the `mistakes you`ve made so we don`t have to` thread

[wizardofahs]

Ok this thread is for you to post your detailing mishaps or accidents so other people can read them and not repeate them. I`ll start:



I was using the zaino glass polish with my PC and liked the results... decided to try it on my car at speed 4 with a cutting pad.... i have tint on my windows and heat built up under the glass and caused little bubbles around the edge. Solution... use z-12 by hand, or with a really soft pad at a really low speed.



I was detailing that old buick or what ever it was (early 80s) that had really severe cracked paint that was extremely dry from UV from the sun. I tried some abrasivs with my buffer... this only proceded to make tears in the pad almost ruining it (because it caught on the cracks in the paint). Also the trunk was really really dry and when i put polish on it it just sucked it all in and was impossible to get even. Where it sucked it in it looked darker, and i could not smooth it out. Was forced just to wash it all out and not polish the trunk. Don`t use the buffer on cracked paint unless you want to toss your pads... and if the paint is old and dry, you might not be able to use products on it.



Let`s hear what you all have.... don`t be embarrassed either... we all make mistakes. Or you can post the mistakes your `friend` named `joe` made on `his car` :)

[Gatorfan]

Don`t press the PC too hard against small areas or edges. It will cause the edge to slice into your pad and then the backing plate will do some clearcoat thinning in a hurry :rolleyes:. I guess this is synonymous with the Doc`s example above with the cracked paint.

[imported_seres]

OK -- mine is from "a long time ago, in a town not so far away" ---



When I was in high school, I drove a `65 Mustang (oh how I wish I still had it!). The paint on the roof was severely oxidized (I know now - I just thought it was "dull" and needed waxing or something).



My boyfriend of the time and I decided we could shine it up -- we bought the dreaded TW rubbing compound and got to work! Oh man!! What a mess!! We rubbed that stuff all over the roof, very thick, and let it sit too long! (Oh yeah, this was in the sun, too!)



I almost ended up being one of those people in that other thread that is about driving around with wax all over your car!! I thought we`d never, ever get it off my poor car. We were doing all this work by hand. And we were totally clueless about detailing!! (I guess everyone figured that out already!)



We finally did get it all off, the roof was still dull, and I never attempted this again!!

[imported_jr_mints]

Well, I had this "friend" named "Joe" who figured that since it was winter and he was going to get road salt all over his car anyway, he might as well just let it build up over a couple of months and see how dirty his car could get. To make matters worse, this "friend" had a "friend" who thought it would be cool to write "GT" in the caked on road salt and dirt.



Bad part: When this "friend" came to his senses and finally washed the car, the "GT" was scratched into the finish, so not only did he have bad swirls and a bad finish, he also had to remove the scratches.



Moral: Friends don`t let friends write in road salt.

[HellrotCi]

A few years ago my wife asked me if I was going with her to visit her folks. I said, "No, I`m going to spend the day in the garage detailing my car. " So, she leaves and later that afternoon I notice she`s gone longer than usual. "Oh well", I thought, "this just makes sure I can get done before she gets back." Well she finally gets home late in the day and I ask, "How`s everyone?" "Fine!" she says`, "you should have gone with me." :argue



Well, it`s getting late and I`m tired after working so hard on my car so I decide to hit the sack. I go into the bedroom and I immediately notice that my pillow is missing. "Honey, where`s my pillow", I ask. She comes and grabs my hand and says, "Here, I`ll show you." The next thing I know she`s leading me out to the garage and says, "I think you`ll find your pillow and a blanket over by your car. Just in case you didn`t spend enough time in the garage today, I thought you could spend a little more tonight." My wife turns around, walks into the house and locks the door.



What did I learn? Even if you`d rather work on your car, if your spouse asks if you want to do something with them, you better say "Yes".



Oh, I guess this was suppose to be for detailing mistakes not relationship mistakes, sorry.

[C. Charles Hahn]

Hellrot - even though its not funny, I`m LMAO at your wife`s CLASSIC response....... thats good stuff...... (I just don`t want my wife to read about/hear about that :o :p )

[Green Monster]

HellrotCi,



I think we have all been there at one time or another.

