[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
 | [Main Detailing Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Badly damaged paint can be difficult Posted by Slaab [Email]  (#1275) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Slaab) on Wed, 29 Jun 2005 08:47:07
In Reply to: Rcmnd 'Last Resort' Method to Salvage OEM Paint?, largelylivin, Tue, 28 Jun 2005 16:56:17 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Without seeing the damage myself, it's difficult to assess. It's not the size of the scratch, but the depth that will determine if it can be reclaimed. Primer and/or bare metal cannot be fixed with polishes/waxes. In those cases, touch-up paint will be required. With the proper tools and products, even badly damaged paint can be fixed.
Get a good variable-speed, orbital buffer. Porter Cable makes an excellent tool - retails for about $115 at Lowes and online - that is a favorite amongst detailers. You will not get the results you want without a good tool and set of foam pads. Pads have various grades of cutting power and combined with proper products will yield excellent results.
To get started, rewash your car, and re-clay if needed. Run a soft microfiber across the paint and re-clay where you find resistance.
For an aggressive polish, try Meguiar's Dual Action Cleaner polish, or Meguiars Color-X. Both of these applied with an medium cut pad and the buffer set fairly high will remove most, if not all, of your scratches. There is sime technique required, but the learning curve is steep. You should get the hang of it quickly.
After working it on with the machine & buffing off by hand with microfiber cloths the aggressive polish, you will need to do another polish step. A very good mild step here is Klasse All-In-One or 3M perfect-it, or Meguiars Deep Crystal . Repeat by applying and working the polish with the machine and remove by hand. At this point, you should have a very clean, and scratch/swirl free surface.
I would recommend a sealant at this point. Klasse Sealant glaze and Megiaurs NXT are both very good. Klasse products are more expensive and more difficult to find. NXT should go on smoothly and come off quickly. And this can then be topped off after about 12 hours with a good wax (do not use a cleaner wax - will remove most of your sealant).
If this seems overwhelming to you, check out
http://www.Autopia.org
There are tons of folks there to help you out. Likewise, you could simply ask for a referral in your area if this seems to be something you don't want to tackle yourself. A good detailer will charge around $150 - $200 depending on the job. Or spend that much, and invest in the tools and products necessary to do this youself many time over.
Sorry for being long winded....Good Luck!
posted by 12.47.98...
, Wed, 29 Jun 2005 08:47:07 <-- Viewing This Message
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
