Difficult to say really mate - because it depends entirely on what the customer wants. Its the pad/polish combination that nets you the results required. This customer wanted to restore the depth back into his paintwork. There's quite a lot of defects in the paint due to neglect over the years. I could remove them, but in doing so wouldn't get the same type of high gloss finish, unless I opted for a 2-4 stage correction (I don't know exactly how many stages, as I've only done 1 stage in what you've seen today with it only being an enhancement, so I've not tested it), but then I'd need the car another day and then there's the additional cost etc... With the interior cleaned and leather fed, this is an 18hr job as it is.
These days most detailing suppliers do packages and kits for machine polishers. The most common is the DA as you're less likely to cause damage to the paint if you do it wrong. I personally use a Rotary because the can achieve better results, and I have spent hours practicing on test panels with various pad/polish combo's. I can wet sand aswell, and you need a Rotary to remove the sanding marks. You can pick DA kits up from £130, Rotary from about £150, they come with a few pads and backing plates, enough for you to have a go yourself really. Remember though, what you're seeing here is ~18hrs work!! Sometimes its easier to just pay to have it done if you can't afford to lose a whole weekend without using your car..
Myself and other professionals would charge you considerably more than that. Hope that helps mate?
Further updates will follow tomorrow
So this morning then, it was looking a little like this...
to this:
There's more damage on the nearside.But alas, one step has made a significant improvement. In the daylight you'll hardly see those scratches..
Wheels were rammy before, now they're looking like this..
More to follow from this afternoon.
forgive me for sounding dumb whats the differnce between da and rotary what is da.
DA is Duel Action - they oscillate, whereas a Rotary rotates on a fixed axis. Because DA's oscillate, the pad never stays in the same spot for long enough to burn through the lacquer. Whereas with a rotary, you can literally turn it on and leave it in a set position and the pad will just rotate and rotate in the same spot, thus burning a hole in the lacquer. This is why most enthusiasts will opt for a DA, less risk of damaging the paintwork. Downside is you can't do heavy correction work, or scratch removal with one.
Anyways, here's some shots post machining..
Close up..
Now then, back on page one, after we'd cleaned and clayed the car there were some marks on the bonnet - have a look at how they came out, just like I said they would
Now onto the other side.
Last shot prior to the LSP being applied
The finished results are up next.
To draw a conclusion to the thread, which I hope you've enjoyed reading, here's the finished article from the past couple of days.
Not bad for a 215,000 mile car
Thanks for reading. Don't get too cold out there
Matt.
Nice and interesting read, amazing what some polishing products,elbow grease and initiative can do.
Thumbs up!
Good Stuff Matt
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