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How important is maintaining a ceramic coating? I'm bad about washing my car, and I keep it outdoors so I was thinking a ceramic coating might not last long enough to warrant the expense of getting it done properly. If I did it myself I'd cut corners and the end result would really suffer.
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Sep 17, 2018 02:57
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Duck and Cover posted:How important is maintaining a ceramic coating? I'm bad about washing my car, and I keep it outdoors so I was thinking a ceramic coating might not last long enough to warrant the expense of getting it done properly. If I did it myself I'd cut corners and the end result would really suffer. It's not as maintenance free as people think, quite the opposite. It'd probably be easier and cheaper to get some easy to apply spray on - rinse off sealant like Hydr02 and put some on every time you wash your car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12t0ouFsJyo Video about the negative sides of ceramic coating.
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Sep 17, 2018 15:07
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Seems a pain with all the isopropyl alc prep, removing polish and waxes, and doing it a small section at a time etc. My car is white and I have to wash it every month. Wash and spray sealant/shine anyway. Every 6mth then a rub back with a clay bar, then gentle polish and wax as well Fo3 fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Sep 17, 2018 |
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Sep 17, 2018 15:38
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Not to mention the compounding and polishing you'll usually do beforehand. I did my dads V70 last summer. The full works. Probably took 40 hours in total. Seems like the coating lasted 6-9 months because he never washed the car. I couldn't detect anything of the coating when I washed it at the beginning of this summer. On the plus side, he hasn't swirled it with bad washing habits neither so I guess I come out on top...?
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Sep 17, 2018 19:01
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What about paint protective film?
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Sep 17, 2018 19:41
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Duck and Cover posted:What about paint protective film? Expensive and orange-peely but should be kinda easy to maintain if good quality wrap. Doubt it's worth it on any "normal" car. People usually have the paint corrected before installing the film. The overkill people put coatings on it. It's basically a sacrificial layer of clear that looks a bit worse. The edges can get dirty and have buildup.
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Sep 18, 2018 16:12
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Just bought a '10 370z roadster, looking to get it paint corrected, since it has tiny scratches/swirls/etc. It's a gorgeous 10 foot car, I'd like to make it look much better. A well recommended place near me has "$640-$950" for 3 stage paint correction. Does that seem reasonable? I assume with no roof and it being a fairly small car, it'll be on the lower end of that spectrum. I'd do it myself, but I've never done this before, I own none of the tools beyond a basic two bucket wash/clay/wax, and feel like I'm pretty happy paying once for really solid paint correction and then just waxing/ceramic'ing until the end of time.
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Sep 19, 2018 00:02
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That sounds cheap to me for "3 stage paint correction", whatever they've decided that means to them. I'm assuming that's going to be just a quick once over with some compound + polish + wax type situation done by some guy with a 6" orbital buffer. Quick, cheap, effective. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing though. If your paint just has some light swirls and scratches, it very likely doesn't need anything more than that and it doesn't sound like you're expecting perfection on a 10 year old 370z. Going to be hard for us to give you recommendations about your specific local detailing place, I'd say all the normal things apply. Check the reviews online/yelp/etc, maybe check some local 370z FB groups/forums/etc to see if there is any recommendations. If it all checks out, go for it. Sometimes you can find a highly recommended cool local 370z enthusiast type person who does detailing on the side and can hook you up. Keep in mind though, if you like working on your car/detailing it/etc or are trying to get into it, $650 will get you a hell of a lot of gear. You can get a top of the line RO buffer, bunch of different pads, different polishes/compounds/etc, boatload of fresh microfibers, clay bars, etc and still end up well below that. Some of which will last you years of use and re-use with proper care on that car and future cars. If it's not something you want to learn/spend your time on though, I don't blame you one bit.
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Sep 19, 2018 02:57
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with the amazing amount of education you get from youtube on many subjects, i'd say you should just buck up and buy an orbital, a bunch of pads and supplies and go for it. its really not that complicated or difficult, just a bit time consuming.
