2002 GTP, First cleanup of the year

[Langley Interior Car Kare]

my sis` CRV got hit while she had it parked yesterday...she was inside the school teaching...and they made an announcement over the speaker saying that someones red Honds jeep got hit and the driver took off......she showed it to me last nite...its amoderately sized dent of the drivers isde back panel....some paint damage as well...and the trim(vinyl/hard plastic) that goes just below it got all scraped up....but not terrible....anyway...i told her to take it for the estimate at a very reputable place in Queens...nice guys who know what they are doing with body work.....anyway...i figured it would be about $500 or so....she calls me tonite after she dropped it off there...and says"i got a great deal"....its only $550 for the repair.....i said great....then she says...and another $230 for a complete head to toe detail(her husband and i dont get along and he would have a canary if i went near it as i found out last w/e)....anyway....thats acceptable as this guy uses Klasse/3M stuff(i had asked him once)...but this is my question...he added another..$200 to the bill after ny sister answered yes to the question of...it`ll cost another 200 if you want the paint to match perfectly.....i said "what"...she says this guy said that minus the $200..it will probably look really nice...but to get it absolutely perfect....thats another $200.....i really cant get too involved related to my broinlaw....



but can anybody tell me what process...or product..or whatever...that costs another $200 can/will ensure 100% color matching.....i thought that should be the object of the original job.(for $550)..right...

[Bobby G]

It`s not as much a matter of color matching as it is "finish" matching. 99% of all painters buy or mix paint to the paint code stamped on your car. 1% of painters are smart enough to know how to mix the paint to adjust for color fade. It`s very difficult. To color match, painters typically use a cutting pad on their buffer to buff the repaired panel and all ajoining panels. This gives all of the panels the same "texture". The human eye is more sensitive to texture and brightness than it is to slight color variations.



db

[DETAILKING]

Have you ever had that process done to any of your cars? How did it turn out?

[Bobby G]

Have what done... color matching or and idiot with a buffer?



Because I drive so many miles on California highways, I frequently have the front of my cars repainted to fix stone chips. After a while you just can`t keep up with them anymore.



Year before last I had the front of my M3 done. I can`t remember being so mad. The idiot painter took an abrasive disk to the spoiler. Grinding marks were everywhere. After painting, he blended with a buffer, but he did not mask of the rubber first. As a result, the rubber trim was stained silver and had the texture buffed off. What a mess.



On the other hand, I have had great luck with all of my Porsche cars. Last year after the back of my Speed Yellow 996 got crunched, it was repaired perfectly without being touched by a buffer.



The repair on the 996 was $4,800. The repair in the BMW was $800 that caused me and additional $4,000 of grief!



db

[DETAILKING]

What frustration.....



The same thing happened to me when I was rear ended in my 1997 SILVER Z-28. There were wheel marks in the paint under the clear that had to be redone, and the rubber T-top moldings had silver on them.....took me a while to figure out what caused that!



I have been lucky with my BMW. 5K miles and no stone chips. After some horror stores on bimmer.org I really thought the bimmer paint chipped easily. Conversely my red 1996 z-28 was a mess with stone chips, but my silver 1997 one hardly had any. I drove the same miles on the same roads in the same amount of time.....interesting huh?



I guess you don`t like XPEL? Perhaps that would save you a paint job every 2 years.............

[Langley Interior Car Kare]

its funny...i asked my sis ...why didnt u ask him exactly what the extra $200 was for....unfortunately...other than Autopians and the like...people treat a mechanic...auto repair guy...the same as a doctor...they take their word at face value and dont ask questions.....as long as she likes the way it turns out ill be happy...thx...:up

[JonB]

My wife drives the bimmer and has put on 5K miles also. There are only a couple of stone chips, but the ones I do have are all down to bare metal! And most are fairly large compared to any other cars I have owned. So I am not so sure about the BMW paint.... I also just looked at the plastic lenses and they have a bunch of little pits. I am definitely thinking about getting the lens covers. I don`t know if I want the whole kit though.



H

[Abrasive]

Just finished up getting my car shined up for the first time this year a few minutes ago. Took a few pics to share. I have done absolutely nothing to the interior or trim yet, just getting the shine back on the painted surfaces for now.

Since I just joined Truth in Detailing and actually started this process a few days ago, I really don`t have any "before" pictures. My car stays garaged and is not a daily driver. It never sees bad weather unless I just accidentally get caught out in the rain or something like that. However, this winter, I had a lot of projects going on with other people`s cars and mine had to come outside a few times. During an engine swap in my best friend`s car, I got this picture. This is one of the reasons my car needed some attention.
So, I guess you could call this the "before" picture. LOL!


:spy: ANY advice, criticism, whatever is welcome. I`m here to learn.

