Glad to be here - lots to learn

[primitivo]

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]

Welcome to Autopia!!

[RaysWay]

Sweet cars! Don`t be shy posting any pics of them....

;)

[Stokdgs]

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]

Welcome :)

[tropicsteve]

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. :)

[jsou]

Welcome. Would love to see pics of those beauties.

[Accumulator]

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]

Welcome to the addiction.

Seriously, be careful or else you will strive daily for MORE SHINE, MORE GLOSS..................

[primitivo]

No accumulator, I am far too uncultured to have referenced literature... It`s my favorite wine (when produced traditionally in Puglia, Italy).

[mjlinane]

Welcome to Autopia!

[Accumulator]

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]

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]

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.