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Sep 19, 2018 18:12
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BraveUlysses posted:with the amazing amount of education you get from youtube on many subjects, i'd say you should just buck up and buy an orbital, a bunch of pads and supplies and go for it. its really not that complicated or difficult, just a bit time consuming. Doing a full car all in one day for the first time will leave you loving wiped with a sore back. Or I'm old.  Agreed that it's not hard and pretty hard to gently caress up if you're just using meguir's ultimate compound and a 7424, though.
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Sep 19, 2018 20:07
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Larrymer posted:Doing a full car all in one day for the first time will leave you loving wiped with a sore back. Or I'm old. This and I have the added benefit of it being scorching hot / no reliable shady space I can sit and do all this work without the car itself getting hot too and product drying prematurely.
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Sep 19, 2018 21:29
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100% Dundee posted:That sounds cheap to me for "3 stage paint correction", whatever they've decided that means to them. I'm assuming that's going to be just a quick once over with some compound + polish + wax type situation done by some guy with a 6" orbital buffer. Quick, cheap, effective. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing though. If your paint just has some light swirls and scratches, it very likely doesn't need anything more than that and it doesn't sound like you're expecting perfection on a 10 year old 370z. There's actually a pretty well renowned VQ tuning shop about 45 mins from me (Soho Motorsports), so I think maybe I'll ask when I go to talk about a tune and wheel fitment. As for what it is, they say they use a compound, then a lighter compound, then they polish, then they apply ceramic pro sport. Seemed reasonable to me. BraveUlysses posted:with the amazing amount of education you get from youtube on many subjects, i'd say you should just buck up and buy an orbital, a bunch of pads and supplies and go for it. its really not that complicated or difficult, just a bit time consuming. I think I'm just admitting my own limitations and interests. I enjoy looking up and sourcing parts, installing, doing under the hood maintenance, and I enjoy cleaning, but I know for a fact when it comes to aesthetic projects and cleaning that takes longer than an hour, I tend to start off taking my time, and end up getting bored or frustrated and rushing it, which as I understand is a bad idea for paint correction. I'll give it a thought, but to be honest, between working full time+ and going to school at night, I just have things I'd rather be doing than polishing. I was told doing a full car will take 8-12 hours, and I'm new at this, so it'll take longer because I'll have to stop and read instructions, watch videos. I may buy a $100 orbital and give it a try before my next wax, worst comes to it I've got something I can use for other projects, but I'm leaning towards paying someone else to make my car all neato looking before I install the gofast parts.
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Sep 19, 2018 22:31
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Larrymer posted:Doing a full car all in one day for the first time will leave you loving wiped with a sore back. Or I'm old. Lol word. Im in great shape and work a ridiculously physical job, when we did my father's 27' boat it almost killed me.
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Sep 20, 2018 02:29
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That's the thing holding me back from doing ceramic - the prep. I drive a GTI so it's not a big car, but just thinking about the endless polishing (even just for the spiderwebs in the paint) turns me off.
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Sep 21, 2018 01:21
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You don’t HAVE to do the prep but I would at least clay bar. It will just stay looking basically how it looks but more glossy and generally cleaner. I’ve done two of our cars now and they don’t seem to build up that layer of crap that hides the paint colour. Washing is very quick too.
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Sep 21, 2018 02:13
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sirr0bin posted:You don’t HAVE to do the prep but I would at least clay bar. It will just stay looking basically how it looks but more glossy and generally cleaner. I’ve done two of our cars now and they don’t seem to build up that layer of crap that hides the paint colour. Washing is very quick too. Yeah doing it at home is different. Still have to prep panels with clay and panel cleaner (IPA or similar) for it to stick properly. Reason why they always do it professionally is because the coatings are supposed to last for years and years, and if you car looks like poo poo it'll be stuck looking like poo poo. The type of people who get ceramic coatings (apart from the people getting suckered at dealers) are the people who want a good finish.
