detailing disappointment

[Philip2]

Spent half the morning detailing my 2019 red G70- Clay, Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer, then the $195 Fuzion sealant . After all that, the finish didn't look all that that different from what I got on my previous wax of two months ago with Griot . The clay removed only a very small amount of particles and there was occasionally an orange tint on it. The previous slight grittiness on the finish is however gone and the paint now feels mirror smooth.

I think the take-home message is that you can't make a new looking finish look any better than new. Unless a pro can do better than me. Maybe these high power detailings may really be for sub par condition paint jobs.

 

[PFWiz]

Don't take this wrong, but I disagree strongly. We had the exterior of our G80 professionally done about 2 weeks after we took her home. The difference was plain as night and day to me. Had the whole nine yards done prior to the ceramic coating. Clay bar, alcohol wipe, full polish and some other stuff I forgot.
The car seemed to glow when we picked it up.

 

[Philip2]

What you're saying is maybe you get what you pay for and in this case of professional is really a professional. I don't get it, what could be the purpose of claying and alcohol washing a brand-new finish?

But- if you have a brand-new car with a brand-new finish, how exactly did it look better after he was done? Was it just the shininess of the ceramic finish

 

[ephone1]

What you're saying is maybe you get what you pay for and in this case of professional is really a professional. I don't get it, what could be the purpose of claying and alcohol washing a brand-new finish?

But- if you have a brand-new car with a brand-new finish, how exactly did it look better after he was done? Was it just the shininess of the ceramic finish

I had my 2019 clay'd and waxed after I bought it last year. Most 2019 G70s sat outside for months while Genesis got the dealership issues sorted.

 

[RCH04]

Brand new cars, like a Genesis can definitely benefit from claying prior to applying a coating, sealant etc. Contaminants settle on them while they're in transit (on ships, carriers etc.) and sitting on dealer lots before they are sold or delivered. The alcohol cleans off any dust etc. from the polishing, sitting in the garage or shop etc. before applying the coasting or finish.

 

[Philip2]

my car was one of those red golf tournament promotional ones that I bought used with 100 miles on it. The finished look perfect when I first saw it so maybe they had a full-blown detail job done prior.
Never understood why this car, at such a great price, sat on their lot for more than six months.

 

[sethsquire]

It looks like you did a thorough cleaning and coating but you didn't do any sort of paint correction, so I'm not surprised it doesn't look that much different.

Of course, if your paint is still in excellent condition, even that might not make a big difference, but I find that even in the course of regular washing and living outside my car needs a light polishing to get rid of some swirl marks at least a couple of times a year. After that it's presenting its deepest shine.

 

[[NOBODY]]

I agree with seth above - you can make you paint look showcar if you want, gotta wash, clay, compound-correct if needed, then (or most likely JUST) a good polish like Griots or Meg's 205, all done with a decent DA and appropriate pads. Then a cleaner wax, and then a carnuba wax. The paint correction and polishing, cleaner wax must use a DA. That process will make anybody's car pop, new or old. It's $$$ gathering all the correct sh*t together to do it right, so unless you enjoy it, take it to good detailer for a DA polish/ paint correction and wax for like 200 bucks. I have spent at least 4-500 on pads, microfibers, a DA, and a metric ton of various horrific chemicals which will surely give me something horrible.

 

[Aquineas]

Don't take this wrong, but I disagree strongly. We had the exterior of our G80 professionally done about 2 weeks after we took her home. The difference was plain as night and day to me. Had the whole nine yards done prior to the ceramic coating. Clay bar, alcohol wipe, full polish and some other stuff I forgot.
The car seemed to glow when we picked it up.

The problem with that is you need another car to drive in because after you've spent $700 on that level of detailing and ceramic coating, it looks so good you don't want to pull it out of the garage!

