How screwed is my paint ?!?

[Newman]

I was PMing him about the stripe peeling . That was it.

 

[superslow86]

Wow, i have always wanted to see the northern lights, haha.

I disagree with the above statement about paying a detailer THEN buying all the stuff to keep up on it yourself. Look at it this way, your paint is pretty screwed but, why not get a PC, pads, compound, polish, sealant and learn how to use it? I am sure you will see a HUGE improvement from before and after.

My recommendation:
Buy:
*PC 7424xp or a Flex pending on your budget
*Lake county hydro-tech pads (Cyan, tangerine and crimson) The Cyan are going to probably be needed to start with a good correction then move to tang. and seal with a crimson.
*Clay bar setup
*I would recommend the Meguiars M105 and M205 combo because it is easier to use and inexpensive. There are a lot of compounds and polishes for every budget/job
*Sealant - if you want longevity I would go with DG501 (followed by DG601 and DG105 if you want more shine). If you want looks, I would recommend CG Black light followed by V07 (spray detailer/sealant for after washes) but this will not last as long as the DG setup.
*Also, quite washing it with sand paper and get a nice chenile mitt and try the 2 bucket method.


Edit:**** IT looks like your clear coat is failing which cannot be fixed without a re-spray. I would be really careful compounding/polishing around those areas.

Edit: SEER is very knowledgeable and I am sure he will chime in.

 

[acrophobia13]

I disagree with the above statement about paying a detailer THEN buying all the stuff to keep up on it yourself. Look at it this way, your paint is pretty screwed but, why not get a PC, pads, compound, polish, sealant and learn how to use it? I am sure you will see a HUGE improvement from before and after.
.........
Edit:**** IT looks like your clear coat is failing which cannot be fixed without a re-spray. I would be really careful compounding/polishing around those areas.

That was my thinking in recommending him let a professional do the majority of the "pre-emptive" work. I figured if he goes overboard in those areas, he could sure do more harm then good, and he might damage the paint to the point where a respray is absolutely unavoidable, which the OP has said he doesn't want to pay for at this time.

Then again, the other line of thinking is "well the paint is so far gone, how much harm could he really do? Let him practice on the car, and if he worsens it, then it needs a respray, which it probably already does. If not, then he learned hands-on how to handle the problem and saved himself some money."

But for me, OP, if I bought a used car that looked like that, I'd be seriously considering letting a pro handle it, and I already own all the PC/pads/polishes etc and have alot of experience detailing. I'm just not positive this particular job is one I'd want to tackle.

Stupid question. I'm looking at 300-600 for what your talkin about ?

Let me be up front with this. Detailing, like anything in the automotive hobby, is a money drain. 3-600 is what I'd expect a detailer to charge you, and what I'd expect to spend on materials and tools to do all future detailing yourself.

The good news is the bulk of the original cost to get everything is the Porter Cable and the pads; the PC isn't going to wear out and while pads do wear out, they don't wear out quickly if you're only detailing your own cars. Polishes and other "consumables" for detailing really aren't THAT expensive, especially when you consider what you'd be spending to have a pro detail the car on a regular basis. Plus, whatever you buy, you can use on family/friends cars, which can either help you recoup some cost.

OP, for a frame of reference: I detail my Mustang probably 4 or so times per year. That's stripping the sealant/wax off, claying, finish polishing, re apply sealant and wax. I get away with such a long interval between details because my car spends 90+% of it's time tucked safely in the garage, and also because it's light colored. I avoid driving it in the rain and I wash the car at least every 2 weeks if not every week. If I had a darker colored car (swirls etc would be more apparent), or kept it outside, this would be a whole 'nother ballgame. I regularly get people who tell me my car is the cleanest car they've ever seen.

My daily driver '02 Saturn gets a detailing like that once a year. Every 4-5 months I strip it and re apply wax, but I skip the claying and polishing because I just don't care lol. The car looks "decent" but certainly not "good." My other car, my '74 Challenger, falls somewhere in the middle. I strip and re wax it every 2 months or so, but it sits outside (under a car cover). I clay/polish the Challenger once a year, much like my DD, it just gets stripped and rewaxed more often than the Saturn.

Being that all 3 of my vehicles are light colored (Mustang and Saturn are silver, Challenger is '03 'Vette yellow), and 2 of them are stored in a somewhat protected environment, I get away with alot less actual work detailing than most people would assume. However, being that your car is black and sits outside, you can expect to spend alot more time on upkeep of the finish. Just something to think about.


Like everyone else has said, I'm eager to hear what Seer has to say on the subject.

 

[superslow86]

^ Yeah, after a closer look, I seen that the clear is failing so i guess it is iffy to try it your self or not and like you mentioned, he could cause more damage pending on his "comfort" level. Fuck it, just keep it out of the sun light, haha!

 

[Newman]

Honestly I would prolly fuck it up being I haven't used any kind of buffer of the sort.

