Detailing Your Car

[timot_one]

My car has tons of imperfections.  By no means am I even close to bringing it to the next level.  I would like to learn some more techniques and methods before I get my car painted this summer.  I've gotta take a trip down to TX or MI sometime soon to learn from Rick or Jason.

[Mike]

Am I crazy to think that now is the time to expirment on your ride? If your getting it painted any way, how bad can you mess it up now right?

[timot_one]

Nope, that's what I'm thinking too.  My car is going to be completely painted, so I want to use this as an opportunity to learn.

[Mike]

LOL me to I'll order an orbital and we can attack lol...

[timot_one]

Sure man.  I can't wait to use my PC this spring.

[Mike]

LOL Tim and I staring in "A Blank Canvas" LOL

[Abailey4]

Derrick,

If you are serious about it you need to buy the correct machine, pads, & accessories to do the work. Learn how to use them and go from there. I can look at a "perfect" car, put the hallogen lights on it, or look at it in the sun, and show you every single flaw. If you don't know what to look for then you have no clue until someone actually shows you. I'm not saying your car has them but I'll bet you a 100 dollar bill that I can point them out in less than 30 seconds on a bright sunny day. Learn what to look for and then how to correct it. Your ride will look 100% better than you ever dreamed imaginable.....a flawless finish.

I'm not being a nose in the air dick, just saying there are several more levels above what most folks are aware of.

Yeah I definitely agree with you. There are some flaws that I can see without the halogen lights, one being some water spots from the in ground sprinkler at the house.  What I'm talking about is the quick snap shot you'd get from just driving by or even in pics. But to your point thats why I want to go a lil more in depth with the detailing this coming spring.

[RTexasF]

Call on me if you'ld like. I'll help any way I can.

[Abailey4]

Oh you know I will!!!!! Thanks Rick.

[RTexasF]

Any way you can tell use "common folk" what to look for. I'd like to get my car looking better.

The first thing I would do (car as spiffy as you can get it) is to look at the hood in bright sunlight from many different angles. You are looking for things that look like "marks" or "spider webs" in the paint......they will usually look circular. They show up easier on darker colors and are more difficult to see on lighter colors, white being the toughest. I do realize that, depending where you live, bright sunlight may not be available for a while. Looking at the hood under overhead VERY bright fluorescent lights is another way to spot boo boos. Once you spot the marks/marring you will recognize it from then on. They will either be directional, as in front to back or side to side, or circular. Once viewed in the correct light they will be plain as day. Almost every car has them. Look at cars in the parking lot next time you go to the store (light permitting) and you will see exactly what I mean.

[b_beau_09]

hey rick, do you have any suggestions on how to get scratches out of plastic window visors?  put a few on them when i was installing them, and i'd really like to get rid of them.. kind of an eyesore with brand new parts ya know?

[RTexasF]

Meguiar's Plastx has worked very well for me. It's pretty common so it shouldn't be hard to find.

[b_beau_09]

^awesome, thanks rick!

[Philly Steve]

I was going to suggest the same thing but I wasn't sure if it was called ScratchX or PlastX. Now I realize that they make both. ScratchX is great for getting swirls out of paint. My girlfriend's mom got a $700 insurance check to repair a pretty big scuff mark on her quarter panel from where some guy hit her, and I just buffed it out with ScratchX. $700 for free FTMFW! How did the PlastX work out for you? My visors have a lot of swirls too.

[b_beau_09]

^ i haven't had time to go get any yet. hopefully by friday i'll have some free time on my hands.