I some time get dinner severed in the garage. :argue

[imported_Tony]

I used too coarse of a pad to clean brake dust off my clear coated chrome wheels. I only used it on about 1/3 of the wheel before rinsing and reviewing the work. I saw the swirls and stopped.



USE SMALL TEST AREAS!!!

[Viking]

Back when brake dust remover was initially introduced I gave it a try, and of course did not read the directions. This was also in the days when I viewed car washing as a race against time. So, I hit all four rims with a deluge of brake dust remover and let it set while I shampooed the entire car in the high noon sun. As you can already guess I toasted my rims, I mean these things where crisp. So like any gentleman would do I walked inside and poured my self a nice, tall, neat glass of single malt scotch and got looped.

[Ken B]

I bought Zymol wax... moral of the story, read up and ask before you spend a bunch of money!

[HellrotCi]

Here`s one concerning those acid type wheel cleaners and being the type of guy who thinks reading instructions are for everyone else. I was using some wheel cleaner when it was a little windy outside, 25mph or so. I`m doing my usual wheel cleaning routine, spray a liberal amount on the front wheel and then on the rear of the same side. Go back to the front and scrub a little, hose it off, then hit the rear. I wash the rest of the car as usual and when I`m drying the side windows I notice some spots in the glass where it has been etched with something. :shocked



I`m sure you`re like me in that you know every new ding, dent and spot on your car and I`m thinking, "What caused that?" As I`m putting away the wheel cleaner I happen to look at the directions and it specifically said, "Do not use when windy". Now I know why.

[MikeLS]

Using el cheapo toweling, like the kind you find in packs at AutoZone or WalMat, or using T-Shirts to buff the car. Years ago, I thought these were OK, little did I know that toweling was a major factor towards maintaining a perfect finish! So, moral of the story, don`t let something as seemingly innocent as a towel be the weakest link in the system, or it will be counterproductive!





Technique matters a lot too, regardless of the products you`re using. And the only way to perfect that is experience, trial and error. Otherwise, crap in = crap out.







:xyxthumbs

[boywonder]

Lesson #1: Don`t use a rotary buffer unless you know what you are doing:



When I was 19, I had already gotten some experience using a rotary buffer on my father`s customized Dodge truck. Well, I decided to be a good kid and buff out my father`s Gold Firemist Cadillac Seville. Well, after buffing the hood, I buffed the part behind the hood. During the process of buffing, I seriously burned the paint on that part of the car. When my father saw this, he wanted to have my hide. Why? Gold Firemist (GM Code 95) is one of those colors that is a PITA to match.





Lesson #2: Do not use EF HI full strength on the interior of a Maxima.



I used EF HI full strength to clean the vinyl of the `94 Maxima. Well, little did I realize that the strength of this particular product would literally take the lettering off the window switches. For a while, I had window switches with no labels on them.





Lesson #3: Do not use a carpet brush on your headliner

I almost tore up my headliner cleaning it using EF spot remover and EF Upholstery cleaner. I agitated it using a carpet brush and almost wore a hole in my headliner.

[jr weeks]

I made the unfortunate error of tossing my friend a container of Meguiar`s Quik Detailer (or so I thought) in the burgundy container after he asked what I had to get some dirty residue of the hood of his just washed `97 Cobra. Well...he sprayed away, trusting my choice, then asked for a cotton towel. I obliged and watched as he wiped the hood, and wiped....and wiped...and smeared, and smeared some more. Then , almost in tandem, we both looked at the spray bottle. DOH!...Meguiar`s Vinyl & Rubber protectant!... Ahh the joys of silicone on paint! Boy did I feel bad. I washed the hood real well for him.



I hate when they market stuff and don`t color code it, not to mention the bottle was identical I believe, save for the label. I hate even more when I forget to read the label first. :)

[wizardofahs]

Once grabed my tire spray rather than my QD (both are pinkish in color). Wanted to use the QD as clay... that stuff ruined my clay bar and was a PITA to get off the paint. Haven`t made that mistake again.