s2kologist

I just detailed my car and i am frustrated with the results. I can still see swirls in the paint though out the car. There are even more fine swirls on the fenders there they were repainted.

1. Is it possible to have a show car results on a daily driver that is parked outside and covered?

2. My front fenders are flared and had to be repainted. Only part of the fender was repainted, the part that was flared. The repainted section has a ton of fine swirls and the reflection is hazy/fuzzy. Is there anything i can do to correct this? Were the fenders not painted correctly? I tried to take pictures of the swirls but it is night out and you cant see the swirls/hazing in the pics.

3. There is a small patch of paint on my trunk that looks bumpy. It looks like the paint that is on the very lower part of the side of our cars, the textured part. The paint is very smooth to the touch but looks bumpy. i clayed and buffed it with out any change. Any suggestions. Also tried to take pics with out any luck.

Some problems i have identified are my cheap mf towels. I am using the cheap costco towels for now, i know that this is not helping the problem. I will be getting better mf's the next time I am at my detail store. Another cause of the swirls is the car cover i use. I can remember what kind it is at the moment but it is from a reputable company and was very expensive and is made for outdoor use.

4. Is covering my outdoor car better than leaving it uncovered? Does the cover do more harm than good? i wash my car at least 1 time a week and usual wipe it down with QD 2 times in between washes to keep it clean. If the car is really dirty i don' cover it.

Here is a list of the products i use.
wash with 2 bucket method(i need to order some grit guards) with megs deep crystal wash. clay with megs clay. polish with autoglym radiant wax polish(used last night). i have also used previous to the autoglym megs #83 and #26. Applied with a PC and meg pads.

Where am I going wrong? Anyone is SoCal that can look at my car and give me some help/tips?

Thanks,
Robert

fastgsx

Wow! That sucks...

First, without seeing these problems in Pics or in Person...its hard to say for sure.

1) Yes, but it takes work and being CAREFUL.

2) A session with a Megs 80 and 83 (Autoglym SRP) by hand might work ok to get rid of the swirls on your fenders. A pro maybe able to get better effects. If not get a good body shop to repaint them.

3) This sounds REALLY weird. However, i have seen a similar effect when dents are taken out of cars, before they are smoothed, the tool leaves little bumps. But it doesn't look like the bottom textured area...not that bad.

4) Some (Most) covers will scratch the paint, since they attract dust and dirt, as well as take the dust/dirt from your paint and moves it around. I'd guess this is where your scratches on your fenders are from. Since the car isn't perfectly clean every time you cover it, it may just be dragging the dirt across your paint. Not to mention what is going on when its windy.

Your microfiber towels shouldn't be scratching the paint, as long as you are washing them by themselves, and not using fabric softener. You can throw in a cup of vinegar to bring the life back to the towels if they are feeling limp.

Remember not to clay too often. Maybe 2 times year since your car sits outside...and be gentle.

Since the car sits outside maybe change wax to a non-carnauba based one. IMO carnauba is great for show cars, and garage queens, but in the real would of heavy air particulates, rocks, SUN and heat, a sealant would be better. Sealants can last up to six months, where carnauba only lasts a month at most, depending on the amount of sun it gets. Carnuba can be applied on top of a sealant as well, for extra glow. I have a GPW and use Wolfgang Sealant, with excellent results.

I am also an adversary of not using machines on painted surfaces, however sometime its unavoidable. And many people would disagree with me.





Keep in mind these are only options for you to try. By no means am I an expert, just an enthusiast.

wanabe

the trunk sounds like "orange peel"-
your swirls are likely from either your mfs (cheap mfs can cause swirls- i have some cheap ones, but not for use on my paint) or the cover. be sure to clean the cover every time the car is washed. is the cover softly lined on the inside?

yes, you can have a show car result on a car that is outside and covered. just will take a bit more work (will prob need polishing more often- and should be dusted and detail sprayed more often than an indoor car)

s2kologist

^^the cover is not lined. it feels like a nylon material. i will have to find out what kind it is when i get some time.

Ubetit

You can buy some better towels but that probably isn't the biggest source of your scratches. I've done the CD test with my cheap costco towels. They can be pushed to scratch if you bear down of them and really try but so can my $8 apiece plush Concourse towels.

I'd look into the car cover, your wash mitt and anything else that touches yur paint. It's also hard to tell unless you really start with a swirl free finish.

Ubetit

Just curious, what do you do to get your car swirl free? I've done cars by hand and i'll never do that again.

fastgsx

Not a glutton for punishment eh? It sure is painful the next day isn't it?!

Time and patience works into it, as it does everything. Usually I'll do a panel at a time, by hand. My personal cars don't really get swirled, so this is usually a once a year ritual, with very light areas to fix.

For s2kologist's problems, I'd start with hand polishing/buffing etc...since it sounded like he already had experience with a PC.

When a car is REALLY bad, machines (PC's) are the way to go. No way around it, I just wouldn't start with a machine.

Ubetit

I think you're the only one that feels that way. You can control fine polishing much better with a machine than you can by hand. The combination of pads and product almost give you endless possibilites. Ever use sandpaper by hand and leave little peaks valleys in the wood? The paint meter will expose a hand polished area on a car.

MikeyC

One can do a decent job detailing a car by hand. Scottwax over on Autopia used to do all his polishing by hand and he did a great job. However, it's just not physically possible to bring the finsih to the level a machine can when you use your hands. Plus, the time savings are HUGE when using a machine. So, there's really no point to not use a machine.

diabolus2k

Robert

1) Yes, it is possible, but it takes a lot of work. My S is my daily as well, and it's not easy keeping it looking good.

2) It sounds like the paint on the flared part of your fenders wasn't properly wetsanded or buffed out. It's definitely fixable with a rotary or PC

3) It might be orange peel, but I can't tell without seeing it

4) I don't have a cover yet, but have been wanting to get one. I think with proper technique, you can MINIMIZE any marring causing by the cover, but ultimately, anything that touches your paint can mar it. Honda clearcoat is VERY soft, and it scratches very easily.

I think one of your biggest culprits here is the use of the two-bucket method without grit guards. They are essential when washing, or else you're just scrubbing old dirt around on your paint. Using cheap MF towels while QD'ing isn't helping your cause, either, so definitely invest in some better quality ones.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I will also be at Arnel's meet on Saturday, so we can talk there if you'd like