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Sep 21, 2018 08:20
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Yeah, I'm still weighing ceramic vs. just keeping the Opti-Seal going, which works pretty well.
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Sep 22, 2018 02:27
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Ceramic seems durable in a "my car might see rain a few times a year and a sacrificial quick wax is used pretty frequently" sort of way, not a "my car spends 4 months covered in corrosive slurry and might get hosed off every six weeks when the temp dips above freezing" sort of way. I mean, paint has a hard time surviving the winter sometimes. There's no way any coating not applied in a lab is going to last beyond the two month mark in those conditions. I have long shifted into the mindset that I can't keep things perfect so I might as well do the easiest thing that gets me 80% of the way there. And you know what? It's still 3000% more effort than 98% of the driving public expends.
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Sep 22, 2018 02:40
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bull3964 posted:Ceramic seems durable in a "my car might see rain a few times a year and a sacrificial quick wax is used pretty frequently" sort of way, not a "my car spends 4 months covered in corrosive slurry and might get hosed off every six weeks when the temp dips above freezing" sort of way. I'll have you know it's cold out and faucet that I'd use has had its water turned off. Also did I mention it's cold out? I think I'm too lazy for ceramic coating but I am tempted to get protective film for my Chevy Bolt. Well it's not winter so it isn't cold out yet but it will be. Duck and Cover fucked around with this message at 00:15 on Oct 1, 2018 |
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Sep 22, 2018 03:07
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When the clay mitts / sponges came out there were some reports of people getting marring/swirls on their paint from using them. I just bought a new truck and the shear amount of surface area means I'm going to end up spending two days clay barring this thing before I polish it. Is the current crop of clay sponge products mature enough to make the switch?
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Sep 30, 2018 14:08
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LordOfThePants posted:When the clay mitts / sponges came out there were some reports of people getting marring/swirls on their paint from using them. I just bought a new truck and the shear amount of surface area means I'm going to end up spending two days clay barring this thing before I polish it. Is the current crop of clay sponge products mature enough to make the switch? Griot's synthetic clay and some soapy water and if it takes you more than an hour to clay the whole thing, you're doing it way wrong. And if you're marring the paint, you're doing it way wrong.
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Sep 30, 2018 14:10
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EVERYWHERE 
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I know I screwed up once with the synth pad, I wasn't as diligent with the spray as I should have been and it overheated, transferring a gummy spot onto the paint. Was a bitch to take off but no permanent marring. I was trying to remove some paint transfer on a door handle, ended up being successful, but staying in one spot and not stopping enough to re-wet was my mistake. So yeah, as with any clay plenty of lube is required and you have to be extra diligent since it's harder to notice when it's getting too dry since the polisher is doing all the work.
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Sep 30, 2018 14:46
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Bajaha posted:the polisher is doing all the work. There's your issue. I've never seen a case where I've needed to use a polisher with any kind of clay. And I've dealt with some really nasty paint.
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Sep 30, 2018 14:50
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Are we talking the same product? The one I'm talking about is literally a pad with a thin rubbery surface meant for use on a DA polisher. It's not actually clay but it makes the job incredibly quick and seems like it works as the plastic bag check gives results. I've heard it referred to as synthetic clay but I guess that's a misnomer since it's not really clay. With an actual bar you shouldn't be able to do any damage unless, like you said, you're doing something really wrong. Even with this it's no issues unless you do something wrong like I did. I didn't haphazardly mount clay to a polisher, I'm not that daft. E: like this: 
Bajaha fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Sep 30, 2018 |
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Sep 30, 2018 14:59
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I got some water spots that I left on my car for ~1 week and they are seriously stuck on there (quick detailing spray + a rag wouldn't get them off). I need to polish and clay the car anyway, but is there a good trick in the future to removing these? vinegar?
