I've planned to do paint correction since I got my car mid January. Black car with lots of swirl scratches..... The weather has been great the last few weeks so I put a lot of miles on (over 800 in 2.5 weeks). Now the rain has come so it's time for some needed paint correction. I did a detailed wash and clay bar over the last few days and today I started stage 1 of the 2 stage paint correction (compounding). I got my products from Todd Cooperrider (Esoteric).....Rupes DA polisher with Schols compound and Sonex polish. When I'm done, I'll be applying 22PLE glass coat. So far, I'm very pleased with stage 1, see before and after photos: Before: Image Unavailable, Please Login
Right then, can't wait until it's done. I'll be dropping my car off the moment you're finished. Kevin
Lol. You are more than welcome to borrow my DA when I'm done. I have plenty of compound and polish Kevin. So, get some clay bar and get that step done now...
I'm going to be doing my paint correction soon as well Dave. Is the clay bar an integral step in the process? I haven't really heard of anyone using it in that manner before. I am by no means an expert in this area, so I'm looking for guidance. I do have an unopened clay bar kit in the garage, so other than the intensive work involved, I don't suppose it would hurt to give it a go. Thanks, Henry
Henry, the claybar step is a must unless your paint has zero buildup which I doubt. I used Griot's garage clay and speedshine (which is awesome) for lubricant. The entire claybar process took around 2 hours so that's pretty minimal. You don't want to risk rubbing dirt or whatever into your paint.
Um - I was thinking that I would supply the beer while I sit in a chair and make comments about the weather. No???
Mirror like finish on my car? ?? I'll handle the rest! And AC/DC's greatest hits very loud... Lol Kevin
Tough to beat a good swirl remover under a DA followed by a good wax job. Really makes the car stand out.
After many hours, I completed my paint correction process yesterday. My results are beyond amazing!!! I could not be more happy. With that said, I want to share the products I used so others can benefit from this. My guess is that with the initial wash and claybar, I've got nearly 40 hours into this and still more to go. I now need to clean all of the seams and crevices and remove the compound / polish residue before applying the glass coat, 22PLE. I purchased all of my products from Todd Copperider, Esoteric Car Care Esoteric Car Care - Auto Detailing and Car Care Products! Todd was extremely helpful to me and answered every question I had. This was easy to do but it takes patience and lots of time - Todd earns every cent he charges to do this work! I used a Rupe's DA polisher: Rupes LHR15E Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher, 15mm Throw. 110v (Great machine but they should use a better grade electrical cord since it tangles easy) I did a two-stage process, compound then polish. Depending on the level of scratches your car has, it might be possible to get away with a single stage but mine had far too many and I needed the compound stage. In fact, in a few spots, I needed to use some auto-body 3M super duty compound to remove deep scratches (3 stage in those areas). For compound I used: S3 GOLD Compound 1kg Compound Pad: Meguiar's 5.5" DA Microfiber Cutting Disc - Buffing Pad. 2-Pack Pad cleaner (this is a must - Todd, you should add these to your offerings): Meguiars Professional Pad Conditioning Brush, pad cleaning brush Polish: Sonax Perfect Finish 1L Polish Pad: Rupes White Finishing Pad130/150mm Microfiber Towels (You need a lot, like 10): Reference Series Microfiber Towel PS, blue painters tape is very helpful to mask off trim, lens and other areas of the car. Here are some more photos, before and after - enjoy. (PS, photos don't do this justice!) Before: Image Unavailable, Please Login
After. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The car looks fantastic Dave, and thank you for all of the product orders! I know it's been a lot of work for you, but the reward of having such a stellar looking vehicle when you're done is well worth it. Congrats on a job well done.
You doing the John Deere next??? Seriously - looks killer.... KEVIN Looking for 40 hours in his schedule to do this....
Do the math on that many hours and you see how the high end detail guys charge what they charge to do this properly or buy all the stuff Dave did and then put in the time and learning curve yourself. The PO of my car had Todd do it a couple years ago and when I was at the Reading show the difference was readily noticeable. My wife, who is not a car person ,asked me if the Rossa Corsa 355 next to me was the same color because they looked different. True. That looks awesome Dave. Kudos to you for having the tenacity and patience to do that.
Thanks for the compliments guys! I'll post more after the 22PLE application. I don't want to disclose what Todd charges, but it's not cheap but as I said, he earns every penny. Do this only if you have OCD like I do. If not, send the car to Todd and write a check. I get tremendous satisfaction doing stuff like this myself or I would never invest the time.
That looks awesome Dave. Congrats to you for having the patience and temerity to finish it out. If you do the math on the hours involved you can fully understand why the high end detail guys like Todd get what they get for this service. The PO of my car had Todd do it a couple of years ago and at the Reading show you could see the difference. My wife is not a car person and knows nothing but asked me if the Rosso Corsa 355 next to me was the same color because they looked different to her. It is money or time well spent depending on your level of involvement. Buy all the stuff Dave did or find someone like Todd who knows what he is doing. Now get that final stuff on Dave so you can take it out and get it dirty!!
*whispered* Ferrari did something like 12 different shades of Rosso Corsa. Sorry, I know nobody likes a smart arse