My process:
1st night, after work.
~Entire car rinsed.
~Complete wash using Dawn and a clean sheepskin mitt.
~Any bug guts and tar removed with Tarminator
~Entire car rinsed again.
~Clay barred (is that word?) with Meguiar`s clay and Mother`s Show Time detailer spray as lubricant. I should add here that as I mentioned in my intro thread, I hate to clay bar more than anything. The ONLY reason I prefer Mother`s Show Time spray as a lubricant for this is because it smells like cinnamon. I like the smell, so it`s the only positive thing about clay barring that keeps me motivated to keep doing it. LOL!
~Complete wash again using Dawn and a sheepskin mitt.
~Majority of water removed with a water blade
~Remaining water removed with an Absorber
~Crevises blown out with compressed air and mopped up with the Absorber
~Car put away for the night

2nd night, after work
~Meguiar`s Cleaner wax hand applied to entire car and allowed to thoroughly haze.
~Cleaner wax removed with a 10" Craftsman orbital buffer with a clean microfiber bonnet.
~Clean microfiber towel used to remove and spots the buffer couldn`t get to (which is a lot with a 10")
~Car put away for the next 2 nights

3rd day (today)
~Car dusted completely with a California Car Duster just in case anything had settled on it since it has sat in the garage for the last 2 days.
~Meguiar`s Gold Class Wax hand applied to entire car, including glass, and allowed to haze completely
~Gold Class removed with the Craftsman 10" orbital buffer and a clean sheepskin bonnet.
~Clean microfiber towel used to remove any the buffer couldn`t get to (again, a lot).
~Soft tooth brush used around emblems, hood scoops, moldings, etc. to remove any leftover wax.
~Meguiar`s Gold Class hand applied to the wheels and buffed off by hand with the microfiber towel.
~Meguiar`s Hot Shine tire dressing applied to tires and inner fender wells. Tires and wheel lips wiped down with my "designated tire shine microfiber" to remove any excess. Very first time using this tire shine product and very happy with the end results with it. I personally prefer a foaming tire dressing and usually use No Touch Tire Shine, but this was on sale, and a Meguiar`s product, so I thought I would try it out. It sprays on really thin and has a strong chemical odor. It sprays on almost like spray paint and smells similar. Definitely would recommend using it outdoors due to the odor. Leaves a very wet look which after a wipe down leaves the tires about exactly as shiny as I like them. It also does not seem to be very sticky afterward so hopefully it doesn`t draw on the dust and dirt to the tires.

Finished pics!



Galaxy Silver is one of the brightest silvers I`ve seen. I love it, but it can damn near blind you in direct sunlight. I`ve had friends follow me places before actually tell me they were miserable from the glare off of it. Some Grand Prixs were also painted a color called Silvermist which is a LOT more toned down.






Reflection of the license plate frame lettering



Now, as time permits, I will get to the trim and interior. :cornut:

[Dave1]

Nice car.......:thumbup:


I like the Quad exhaust.......

[Tuck91]

Nice work,

great too see someone else using Meguiars products as well.

[bmw5541]

Very nice work Abrasive.

The car looks GREAT:clap:

[imported_Luster]

Hey Jay... The GTP looks great! Doesn`t it feel good to get it all cleaned up for spring?!

If you ever need paint correction for swirl marks, you`ll need a PC, but knowing how you`ve babied that car and the paint, it may not even need polishing.

Believe me, guys, this car is gorgeous in person!:cornut:

[Puckman]

Looks great, Jay.

[Abrasive]

Bill - It`s got some light swirls, I was looking at them today. They are really hard to notice IMO. It`s also got a few RIDS I`d like to see gone someday. I think the color does a great job of hiding minor imperfections. If it comes to the point I want it corrected, it`s coming to you. I`d rather someone who knows what they are doing treat it right.

As far as being babied, the only time it gets that is when I`m not behind the wheel. It`s terribly quick, and that`s coming from a past `Vette owner. It`s hard not to turn it loose just for fun and occasionally show a V8 guy a thing or two with my wrong wheel drive V6 sedan. :p

Thanks for the compliments everyone. :wink:

[imported_Luster]

Bill - It`s got some light swirls, I was looking at them today. They are really hard to notice IMO. I think the color does a great job of hiding minor imperfections. If it comes to the point I want it corrected, it`s coming to you. I`d rather someone who knows what they are doing treat it right.

You`re right about that color hiding swirls. My son`s 2001 GAGT Galaxy Silver, has been abused and never polished... Even in direct sunlight, you can barely see any swirls.:iagree:

If and when you need correction, you have my number. (The guys with black cars... now they have some swirls to be dealt with!)

As far as being babied, the only time it gets that is when I`m not behind the wheel. It`s terribly quick, and that`s coming from a past `Vette owner. It`s hard not to turn it loose just for fun and occasionally show a V8 guy a thing or two with my wrong wheel drive V6 sedan. :p

Drop the HAMMER on that BAD-BOY! I know she`s fast... I`ll bet the Mustang GT crowd really HATES that.....:w00t:

Do you remember how much the Corvette crowd hated the fact that they were SOOOO much slower than the V6 Grand National back in `87? A V6 BUICK at that! :