Total Noob who wants to get started

[SailRace]

The pitting does bother me, and maybe replacing is my best bet. I`ll have to search around and get some estimates on the winshield and the side glass.

For a total noob, Mike was amazing. We spend about 30 to 45 minutes discussing things before he even got started. He has highly recommended i go and get a PC, and he says its virtually impossible to screw anything up with one of them, so that will be one of my purchases come my birthday Halloween. I`ll probably go with one of the Autogeek Wolfgang combos, and see what i can do.

Can you share that body shop in Duluth with me. I know a guy who works at a shop in Smyrna (Atlanta Road Auto Body) who may be able to do the work for me at cost, which would be awesome....but again, the more places i can check with, the better. I should just suck it up, realize that i purchased a used car, and it won`t be perfect, and deal with it, but it`s very hard not to want the car looking its best. I got a pretty good deal on it, so spending some extra dough to spruce it up shouldn`t be the end of the world.

And believe me, I understand the wife pressure. Mine still can`t understand why i paid some guy to wash my car...."can`t you do that yourself?" Well, yes, but not as well.

[1 Clean WS6]

Hey Raif and hello all!!

Raif MANY THANKS for the kind words and MANY THANKS again for the business....both are truly appreciated. I wish you well on your journey down the road of detail nirvana and as always feel free to ask me (or anyone else on this site) anything.

Raif`s car is SWEET. Not only does it have the turbo motor but it is a 5 speed!! I can only imagine how rare that combo is in the wagon body style. Unfortunately the previous owner was not what I would have called a "car guy". The wagon was no where near as neglected as some vehicles I`ve seen but definitely had been "just a car" to its prior owner.

My process for the detail was as follows:

Wash with Meg`s Gold Class shampoo

Clay with Meg`s Overspray clay (aggressive bar) using #34 as a lube. It was obvious the car had never had any significant clay applied to it. The paint was rough to the touch and my bar would literally turn brown after each section. The horizontal panels were worse than the vertical panels.

Spot wetsand touch-up paint filled scratches with Meg`s Unigrit 3000 grade sandpaper. After noticing an area on the car that had had some body work I was a bit leary about this portion of the detail. Not knowing the thickness of any given area of the paint I went with a light cut paper and only 15-20 passes per scratch.

Polish with Poorboy`s SSR 2.5 using my Makita rotary at 1500 rpm with a LC orange pad. This process removed all sanding haze and greatly reduced the swirling.

Polish with Poorboy`s SSR1 using my PC set at 5 with a LC white pad.

Seal with Poorboy`s EX using my PC set at 4 with a LC black pad. The EX set on the paint for about 45 minutes prior to removal.

The glass was polished with ClearKote`s VM via PC at speed 4 with a Meg`s 9006 pad. The trim was dressed with Meg`s #40 and the tires and wheel wells were dressed with AA.

Raif those deep clearcoat scratches on the hood and the one on the passenger side fender can be removed via wetsanding but again I am leary as to how much clear will need to be removed as all three are quite deep. Knowing you are keeping this car I did not want to compromise the clear in the effort to remove them.

This is the only pic I have of the car. Maybe Raif can take a few more after he gets his PC on it...

[wterry]

Looks like another fine detail job Mike. Rafi the body shop is called Premier Auto Collision in Duluth GA. Ask to speak with Fran.


When you going to show me how to best use my PC and Menzerna product Mike???????

[mtodde]

Welcome Raif. You were in good hands with Mike.

The PC is really easy to use. I was apprehensive at first but it really makes things so much easier. About the only paintwork I don`t use the PC for these days is applying carnuba...that`s just too much fun to apply by hand!

Mike, it sounds like we need to have another get together soon and invite a few of these other members! wterry will fit right in with all the silver cars. :gathering

How would next Sunday work?

[wterry]

I`m game. College football is on Saturday, so Sundays work much better.

I love silver cars just for the simple fact they don`t show swirls, scratches, dirt etc as much as other colors. I had a black 03 G35 coupe and it was a nightmare keeping it clean. Just look at it the wrong way and it got dirty. I originally bought the Audi A3 in black, but changed my mind and got silver.

[wterry]

This get together wouldn`t involve any hands on learning or is it just a social event. I told a friend on Sunday I`d help him with his new to him (used) 2000 pontiac gran prix GTP (black). It has some swirls and scratches and needs some PC love. That is actually why I got the PC, menzerna IP, FPII and all the lake county pads.

[mtodde]

This get together wouldn`t involve any hands on learning or is it just a social event. I told a friend on Sunday I`d help him with his new to him (used) 2000 pontiac gran prix GTP (black). It has some swirls and scratches and needs some PC love. That is actually why I got the PC, menzerna IP, FPII and all the lake county pads.

It would probably be both. Lee and I got together with Mike a few weeks ago and we had a few beers while we talked detailing and I hit the Solara with Crystal Mist. I live in the Sandy Springs area and could host...lots of parking by me and we can check the Falcons game from time to time. :gathering

I love college football too. I`m a Dawg fan primarily, but I watch a lot of SEC football. The UT-LSU game should be pretty good...2 weeks in a row of SEC night games in hi-def is heaven...hopefully this will be as good as the Florida-UT game.

[wterry]

I am a Gator, graduated in 97` from UF. My wife is an FSU grad, and my buddy who needs help on his GP GTP is an FSU grad also. UF-TN was a good game, glad we won... we should whip up on KY this weekend. Dawgs look good this season too, should be an interesting race in the SEC East.


Yeah love the CBS HDTV coverage of SEC football. I got to sit back and enjoy the UF-TN game on my little 82" screen. :beer:

[SailRace]

Hey, all you SEC fans. Don`t forget about the surprise of the season....How about my Vanderbilt Commodores going 3-0 - atop the SEC. Should have 2 more easy games against non league Richmond and MTSU....so we might be looking at 5-0 to start the season. That`s unheard of in Nashville...... Jay Cutler for Heisman baby.

[SailRace]

As a quick note to get back on topic...if i really wanted to do it right and just get the car re-painted in the spring maybe...how much do you think i`d be looking at?

Not needing to change color, but maybe adding some metal flakes to the finish....any thoughts on what a good job would cost me.

As for next Sunday, i could probably join you boys...can`t do this weekend...family in town.

[wterry]

I think I remember being quoted like $2500 to repaint my wife`s old Montero SUV about 3 years ago by Premier. Just give them a call and ask to talk with Fran, he should be able to rough estimate you a paint job based on the make/model/year.


As far as Vandy, its nice to finally see them do something besides being the brain power in the SEC.

[wterry]

Kinda OT but anyone in the ATL area ordering any supplies anytime soon. I need to get a couple items, and was going to put an order into PAC. I want to try out the OCW and maybe get some more 303 stuff and a couple other items. Just curious if any local people ever combine orders to save on shipping.

[wterry]

Guess the get together will be next Sunday????

:gathering

[mtodde]

Guess the get together will be next Sunday????

:gathering

That`s the plan for now...we may be able to have a very special guest come into town on October 8th so I want to wait a few days before making an official post.

Lee, SilverLexus, and I have combined on several orders. Unfortunately we both have products coming out of our ears...but no Optimum. When we meet, whether it be in 1 week or 2, maybe someone can bring a sample.

[wterry]

I might have already broken down and ordered some by then. Although I am not quite sure how well it would do ontop of the Zaino 2pro that is on both my cars.