Total Noob who wants to get started

[SailRace]

Hey everyone....wish i`d known about this site years ago.....i`ve been using Zaino products by hand for the last couple years, and although content with the outcome, i`ve never been blown away. I live in Atlanta, and am having an internal debate with myself, that you guys might be able to shed some light on:

Do I a) hire a professional to do a complete once over on the paint on my car, or b) invest in all the right equipment and do it myself the first time, and hereafter?

Details about what i need done. I have just purchased a Black 2002 Volvo V70 T5. Love the car, but the previous owner was less than generous when it came to car care. Here is the list of things i need fixed:
1) Swirl marks - zaino was not enough to get them out
2) Sap impurities - i tried to clay bar the surface this weekend, but it didn`t do a very good job. The paint still feels very rough.
3) A couple of spots of light scratches, that i think can be polished out. I can feel them with my finger nail, but i don`t think they`re deep enough to require any sort of touch-up
4) Couple of scratches that defintiely need touch up. The previous owner jsut filled them in with matching paint, but did not sand them down and blend them in at all. I`ve been reading up on how to do this myself....seems doable, but also a lot of work.
5) Don`t know if it`s possible, but there are one or two scratches in the glass of the moon roof.....can these be polished out?

I could use all the help you guys can offer, and if you think i can do this on my own, i`d love to get a list from you as to what i would need to buy (and about how much i`d be looking to invest.)

Thanks, and great site......

[Jngrbrdman]

I`ve actually got a list that has what you would need to invest and what you would need to buy to outfit yourself with enough product and tools to detail your own car to absolute perfection. Here is the thread. I need to update a few things in that as well as the articles on OCDetails.com, but you`ll get the idea.

It might be a good idea to hire a professional to bring your car back to perfect and then just start with the tools and products you need to maintain it. That way you could slowly build up your product and tool closet as new issues arise. There is a learning curve associated with paint touch up and some other kinds of detailing that you might not want to practice with on your own car. Test panels are best for that kind of thing. Anyway, you could probably invest $200 or less into getting your car professionaly detailed and touched up and then spend another $200 or less to get the tools and products to maintain that perfect shine. It`s up to you. Just remember, this isn`t a cheap hobby. However, considering your are caring for the very most expensive part of your car I would say that spending the money to buy the right products is justified.

[SailRace]

Okay...i was just to jittery that I have to try and do it myself...so i`ve gone ahead and started the investment. I`m buying the PC, along with the Wolfgang pads and Swirl Remover, Finishing Glaze, and Sealant.

I figure if i start out really slowly, and carefully, i should be okay. I`m also going to invest in some extra fine wet-sand paper to try to sand down the scratches that have already had touch-up paint applied. Probably use some 3M polishing/rubbing compound to smooth out, and then follow up with the Wolfgang products. Does this seem to be a reasonable way to start out.....?

Also...does anyone have any opinions about Item 5 in my first post....anyway to polish out a scratch in the moonroof glass?

[ShineProDetails]

Welcome to Detail City and I`m from Atlanta also. Volvo paint cuts and levels very nicely, my wife has a 2002 S40. Post up if you need some help.

[bigron62]

the pc wont take out wetsanding marks . just a heads up before you do that. youll need a rotary to get those out

[Jngrbrdman]

A PC can too take out wetsanding haze. It just takes more time. I haven`t come across anything that a PC can`t take out with a little effort. A rotary would be ideal, but a PC can do it.

Glass can`t be polished like paint can. There are glass polishing kits out there if you look for them. I think properautocare.com has a kit for that kind of thing. It is what you would need to purchase if you plan on polishing scratches out of glass.

[V_Eight]

Welcome!

Be sure to give us a yodel in the Southeast forum, there`s a United Way car show in September a lot of us will be at.

[SailRace]

Well, i`ve changed my mind yet again. I think i would be better off having it done professionally first. The learning from there. I don`t want to start out on by new car and screw somethig up royally. So i`m going to be investing in the help of Michael (1 Clean WS6) to give the car a true rejuvenation. He`s going to help me take care of all parts of the paint that need attention. And then i`ll go from there and figure out what i need to best maintain the finish that he helps bring out.