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Sep 30, 2018 17:13
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Bajaha posted:Are we talking the same product? The one I'm talking about is literally a pad with a thin rubbery surface meant for use on a DA polisher. It's not actually clay but it makes the job incredibly quick and seems like it works as the plastic bag check gives results. I've heard it referred to as synthetic clay but I guess that's a misnomer since it's not really clay. With an actual bar you shouldn't be able to do any damage unless, like you said, you're doing something really wrong. Even with this it's no issues unless you do something wrong like I did. Same thing I was talking about, but mine has a spongy grab-able top to use handheld. It's quick, easy and smooth. I'd worry about using it with a DA, since I think a lot of clay work should be by feel.
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Sep 30, 2018 17:26
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How do you deal with detailing around a clear bra on the hood, mirrors, and door handle of a car? My wife’s 15 CR-V needs some detailing attention and I have a polisher, pads, and meguires ultimate compound/polish/gold class wax. Do I just tape off around it like I would do black trim?
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Sep 30, 2018 17:31
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Just bought a 51 Chevy with a vinyl(leather lol) seat that is super dry but not cracking yet, what's a good product to bring it back to life? I found a bottle of armor all in the trunk, which is what probably dried it out.
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Sep 30, 2018 20:48
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Duck and Cover posted:I'll have you know it's cold out and faucet that I'd use has had its water turned off. Also did I mention it's cold out? I think I'm too lazy for ceramic coating but I am tempted to get protective film for my Chevy Bolt. Go for it if you got the cash to blow, but I don't think it'll be cheap or that you'll get the investment back. Full body film is expensive as hell. Very popular with YouTube super car flippers (for obvious reasons).
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Sep 30, 2018 21:35
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What kind of tape is good for trim
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Sep 30, 2018 21:48
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MrOnBicycle posted:Go for it if you got the cash to blow, but I don't think it'll be cheap or that you'll get the investment back. Full body film is expensive as hell. Very popular with YouTube super car flippers (for obvious reasons). I'd hate to get partial and end up with damage where the film isn't but I also feel as though I don't want to spend the 5kish.
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Oct 1, 2018 00:17
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OXBALLS DOT COM posted:What kind of tape is good for trim 3m 1080.
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Oct 1, 2018 01:09
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bandman posted:How do you deal with detailing around a clear bra on the hood, mirrors, and door handle of a car? My wife’s 15 CR-V needs some detailing attention and I have a polisher, pads, and meguires ultimate compound/polish/gold class wax. Do I just tape off around it like I would do black trim? In the importing cars from Japan thread, someone bought what looks like a garment steamer to remove wax buildup from around the stickers of glorious Nippon. Here
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Oct 1, 2018 18:19
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I had some seriously sticky dirt/gunk on Wrar's outback at the hood edge. Good ole gold class/foam gun/mitt couldn't do any good. Praise be to chemical guys:  at 5:1 the crud just wiped off with a microfiber and mild pressure/wiping:  Best i can figure it's coming from the following hood drain:  I haven't clay barred it or compounded her yet, but a nice wash plus the Chem Guys after wash drying agent came out pretty nice for a quick wash: 
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Oct 1, 2018 19:52
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MomJeans420 posted:I got some water spots that I left on my car for ~1 week and they are seriously stuck on there (quick detailing spray + a rag wouldn't get them off). I need to polish and clay the car anyway, but is there a good trick in the future to removing these? vinegar? It also significantly helped to just wash the car with filtered water - my house has pretty hard water, and throwing one of these in-line on my hose made all the difference.
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Oct 2, 2018 03:14
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Hey guys, got a question about headlights here. The inspection man told me mine were right on the limit of passable and probably wouldn’t pass next year, and honestly I don’t think he was bullshitting and trying to upsell me because I have noticed my night visibility has decreased in a noticeable way over the past year or so. So before forming over money I decided to put some elbow grease into it. Polishing compound, caranuba wax, a little power sander. I think they look better than they did before but there’s one thing I can’t get rid of and that’s the condensation looking stuff on the inside. I don’t know if it’s condensation or not honestly. Basically what am I looking at to start eating away at this stuff? Wet sanding?