 

[CVODON]

I notice alot of folks on here post about claying their cars, which is good but either they fail to mention it or don't do the necessary step prior to claying which is decontamination. Anytime you clay a car you want to use a decon product first. Wash your car & dry it, then spray (in the shade or garage) the complete car with Iron-X or similiar brand, let it perk about 4-5 minutes (all the while marveling at how your car turns purple) then spray with water, preferably a pressure washer, dry and go ahead with clay. This step will remove most of the metallic contaminates easily that you would normally have to work hard on with the claybar. Also claybars are about a thing of the past, mostly clay sponge or similar that are easily washed out and resused.
If you correctly use Iron-X on a nomal car you should be able to clay it in about 20-30 minutes. Then on with polish, Alcohol/water wipe down and seal/coat etc.

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[sethsquire]

I notice alot of folks on here post about claying their cars, which is good but either they fail to mention it or don't do the necessary step prior to claying which is decontamination. Anytime you clay a car you want to use a decon product first. Wash your car & dry it, then spray (in the shade or garage) the complete car with Iron-X or similiar brand, let it perk about 4-5 minutes (all the while marveling at how your car turns purple) then spray with water, preferably a pressure washer, dry and go ahead with clay. This step will remove most of the metallic contaminates easily that you would normally have to work hard on with the claybar. Also claybars are about a thing of the past, mostly clay sponge or similar that are easily washed out and resused.
If you correctly use Iron-X on a nomal car you should be able to clay it in about 20-30 minutes. Then on with polish, Alcohol/water wipe down and seal/coat etc.

Good point about iron decon, but I tend to think more of that on older cars that haven't been decontaminated (with clay or otherwise) for at least a few years, or have a good amount of rock chips or other small bits of paint damage where there might be surface rust starting to form. I think it you clay every six months to a year when new and keep the paint protected, it shouldn't accumulate so much contamination at any given time.

 

[Hans67]

Try to do a paint correction before applying any sealant or wax.

 

[Aquineas]

Try to do a paint correction before applying any sealant or wax.

The problem is, unless you're a professional detailer, most people don't have that level of expertise, and because of the amount of labor required, paint corrections are typically several hundred dollars.

 

[Philip2]

what exactly is a paint correction and what is decontamination?
I see these guys driving around in their restored 53 Chevrolets with incredible paint finishes- is this how they do it?

Thanks

 

[Aquineas]

Paint-correction is a process which involves removing a very thin layer of paint (typically from the outermost clear-coat layer) to remove accumulated scratches, swirl-marks, and oxidation.

This chap seems pleasant enough.

 

[jjsC6]

The experts might elaborate better than me, but paint correction generally means they use anything from varying levels of fine sandpaper and “polishing“ compounds to actually take off the top layer of paint and buff it to an incredibly smooth, even finish.

They do it to take the top layer of paint down to the level of fine scratches in the paint. In the process they are also removing any contaminants that are on top of the paint.

I know that is a simplistic explanation, but I think it accurately gives an idea of what it is.

EDIT: I see Aquineas was replying also at the same time.

 

[rmod]

Boy! I wish I had the enthusiasm and patience to detail the car like you guys do...my routine is to rinse-foam-rinse...and wait for the 100% guaranteed rain the next day.

 

[Philip2]

The experts might elaborate better than me, but paint correction generally means they use anything from varying levels of fine sandpaper and “polishing“ compounds to actually take off the top layer of paint and buff it to an incredibly smooth, even finish.

They do it to take the top layer of paint down to the level of fine scratches in the paint. In the process they are also removing any contaminants that are on top of the paint.

I know that is a simplistic explanation, but I think it accurately gives an idea of what it is.

EDIT: I see Aquineas was replying also at the same time.

how do they do that without removing the clearcoat?

 

[jjsC6]

how do they do that without removing the clearcoat?

The Clearcoat is really what they are correcting

 

[Hans67]

The problem is, unless you're a professional detailer, most people don't have that level of expertise, and because of the amount of labor required, paint corrections are typically several hundred dollars.

yeah, you need to have a dual action machine polisher, pads, compound and polish plus the skill or know how before you can do that. if you really want to achieve the shine and gloss like the day you got the car, it is pure hard work or pay a reputable detailer. the challenge after, is how to maintain it to prevent the swirl marks and light scratches. that is also why it is a challenge to own a black car. silver is the safest and easiest to maintain.