complete wetsand and polish

E

Envious Eric

New member
I was just recently contacted by a gentleman who has a VW bug and he wants it completely wetsanded and polished to perfection...the car was just painted and the place did a terrible job polishing it, so much so that they decided to repaint the car again. Needless to say, this guy doesn't want them to touch the car again after the painting is done. So, I will end up with the car fresh out of the booth (or within 2-3 weeks).



two questions:



what would your sanding process be? what grits? I am thinking all by hand as the curvature of the car deters me from attempting with an air sander.



how much time do you think it to take? general guestimate...





I was thinking about hitting the whole car with 3000 or 4000 grit, and the whole thing done in about 20-25 hours. Am I close?
 
I think it would depend on how bad or good the paint condition is. It would also determine what grit you will start with.



Will you be doing it by hand or by machine?
 
sanding by hand, polishing by rotary

starting out with 3k or 4K...i am ASSUMING i am not going to need to use anything less as its just coming out of the paint shop
 
I would not consider doing it by hand in this day and age.



Systems such as Mirka's Abralon use 1/2 inch foam backing pads and 3/8 thick foam abrasive pads to easily conform to contours. I'd start with 1500 (maybe 2000) and progress up to 4000. Buff with foam and Meg's 105, finish with a fine polish w/o fillers. Meg's Show Car Glaze would be approriate. I would insist that the car return in 90 days for 'complimentary' inspection (swirls?) and sealant application.



I'd guess 15 hours, maybe less. Remember that this is a very messy job!



Regardless of the time, remember that wetsanding is the most critical step in creating a mirror finish. Charge accordingly.



What color? Pics will be nice.



Me? I'd be at ~$1200.



Good Luck!



Jim
 
+1



A vehicle that size and if the owner was already unhappy with the results from the body shop I'd budget 15 hours as well, but it should be done in less. Start at 2000, if it isn't cutting fast enough go to 1500.



That said, I prefer to do all my wetsanding by hand with a flexible block but agree with all of Jim's other points.



Did you ask the owner what was done wrong previously, was the problem actually caused by the polishing process or during the sanding? If they didn't level the paint enough or couldn't remove all the sanding marks it's one thing, but if they sanded through the clear and it was still not 100%- I'd be cautious that they didn't spray it thick enough.
 
If you have a D.A. available I recommend you use it with an intermediate pad. The intermediate pad is a soft pad the helps you work the contours of the car. Don't start with 2000 grit, it will round the tops of the orangepeel too much, you want to sheer off the top. Start with 1000 grit dry with a D.A. Go to 1500 grit with a D.A. dry, then finish with 2000 grit wet or dry. You can finish with Trizact 3000 grit which will make for less polishing by machine, but isn't 100% necessary. Polish it out and you should have a perfectly flat paint job.







John
 
Its really going to depend on how hard the clear is. A few weeks out of the booth and you would think its not going to be that hard, but others have seen different.



You need to do a test area first and find out what works for this specific clear.
 
>I was just recently contacted by a gentleman who has a VW bug and he wants it completely wetsanded and polished to perfection<

The word "PERFECTION" SCARES ME! If that's what he is expecting? I see trouble down the road. just my 2 cents
 
DETAIL DUDE said:
>I was just recently contacted by a gentleman who has a VW bug and he wants it completely wetsanded and polished to perfection<

The word "PERFECTION" SCARES ME! If that's what he is expecting? I see trouble down the road. just my 2 cents
Click to expand...



Agreed, if you are aiming for perfection it could take 10 hours just to remove the sanding marks...



I think you could do a 'good' job in 15 hours or so, but if this guy really wants it perfect, you could by as high as 40-60 hours easily.
 
TH0001 said:
Agreed, if you are aiming for perfection it could take 10 hours just to remove the sanding marks...



I think you could do a 'good' job in 15 hours or so, but if this guy really wants it perfect, you could by as high as 40-60 hours easily.
Click to expand...





I agree with Todd. However before you tell the guy anything, go look at the car and evaluate the condition of the paint.



BTW, how much did he pay for the paint job?
 
dont know what he paid, but it wasnt a MAACO type job, but it wasnt a $15K job either....said it was a pretty good spray job, but a TERRIBLE polish job.



I quoted the guy last week 20-30 hours at $60/hr....I think that scared him away, even though I have a really good reputation on another forum where he found me...hopefully he still wants it done
 
He got a budget paint job and wants it perfect... Declining the job is probably best.

NEVER wetsand and polish an entire vehicle without knowing who painted it, what

type of paint system, and the number of clear coats applied (minimum 3 coats).
 
havign worked directly with body shops in the area. The main thing always seems to be the same with all of them. The painter is the only person that should wetsand the car initially. Every painter is different.
 
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