Flex 4" Backing Plate

T

thereds

New member
I have a b5 in blue anthracite and having driven my car thru car washes, yes i know I am an idiot, I've finally seen the scratches that the strong water pressure from these car washes create on my car.

Here are my questions.

How much will it cost to repaint the whole car and will it look as good as the original? I had to have my trunk repainted earlier and the body shop (very good one mind you) did a great job and the paint matches perfectly with the rest of the body.



Secondly, since I pay full coverage for insurance, is there a chance that I can make the insurance people pay for the paint job minus my deductible? Or is that an impossible scenario?





I was told to come here and you guys could give me some advice on how to use certain products to remove scratches.



Any help is welcome. Thanks.
 
You could probably take your car to a detailer and have it 'cut and buffed' for waaaaaaaaaaay less than it would cost to get it repainted. Your insurance probably won't cover the cost of the paint job if they feel it is normal wear and tear on the car. Swirls and scratches don't really warrant a paint job usually. You should take the car to a detail shop and have them give you an estimate of what it will cost to remove them. Unless you have experience with a polisher then I wouldn't recommend you try to take on the task yourself. If you do have experience then let us know and we can list a variety of ways you could get em out. Pictures would be nice too just so we have an idea of how bad it really is. :)
 
Your insurance company is not going to pay to repaint your car. It's not the water pressure that casued the scratches. It's dirt from the car being pushed against the paint causing scratches. If it's a carwash with the rolling brushes, they will cause swirl city. If it's the blast-o-matic with the spray gun, you can still swirl the paint if there is alot of dirt present on the surface. You can also force dirt into the paint when using a pressure washer.



Can you feel the scratches with your fingernail? If so, you will not be able to remove them. If they cannot be felt, they can be removed with abrasive compounds. Here are some examples:



3M Swirl Mark Remover

3M Finesse-It II Finishing Material Machine Polish

3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound.





You can do a search for swirl and scratch removal for some more ideas. Could you post a pic or more information? Otherwise it's going to be tough to tell you a specific product to try.
 
I'll try to get some pics up as soon as possible.



I have no prior experience with a polisher.



Can anyone here estimate how much its going to cost having it done with a detailer?
 
Somewhere around $100-150 for an exterior detail.



Ask your dub buddies about good detailers in your area. Word of mouth is usually the best advertisement. Also take your car to a few local shops and ask for an estimate.
 
Sounds like a good plan. What products do most detailers use? I'm guessing they don't use the quality products you guys on this board here use. Right?
 
I am also interested, although over a year ago I believe, I cut back the Flex backing plate enough to use the normal 5.5" L/C Flat Pads and while my cutting wasnt perfect, and the backing plate is very close to the edge of the 5.5" pad, I have not regretted doing this and have never gone back to the normal sized Flex backing plate
.
I have read elsewhere that the new Flex backing plate is 4-3/8" in diameter, so if this is true, then it would be more suited for the 5/5" pad, than the 4" pad.

In any event, I am going to look at purchasing this Flex Backing plate, actually 2 of them because you always need back up, and continue to totally enjoy the Flex 3401VRG with the smaller backing plate/pad combination.

Angelo, are you guys going to be getting this plate ? Others are offering it for sale, delivering in March..

Dan F
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top