buffing the dirt from my new paint job?

tigeraid · 04-12-04, 07:32

Hey guys, first time poster, someone recommended I come here. I own a 1994 9C1 and with its new paint job, it's officially the first clean, pretty car I've ever owned. And of course I want to maintain it now, and it will be on the cruise-in circuit.

So... It's got like 5 coats of clear on it, and is shiny as hell, the guy who laid the paint job, whom I trust implicidly, said to let it harden for 2 weeks (which is fine), and then buff out the dirt that had laid on top of the clear coat. There's not much dirt, it's not at all severe, you can only see it up close.

I have never so much as wiped down a car, as I've never had a body job worthy of doing it. What steps do I take when 2 weeks comes by? Do I buy an orbital buffer or do it by hand? what cloth, what buffing compound? Appreciate any help, thanks!. Here's a pic of the cruiser:

daverosh · 04-12-04, 08:23

nice car ,but heres the catch,you dont buff dirt out of clear.my advice would be to use 2000 grit on a d.a. and then 3 stage buff,if theres 5 coats of clear this should not be a problem.but it looks like a black car so i would make sure you know what your ability is before you attemp this kind of job.................

tigeraid · 04-12-04, 09:01

well since I only understood half of what you said, my ability is nil :P .... anyway, he said wet sand if "the dirt got bad" and it doesn't look that bad to me, but that's just me. As an alternate solution, will a detailing/cleaning shop charge me much for it if I have to do that?

eran · 04-12-04, 09:11

So you are saying that there is dirt embedded into the clear coat? -not just a dirty car?

HRP · 04-12-04, 09:22

You might see if there are members on this board near you and see if they will look at it and give you their opinions and advice. Most of us would welcome the opportunity to do so. Certainly a black car can look absolutely fabulous when done right and absolutely rotten when done wrong. And there's not much in between since black will show any and everything wrong; in fact, glaringly so. Get some help before you touch it with anything. You'll never get do it the first time again with this car. I am surprised that the person who did the work wouldn't want to do the first detail himself to bolster his reputation. If it looks great, he knows you'll be asked who did it!

tigeraid · 04-12-04, 09:28

No no, the guy's a long time friend of mine, I trust him implicidly. The only reason he didn't detail it himself is because he lives 5 hours north and we had to leave.

The paint job altogether looks gorgeous, I'm very happy with it. There's minor bits of dust and dirt here and there that have laid on TOP of the clear coat. He told me buffing them out or "if that doesn't work" to wet sand with 2000 grit. Honestly I think it looks fantastic the way it is, but I know the little grains here and there can be removed safely. Just not sure wether I should try it or not?

LouisanaJeeper · 04-12-04, 09:40

OK, I'm going to try and explain this as simply as possible, tell me if you dont understand something i write
-2 weeks
Wash Car with car wash soap and a sheepskin wash mit
Dry car GENTLY with a 100% cotton towel or microfiber towel
Do not apply anyhting to the finish
http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=9

1month (IMHO)
- Wash + dry car as before
- CLAY the car (this will remove the bonded bits of dirt) http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=14
-Apply a GLAZE, it applied kind of like a wax (ex: meg's show car glaze)

3 month
-Wash + dry
- Clay if necessary
- Wax with wax of your choice

Also, it is usually not recommended to wax the car for a while after a repaint, that is why I say 3 months, it might be shorter depending on the type of paint

tigeraid · 04-12-04, 09:43

I like the sound of that Louisana, sounds more like what he was suggesting, and ya I understand all of it. Sure I should wait a full month before I clay it though? (I recall someone suggesting clay instead of wetsand anyway)

LouisanaJeeper · 04-12-04, 09:50

you coud probably do the "1 month" stuff at 2 weeks and the "3month" stuff at 1 month if you want, but I was just being conservative. You should probably run this plan by the painter however.
fyi, as you probably read clay will take off any surface contaminants, without removing any clear coat. It is MUCH safer (foolproof)than wetsanding. Wetsanding scares me, and Ive been doing this for a while.

flynfrog · 04-12-04, 11:25

first off DONT WET SAND WITH ANY KIND OF POWER TOOL do it by hand and properly i dotn think you should need it

\LouisanaJeeper hit it right on the head lay off wax for a while let the paint fully cure usaly about 1-4 months depending on the paint

tigeraid · 04-13-04, 04:34

cool. Ya I wasn't planning on wetsanding with a power tool, that's overkill. I did all the prep work on this car myself, so I've gotten plenty of practice with hand sanding. Thanks Louisana

Postwood · 04-13-04, 08:26

I have a question concerneing the instructions from LAJeeper.

Why is it ok to glaze but not wax at the 1 mo mark?
There are washings between that one month and the three month, right? Or are we assuming the car isn't being driven?