (96 views)
  • Get Einszett red and green cans - Imolatony 2007-05-18 18:50:52 (119 views)
    • Einszett is phenominal stuff. You know of a US dealer? - johnnycurtis 2007-05-18 22:47:25 (169 views)
      • You can get that gobblygook right here sir :-) (url) - Rogue7 2007-05-19 13:07:16 (133 views)
      • I've had my cans for a couple of years now... - Imolatony 2007-05-19 12:44:54 (123 views)
  • 3M Perfect-It Swirl Remover. 24 inch square sections at a time, - Rogue7 2007-05-18 18:08:02 (149 views)
    • LMAO..You wouldn't get me squatting under the arc light. You pervert.........;0) (nt) - beechy 2007-05-18 18:36:57 (103 views)
    • i know what you mean. - paprmkr 2007-05-18 18:19:46 (136 views)
  • Every time you use an 'abrasive' product you are removing a fine layer of paint (nt) - brosen 2007-05-18 15:21:27 (125 views)
  • interesting you bring this up. - paprmkr 2007-05-18 15:00:30 (143 views)
    • We don't have that all here only scratch X, so will this work with PC? (nt) - Edwin 2007-05-18 15:13:02 (139 views)
      • Too abrasive, in my opinion. You need a light cut leveler, not a scratch remover (nt) - SDmike 2007-05-18 15:16:59 (108 views)