What happens after a good detail.

[jbdave]

So I took my car down to a detailer to give it a good go over. This guy is considered one of the best in his field, and the results he gets on cars are amazing.

Anyway, here are the results:

Before:
Looked ok, but paint was a little tired, and different colours:


After:
Nice, shiny and deep red:



The paint pretty much went from the way it is on the left (with the old swirls and scratches from a poor cut and polish by the PO), to the way it is on the right.

[Ramathorn]

Wow, looks great. From reading the title i was assuming that you were going to put something about it raining.

[jbdave]

Funny you say that as I was meant to pick it up yesterday, but I couldn't make it and it rained all day (lucky I got held up). I picked it up today, and it was a clear sunny day.

[FIG]

Looks awesome jbdave!!!

Can I ask who did it?

[s_morrison57]

wow thats amazing, what did you pay for that transformation, my red is in pretty much the same shape as yours was.

[jbdave]

Looks awesome jbdave!!!

Can I ask who did it?

Sure, the guy's name is Damian from Final Inspection in Campbellfield - site: Final Inspection - Auto Detailing

wow thats amazing, what did you pay for that transformation, my red is in pretty much the same shape as yours was.

It was $488. A normal cut and polish around here is around $180-$300, but the "normal" cut and polish crews leave you with a shiny car, but also end up with paint like in the comparison picture (with the swirls, scratches etc). This guy really knows his stuff so I paid the extra to get the best job done. He's got clients from all around the country and recently completed a $12,000 full detail on a Ferrari F40. He spent 2 weeks on that car and went through everything.

Even with mine he made sure he masked all the plastics before working on the paint. The service included the paint rejuvination, sealing the plastics, and cleaning the windows and wheels. He even does paint thickness readings and a full photo shoot of the transformation. His main business is the products however and works on various car cleaning products and has released some great stuff recently.

It's basically saved me the cost of a re-spray that I was thinking of doing in the short term. I showed the car to my father-in-law today and from 10 feet away he thought I just had it re-sprayed.

[FIG]

OMG... I know Damian (he used to have his shop in Brunswick, near Lygon st)

His work is amazing!!!! I agree, his reputation preceeds him!

I'm having Micheal Bailey (does PCM's show vehicles) come to my warehouse to do my '08 Boxster 'S' on Friday 29th April... but Damien was my next option (just easier that Micheal comes to me LOL)

[Tep10]

Looks Amazing.......Heres what happened when I went for a respray......From god knows what ugly red back to the original color...Oak Green Metallic

[scoe911]

Car looks good no doubt about it ...however anyone can achieve similar results with 3M Imperial hand glaze mixed with Blue Magic rubbing compound. Oh yeah, and lotssssss of elbow grease.

[Quicksilver]

Originally Posted by scoe911

Car looks good no doubt about it ...however anyone can achieve similar results with 3M Imperial hand glaze mixed with Blue Magic rubbing compound. Oh yeah, and lotssssss of elbow grease.

Detailing doesn't automatically include paint removal with abrasive polishes. Keep that up and you will be respraying earlier instead of later.

A good detailer will wash and then clay the car and then see what he has to work with before deciding if more steps are needed. Sometimes it is a buffing pad just to put some heat in the paint to give a corrective touch to the paint. Cutting away paint is the very last resort.


A great detailer I know points out if you go to a $75 to $150 detailer then you aren't getting your car detailed. You are getting a $75 to $150 car wash. The point is that if they aren't charging somewhere in the $300+ range there is no way that they can be paying competent people enough to spend the quantity of time it takes to do the basic job of paint care that this requires.

[scoe911]

OK, so wash and clay bar the car first. Then if necessary buff or polish the paint..my point is it can be done by the owner time not withstanding... BTW, I would bet my 911 that something more than soap, water, and a clay bar were used on this car.

[Sacto S]

1. rinse the car thoroughly to remove as much loose material as possible
2. wash the car with a dish detergent like Dawn. This will strip away nearly all remaining surface treatments. Use lots of suds to float the loose particles away from the surface and keep the wash water clean.
3. clay the car with an inexpensive detail spray as a lubricant for the clay. Knead the clay bar frequently.
4. wash again to remove clay residue
5. polish the paint with an orbital polisher. The level of abrasive will depend on the condition of the paint. The milder the better.
6. wash/rinse to remove polish residue
7. seal the paint. multiple coats are highly recommended.
8. applied top layer "wax' or other top coat product.
9. detail spray to touch up.

micro-fiber drying with all wash/rinse steps.

If you do this thoroughly, you will only have to do it once each season with light washings and detail spray between. Use only automotive car wash for light washing or you will be back to square one.

[mepstein]

Looks like you traded your old car in for a new one. Nice!

[ghamilton]

I just did my 82 Guards red with Klasse cleaner and glaze and it came out great. I too had a lot of small swirls.

A couple hours each night after work and at the end of the week it looked like I poured water on the paint and it is smooth as silk.

Did it by hand, no machine.

Haven't had the energy to do the wheels and all the trim yet. That really adds the finishing touch.

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