Thanks for all the replies...i`ll post some before and after pictures once i get a chance.

[tubafeak]

You won`t be dissappointed. If you are going to try out wetsanding you`ll want some ScratchX, it`s very good at removing scratches by hand and it does wonders with wetsanding marks. Usually you`ll want to avoid wetsanding, it`s a bit aggressive for regular use.

[bigron62]

JNGRBRDMAN which rotary buffer do you own and why wouldnt you use it to remove wetsanding scratches . it seems like it would be much faster and do a better job than a p.c. ?

[Jngrbrdman]

I don`t own a rotary buffer. That is why I wouldn`t use one. I also don`t offer wetsanding to my clients, so it doesn`t come up too often. Besides, the times I have had to wetsand I was able to take care of the scratches with a PC, so buying a rotary just never seemed worth it. I`m sure it would do the job faster, but like I said... it doesn`t come up often enough to warrant the expense. The PC works just fine for me. The rotary would only be faster and not better in my case.

[Brenton]

If you have the equipment, you could see if a local pro detailer would show you some things. He/she may use a rotary (orbital) buffer instead of a PC, and may have different products, but paying for a full job if they let you watch and learn may work out okay.
Maybe some won`t do that, since they are losing a customer. But in my opinion, I wouldn`t be losing anything. I`d get paid for one job, and you`d probably send references.

[SailRace]

Well, I had Mike do my car, and i have nothing but amazing things to say about not only the work he does, but his character as well. He was truly a gentelman, and a pleasure to do business with.

Unfortunately, there are some scratches in the paint that he just couldn`t get out, and there is some pitting from most likely sand and salt from the norhthern climates where i bought the car. Walking by the car, you`d think it was brand new, but there are still some places i may get re-painted in the next year.

My big dilemma now is some pitting on the windshield, and a couple of small scratches in the driver side window. Anyone know a good glass repair place in Atlanta? I`d love to get an estimate.

[Poorboy]

if the pitting is bothering you and there are quite a few of them, call around or do a google search on-line and have the glass replaced. It`s not as expensive as you think when you pay out of pocket vs. going through insurance.
Glass repair kits don`t work..I`ve used a lot of the best ones out there and they did little if anything at all.

[wterry]

I am in Atlanta also, and I know of an awesome reapir shop in duluth I believe. They do excellent body & paint repair/repaint. I believe they are one of the top rated body places in GA. As far as hiring the pro to do your car, I think Mike is/was an excellent choice. I was going to have him do my buddies new Accord that had dealer installed swirls, but he backed out because of a money issue this month. Sorry Mike! I`m still on him to get in touch with you.

I have two cars that I take care of and a couple friends that I help out, an 2003 Acura RSX, and a 2006 Audi A3. I have expanded my product knowledge greatly over the past 6 months. I too was a 100% Zaino users for the past 3-4 years and I still have Z2pro on both the RSX & A3 (both silver btw). I just recently discovered why everyone does the QD after a wash. I noticed the super slippery feel of the Zaino was gone after a couple washes but the car still beads like crazy. I tried some Z8 on my wifes car and instantly the super slick feel came back!!! :drool . So as an test I washed the Audi and then a QD with my Z6 and instant slickness again. IMO both Z6 and Z8 seem to last through the same # of washes and so I`ve gone back to just Z6 since the Z8 is like $20 a bottle vs $8 for Z6. Not to knock the Z8 as I think it has a slight slicker feel and looks a little, but I`m reserving the Z8 for once a month applications, instead of once a week!


Sorry for the rant. Oh yeah, I also bought a PC, yellow, white and red lake county pads with flex backing plate. Some Menzerna IP and FPII and am now testing out the 303 Aerospace product. I like it so far on the dash of the wifes RSX. I am hearing lots of good things about OCW, and might throw down on some of that along with a few other goodies. Hopefully the wife doesn`t divorce me as I`ve been spending a bundle these past two months.


Good luck with the Volvo, would love to hear any tips/tricks you picked up from Mike. We need a ATL OCD group. My wife is ready to send me to therapy.