 

[superslow86]

^ Then I would seek a professional. Just get some good wax/sealant to keep the paint protected after it is corrected.

 

[Seer]

I've restored worse, but this is not a cheap fix. From what your pictures show, and only by what the pictures show is some early signs of the top layer (UV protection) or the clear coat starting to fail. This can only be resolved by a scuff and respray.

Expect a detailer worth their weight to charge you around $650-800 to fix this though and do not expect it to come out 100% due to the failing clear. If you're getting quotes below this figure, you are either in a highly competitive market, or the individual is not very skilled.

If you want to tackle this as a DIY project here is what I recommend.

Flex 3401 or Rupes DA Polisher (I am affraid the PC may not have enough oomph for this) or take a stab at with the new Flex PE14-2 Rotary (I do not recommend unless you've used rotaries before or understand paint correction, but it is a badass rotary that is newbie friendly, personally, I'd stick with the DA's in your case)

You will need 4-6 of the following 5.5" pads:
LC Hydrotech Cyan, Tangerine and Crimson

I would look into some sanding blocks and meguiars wet sanding paper in the 800, 1000, 1500, 2200 and 3000 areas. Again, I would not do the sanding steps unless you know what you are doing, a paint measurement gauge is your friend as well.

You'll need strong compounds such as Meguiars #105 and #205 to finish up with after.

Regardless, from the pictures, your paint needs some heavy work. More so than the standard sunday joe detailer with his pc7424 is going to be able to get back to perfect. But again, a lot of this is futile, since the clear is failing to some extents.

 

[Newman]

Would a body shop be able to do this or a detail place ?

I do wanna try to attempt this my self , which I know I can if put my self to to it .

 

[superslow86]

I would avoid a body shop, IMO, they usually lack the detailing touch. I would find a reputable auto detailer in the area.

 

[HitandRunDriver]

I think a body shop would just want to sand it down and repaint/clear....which you said was out of your budget...

 

[Newman]

I have a gift certificate from a forum members dads body shop.


I wish my dad would of let me refinance more to paint my car. But that's prolly not the best idea.

Would his be a good starter kit ? And I can of course add the other stuff. Or just get the PC?

Which one of this page would be good ?

http://www.chemicalguys.com/Porter_Cable_7424_XP_POrter_Cable_Buffer_Polsiher_s/119.htm

 

[DILYSI Dave]

Given the failing clear, I'd be tempted to drop a couple hundred on a PC and a few pads and get it as good as you can, but with the knowledge that it is never going to be right without paintwork.

 

[Seer]

I have a gift certificate from a forum members dads body shop.


I wish my dad would of let me refinance more to paint my car. But that's prolly not the best idea.

Would his be a good starter kit ? And I can of course add the other stuff. Or just get the PC?

Which one of this page would be good ?

http://www.chemicalguys.com/Porter_Cable_7424_XP_POrter_Cable_Buffer_Polsiher_s/119.htm

Buy the pc and the other pieces individually. What they are giving in that kit will not be helpful to you. Those pads are not the greatest and those included "polishes" will do nothing.

 

[Newman]

We're do you get the pads and polishes that you posted earlier ?

 

[Seer]

We're do you get the pads and polishes that you posted earlier ?

http://www.autoality.com is a great place. They sell everything I had recommended.

If you follow this link below, a lot of the direct links to autoality's site is there for the products mentioned.

http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84488

 

[Newman]

Do they have any discount codes ?

 

[HitandRunDriver]

Those pads are not the greatest and those included "polishes" will do nothing.

I thought you mentioned the Hex Logic Pads weren't too bad...I'm guessing the Hydrotech Pads are far superior?

 

[Seer]

I thought you mentioned the Hex Logic Pads weren't too bad...I'm guessing the Hydrotech Pads are far superior?

As far as correction, yes, imo the hydrotechs are a lot better.

The hex's don't suck, but if given the choice, I'm taking the hydros 10 out of 10 times.

 

[LuckyFlyingROUSH]

Search local Houston forms and facebook for guys who do it on the side and have pictures of their paint correction. A buddy of mine charges $150...takes your car for a day. Power wash/Claybar/then works his magic... Most guys have some $600-1000 polisher with the correct pads and if they are nice throw on some real wax...not the fake shit you buy at oriellys... Just do some research...guys are doin it on the cheap on the side to make some money nowadays.

 

[Seer]

Search local Houston forms and facebook for guys who do it on the side and have pictures of their paint correction. A buddy of mine charges $150...takes your car for a day. Power wash/Claybar/then works his magic... Most guys have some $600-1000 polisher with the correct pads and if they are nice throw on some real wax...not the fake shit you buy at oriellys... Just do some research...guys are doin it on the cheap on the side to make some money nowadays.

there is no way a detailer charging $150 is doing paint correction.

They are using a AIO, glaze/sealant. Please do not give out information like this. Thats like saying one can buy a brand new Boss 302 for $10,000.