Santheb fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Oct 4, 2018 |
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Oct 4, 2018 19:49
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Santheb posted:Hey guys, got a question about headlights here. The inspection man told me mine were right on the limit of passable and probably wouldn’t pass next year, and honestly I don’t think he was bullshitting and trying to upsell me because I have noticed my night visibility has decreased in a noticeable way over the past year or so. So before forming over money I decided to put some elbow grease into it. Polishing compound, caranuba wax, a little power sander. I think they look better than they did before but there’s one thing I can’t get rid of and that’s the condensation looking stuff on the inside. I don’t know if it’s condensation or not honestly. Basically what am I looking at to start eating away at this stuff? Wet sanding? Kinda hard to tell to be honest. Kinda looks "pitted" for a lack of better phrase, like it could be spots where the plastic has been oxidized deeper than where you compounded it. I'd give sanding a go if it isn't obvious that it's on the inside of the plastic. When I did it last I went 600->800->1000->1200->compound->polish, making sure to do one grit vertical and the next horizontal. Check closely that no scratches from the previous grit remains before you move on. Most important bit is to protect the headlights with clearcoat, some headlight protector thing or a ceramic coating that protects from UV. Else it'll look like poo poo in no time again.
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Oct 4, 2018 20:02
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MrOnBicycle posted:Kinda hard to tell to be honest. Kinda looks "pitted" for a lack of better phrase, like it could be spots where the plastic has been oxidized deeper than where you compounded it. I'd give sanding a go if it isn't obvious that it's on the inside of the plastic. When I did it last I went 600->800->1000->1200->compound->polish, making sure to do one grit vertical and the next horizontal. Check closely that no scratches from the previous grit remains before you move on. Most important bit is to protect the headlights with clearcoat, some headlight protector thing or a ceramic coating that protects from UV. Else it'll look like poo poo in no time again. Thanks man. Gonna go to the hardware store now and grab some sandpaper and I guess a can of Rust Oleum with anti yellowing and UV protection. My efforts to get rid of the foggyness have been pretty successful..I can see the lamp and the bulb clearly now, if I’m sitting in front of it I can see my reflection. It’s just that stuff I haven’t been able to really make a dent in so I guess it’s onto the next one. With the sandpaper I should do that by hand right? I’ve been using the power sander with no sandpaper and a terry towel over it after I’ve rubbed the polishing compound on the headlight by hand.
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Oct 4, 2018 20:13
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Santheb posted:Thanks man. Gonna go to the hardware store now and grab some sandpaper and I guess a can of Rust Oleum with anti yellowing and UV protection. My efforts to get rid of the foggyness have been pretty successful..I can see the lamp and the bulb clearly now, if I’m sitting in front of it I can see my reflection. It’s just that stuff I haven’t been able to really make a dent in so I guess it’s onto the next one. Don't do this. Get a 3M or other kit with a drill attachment and do it that way. https://smile.amazon.com/3M-39008-H...restoration+kit You'll have to look into a coating for afterwards, since if you don't do anything it will yellow pretty quick. Alternatively, talk to a body shop for that part or just look up how much new housings cost.
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Oct 4, 2018 20:23
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Suburban Dad posted:Don't do this. Get a 3M or other kit with a drill attachment and do it that way. Santheb posted:Thanks man. Gonna go to the hardware store now and grab some sandpaper and I guess a can of Rust Oleum with anti yellowing and UV protection. My efforts to get rid of the foggyness have been pretty successful..I can see the lamp and the bulb clearly now, if I’m sitting in front of it I can see my reflection. It’s just that stuff I haven’t been able to really make a dent in so I guess it’s onto the next one. Yeah don't use a power sander. Missed that part. You need a kit like this if you don't have decent polishing tools. I used my DA polisher to compound and then polish. I assumed that you tried polishing it out but didn't get any further with regards to sanding. I sanded one headlight and got away with compound on the other. The headlight I sanded was pretty bad. Here's a good video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqOKmZ9mMfc
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Oct 5, 2018 07:36
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