Is there a way to tell how soft my paint is?

[Tridork]

I have a 2010 370z. I`ve been doing searches on-line to no avail. My paint color is G41. Does the G have anything to do with my paint hardness, or is it just a stock number?

[JohnKleven]

that`s just a paint code, won`t tell you much, but generally speaking Z`s have pretty soft paint. Pretty easy to polish.





John

[Tridork]

Thanks John,



I used a QD wiped down with 100% cotton diapers the day after a wash, and I was shocked at the scratchy looking streaks and swirls. I figured it was a very soft paint.

[sejodiren]

Eeeek.....don`t use diapers for QD`ing. Use 100% cotton terry cloth or microfibers. You need something with a nap....to lift particles away from the paint.

[Mike_Phillips]

The way I tell is I go out into the garage and work on it.



If the defects come out easy then that`s a good sign that the paint is easily workable. If after a lot of buffing I see no improvement then that`s a sign [at least to me] that the paint is not very workable.



The thing is in order to know if your paint is hard or soft you have to have a lot of experience working on a wide range of hard and soft paints, otherwise you don`t have any kind of reference to judge against.



If a person is new to polishing paint and doesn`t a high skill level at either using their hand to remove defects or run a polisher they might not have any luck getting the defects out and mistake that for hard paint where an experienced detailer might get them out lickity-split and prove the paint to be very soft or workable.



It`s not as simple or easy to discuss with a keyboard on a forum as you might think.





Are you working by hand or by machine and if by machine what type of machine?



What are you trying to accomplish? Remove swirls and scratches? Water spots?





:)

[ALAN81]

I would love to see a picture inside and out if you have a chance I love that car, I went to the dealer yesterday a white 370Z convertible was $41,300

[Darrenpriest]

I agree with Mike above-you just gotta` work on it to tell. Regardless of the paint softness/hardness, you will have to take each car as a case by case situation. Each car I do, I will have to assess the desired result based on the specific problems and go from there.

[Tridork]

Thank you for the response Mike. I know very little about detailing short of washing with dish soap and drying with bath towels when I was a teenager. I do know about using proper washing soaps, now, although a little unsure about polishing, proper wax for a soft black paint, and QD`s. What bums me out, is I have a ton of microfiber towels. I do everything by hand, and have only had the car a month. I`m so freaked out with how horrible the car looks in the sun, that next week, I`m going to take it to a professional detailer and have then polish and wax it, so hopefully I can start fresh. My buddy has a black Escalade and swore by the cotton diapers, and he is very anal about his boat and truck. However, I used a very very thin cotton diaper, and maybe that was my prob.



Any thoughts?

Reed

[Darrenpriest]

Microfibers are the way to go. Perhaps you should learn maintenance procedures before you take your car to a professional detailer, that way, when you do get it the way it should, you will be up to speed with correct maintenance procedures. I never officially wash my cars (they are black). I keep dusted with California duster, use QD`s, and spray or paste waxes when needed. Spray waxes are so easy to use these days, they are almost as easy as QD`s.

[Tridork]

I would love to see a picture inside and out if you have a chance I love that car, I went to the dealer yesterday a white 370Z convertible was $41,300



Thanks, Alan! Actually, I bought a Nismo and LOVE it. I test drove a convertible before my purchase and just did not like the way it looked. The nismo`s ground effects and tail look so much sweeter. I found one on line in Dallas and they were willing to let it go for $37,500 ($3000 under MRSP). So when I test drove the conv., I talked with the manager in my area, and he tracked down one in the color I wanted, matched the price and actually beat their financing! The ride is significantly stiffer than the coupe and conv., but for the looks, the trade up was worth it, for my taste. I`m gettin a new stereo system in next week and I`ll try to post some pics then. Thanks for the compliment!



Reed

[Tridork]

Microfibers are the way to go. Perhaps you should learn maintenance procedures before you take your car to a professional detailer, that way, when you do get it the way it should, you will be up to speed with correct maintenance procedures. I never officially wash my cars (they are black). I keep dusted with California duster, use QD`s, and spray or paste waxes when needed. Spray waxes are so easy to use these days, they are almost as easy as QD`s.



Thanks, Darren! I`m a bit worried that if I try and work it out myself, I may make things worse. Would you suggest I give a spray or paste wax and microfibers a try in a section of the car and if it looks good then Honkey Dorey, but if there are no improvements, then off to the detailer???



Reed

[salty]

Beautiful car. The best advice I can give is to read and find a routine that works for you.



The diaper might work on your buddies ride because his paint is (GM)harder and yours is soft.



If you are totally interested in paint care, then you will have to follow a strict regime, to keep it that way.



The easiest is to spend the money for someone else to do the job correctly or spend that money and buy the tools and products yourself and with a little practice you will be able to do it yourself. But be careful it can be additive.

[Tridork]

Thanks All!

[BMW_e70]

I have a BMW X5 2010...I was wondering how soft my paint was also