View Full Version : Glad to be here - lots to learn
primitivo
01-06-2015, 03:35 PM
I have been driving sports cars quite happily for a number of years.
I have been completely unaware as to what proper paint care is until a few months ago. Whilst on Ferrarichat, I saw a posting of a detailer who made an F355 look infinitely better than my F355 and that is when the jealousy began...
Since then its been youtube videos, a lot of confusion, getting the basic tools/products, and practicing on our daily drivers.
I`ve got 2 NSXs and an F355 to go.
And YOU`RE going to help me!
PS much respect to people who do this for a living. The level of patience it takes to do this correctly is very high.
You may in fact be a little nuts.
Just sayin`
Jesse@Autopia
01-06-2015, 03:55 PM
Welcome to Autopia!!
RaysWay
01-06-2015, 04:11 PM
Sweet cars! Don`t be shy posting any pics of them....
;)
Stokdgs
01-06-2015, 04:13 PM
Primitivo -
Welcome to a great place !
A great Detailer will always give you greater results.. And its getting all the Details perfect and better than perfect that makes the difference..
Having Detailed a few older Ferrari`s under my watch, I can tell you that their paintwork is incredible once its corrected and brought back to better than new..
The 2 red Modena 360`s and the Top Speed I did awhile back caused their Owners to almost pass out - they looked so good !
If you want to learn how to do this, there is plenty here to help - but if you want to see a real Master do it for you, there is one close by in the Bay area.. :)
Good luck with your research !
Dan F
Pats300zx
01-06-2015, 07:07 PM
Welcome :)
tropicsteve
01-06-2015, 07:59 PM
welcome to AF. learning from other people`s experience will definitely save you a lot of headaches just starting out. you`ll be an addict like the rest of us in no time. :)
Welcome. Would love to see pics of those beauties.
Accumulator
01-07-2015, 01:46 PM
primitivo- Welcome! Neat cars you have there.
By any chance is your username is a reference to the character in For Whom the Bell Tolls?
Ronkh
01-07-2015, 08:43 PM
Welcome to the addiction.
Seriously, be careful or else you will strive daily for MORE SHINE, MORE GLOSS..................
primitivo
01-07-2015, 11:20 PM
No accumulator, I am far too uncultured to have referenced literature... It`s my favorite wine (when produced traditionally in Puglia, Italy).
mjlinane
01-08-2015, 08:25 AM
Welcome to Autopia!
Accumulator
01-08-2015, 12:00 PM
No accumulator... It`s my favorite wine (when produced traditionally in Puglia, Italy).
Ah, OK, copy that. See how uncultured *I* am when it comes to Italian wines!
Two NXS`s, huh? Sounds a lot like me..."when you like something, buy a spare".
primitivo
01-08-2015, 11:11 PM
I am a "buy a spare" man indeed!
As far as pictures go, I am in the process of figuring out how to take good pictures of paint. I started doing a black NSX yesterday and man is black hard in every way. I planned to do a progress thread but pics became a challenge and slowed me down. I figure there are some stickies someplace about how to light pictures to show swirl marks.
I have an iPhone, my forehead light (single LED for caving), and both LED and halogen tripod lights. It`s not lack of tools but rather lack of talent.
Accumulator
01-09-2015, 01:32 PM
primitivo- Yeah, I fimly believe the old saying that "two is one and one is none", usually at the least convenient time. Hence my wife and I have a pair or nearly-identical Audis (we simply *LOVE* that year/model) and pairs/multiples of all sorts of other stuff.
Yeah#2, getting pix of marring *is* tough, as is keeping a black vehicle satisfactorily marring-free (to say the least).
With black being such a challenge, it might be a net gain long-term as once you get that sorted out anything else oughta seem kinda easy.
Pick a small, easy to access/inspect/work test spot and get that limited area OK. Use it as a learning experience and think of it that way to avoid getting too frustrated.
If something simply DOES NOT WORK *for you* then post back and see what suggestions people have for alternative approaches. I for one am adamantly opposed to struggling to "master" products that have lousy learning curves for the person in question. (By which I mean that something might work great for somebody else, but if it doesn`t work for you after a reasonable try then IMO you oughta try something else.)
Hey, I don`t know from Acura/Honda clear, or Italian paint, but I do know from "WTF frustration" and life`s too short to struggle more than necessary.