Detailing new paint

I

imported_gusbubba

New member
Tried searching this topic , but kept getting errors...? :nixweiss



Anyway , how long after a vehicle has been repainted before it can be detailed.

I know a variety of products are 'body-shop safe' , but just to be on the safe side....



Thanks....
 
I wash whenever I want and apply a fresh-paint-friendly product (my fave by a huge margin is Meg's #5). You can polish pretty much whenever you want (after a few days)but the paint will be softer than normal while it cures so take it easy and don't do more than you need to. I don't wax/seal for at least two months; I prefer to be on the safe side.
 
Appreciate the reply, Accumulator.

The paint is almost one month old on a Black Jaguar XK-8.

I had only planned on glazing and sealing , but in light of your previous comments.....

Being that this client is a monthly regular , would it be feasible to apply VM --with mild cleaning/polishing properties and less than lock-tite wax/sealing capabilities-- until the paint cures more fully and I can get him back onto a regular regimen ?(Sorry if this seems redundant to your answer).

Any product suggestions would be helpful.



Thanks again.
 
I dunno, I'd be a little wary of the possibility that VM contains wax or something that might not be fresh-paint-friendly. I'd do my usual fresh paint regimen (Meg's #5) and explain to the client that such products will basically wash off and must be reapplied frequently. If he's a good customer I'd work out something where you sacrifice a little during the rest of the cure period and keep it glazed without charging him an arm and a leg. Don't want him to a) do damage through neglect or b) think you're trying to gouge him; you want him to think you worked *with* him during an unusual period in the car's life, for his benefit and that of the new paint.
 
I work with a painter and we wait two weeks and never had a problem. Use clay, paint cleaner, a non abrasive polish (sfx-3 is the best at flatten clear coat), AIO, SG, P21S. I just did a new Cadillac Deville, GMC Denali, and a freshly painted '37 Ford. '37 Ford after two weeks I sanded orange peel and paint defects. Trying to post pics but the damn thing doesn't work!

clay will remove overspray and paint deposits. These steps will flatten, clean and protect paint to give you superior shine and life!
 
Well , after getting the car cleaned up a little you could really see the terrible job that was done with the paint-job: flat , dull spots on the paint that look like sanding marks , buffer swirls , holograms , pits in the body that weren't properly prepped and just painted over. I pointed them out to the customer before I touched the vehicle and told him everything about the job screamed of someone in a hurry or just flat-out inexperienced. He said the guy who painted it often did work for Jaguar. I asked him if it was money out of pocket or an insurance job ( someone keyed the entire car) and he said it was insurance. My likely thought was that this guy wasn't getting premium dollars for it , so he passed the work to one of his trainees or subcontracted it because I doubt Jaguar regularly accepts shoddy work like that.

In light of that he still wanted it detailed to see how it looked afterward. I told him I'd clean it up but that I wasn't going to do ANYTHING that could be blamed on me for the paint's condition.(i.e. compounding or heavy polishing). And , just as I told him , the defects stood out more once it was cleaned.

I suggested he go back to Jaguar and DEMAND it to be redone--and RIGHT this time.

I'm a bit P.O.'d because I've been caring for this car on a monthly basis for this guy for over a year now and had the paint where we were both happy with it . Then some meathead comes along and messes it all up in under a few minutes. Then another meathead (probably related) makes it worse with a bad paint job.

I can't decide if it might not have looked better if they hadn't repainted it and just left the key scratches in it.

Oh , well.........

Sorry for the long rant , but I had to get it off my chest.
 
Wow, sorry to hear that. There really are a lot of hacks out there, and many of them *do* work on nice cars :( Hope your customer *does* do whatever is necessary to have it redone right.
 
IF you want to help him find out how many coats of clear coat there are on the car. That determines how much you can help him. If he has 4 you can take a wool and a buffer and apply some 3m 3000 grit buffing compound and go over the bad spots. Just 3 passes at a time. Then you can go over it with an aggressive polish like SFX-1 that will get out the micro-mirroring, swirls and the buffing marks. IF he already used buffing compound you can start with the SFX-1. You'll see if it's working after the SFX-1. When gone use SFX-2 then 3. Works awesome and smooths the surface to optimium shine. CHeck out my gallery, link below. I had the same problems with a '37 Ford. BE a great car to get noticed with. I did.
 
audipower:

WOW , that '37's hot. Nice work. And thanks for the advice ; definately helpful.

Unfortunately , many of the biggest flaws are UNDER the paint from what looks like sloppy body prep.

Even if I did clean up the mess ON the paint , I'd still go home feeling defeated because all I'd still see are the hideous flaws that I can't do anything about.

THIS CAR NEEDS REPAINTED!!!

Even more unfortunate is that the client doesn't see the problems as clearly as I do and I get the feeling it doesn't bother him that much. (Shiny car = healthy paint , no need to scrutinize).

Sometimes you feel like you're helping people in spite of themselves. I rather prefer discriminating customers who will better appreciate what you're doing. But that's being too idealistic.

He's a good man , though , who I consider a friend , so I'll keep working on him until he comes around.
 
That guy with the "37 was a family friend and I wanted to kill him by the end of the job, because he would go and sand the problem spots with no idea what he's doing. I threatened to walk away twice. It was worth it because he one 2 "Best Car" at 2 shows this weekend and my other show car customer one Best Chevy and Best Paint. The next morning I had 6 calls of people wantingme to look at there cars.

I'm the same way I look at the paint and figure if it's worth the time. Meaning, will it look good enough to get noterighty or is it just a lost cause. sanding marks or rubbing compound marks are easy to get out but if there's alot of primer burns it's not. orange peel you can sand, but good luck trying to figure out what layer of clear coat it's under.

I went to look at a couple cars and one is a '62 Lincoln Continental Convertible (gorgeouse!). It just has dull paint, swirls and light oxidation on the chrome and alliminum. Basically not taken care off correctly. ='s good money and low time. It can be a car show winner that gives me print and press and notirighty.
 
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