Paint swirls and scratches

Before you drop $300, buy either the new "ICE" clear liquid wax from Turtle Wax and/or the "Clay Bar" version of same product. Absolutely the BEST CAR WAX EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have waxed over 15 cars from the bottle and it's still half full. Last year at the FCA Nationals in DC, I waxed a friend's BBi in direct sunlight in 20 minutes. A bystander with a 348 was so impressed, he asked to borrow the wax! "ICE" is a clear liquid, similar to baby oil in "texture", so no chasing the white wax residue with a toothbrush for months. Squirt onto foam applicator pad (provided), apply in circular motion. Start at one corner of car and do one lap. Then use Micro-fiber towel (provided) to wipe off. No huffing, puffing, buffing required. "Clay Bar" version is a 3 part liquid. Shake well and squirt onto applicator pad. No towel provided with this version, but instructions say to hose off residue. I used chamois to dry, then light polishing with towel. Incredible results with either product. Remember the car wax commercial where the guy is in a wrecking yard and they wax a spot on the hood of a badly oxidized black Camaro? This stuff is better than that!

 

No. It fills them.

Detailing is an art, and I'm no Michelangelo. But the simple answer is don't rub your car with anything unless the dirt has already been dislodged and the surface is wet. Keeping it waxed can make dirt easier to remove, so you can touch it lightly with a clean microfiber cloth or towel to remove water.

The only way to remove scratches is to have someone who knows what he is doing buff it with a dual-orbital or similar quality buffer. I don't do this myself, and frankly you shouldn't have to do it often.

Just lightly rinse and use a soaking wet sheepskin mitt to 'guide' the dirt downward from your car's surface to the ground.

 

If somebody does not know what they are doing they can really damage the paint with a high speed buffer. I will throw some pictures in this thread to see if it helps you understand.

Picture one, this is a picture of a rare 1965 Chevelle that the owner paid good money to have buffed. You can see by looking at the direct sun that the car's paint was damaged by the "detailer". The sad part is that this guy took his car to one of the best body shops in the area and had there top guy detail it!

Here is a picture I took in the direct sun after I polished it. Polishing is a little bit of an art forum but when done correctly with a high speed poilsher, the results can be out standing.

Here is a picture of a Modena under high wattage halegon lights to highlight the swirl marks.

Here is the same area after I polished it. As you can see, the polishing removed the marks by releveling the paint to ensure it is even.

Here is the whole car's side under the halogen after being polished to perfection, not one defect is visiable.

The point is that if you find somebody who is an expert in car care and an artist with a buffer you have nothing to fear as the finish can be brought to much higher then new standards. However the downside is you can also end up with a finish with something worse, like the first picture.

The last picture is a 348 that I polished. As you can see (honestly though this care was in great shape before I polished it) the paint looks as good, if not better then new despite the age.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Lastly here is a 328 that has been polished. You can see the paint looks brand new!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Some final pointers, ask the detailer what products he will use to detail your car.

I would be leary of anybody use 3m polishes, since they are formulated for bodyshop use and use a lot of fillers that tend to fill in swirl marks and holograms, making the car appear nice for a couple weeks until the filling oils evaporate.

If you have questions, want to double check what this guy is doing, or what me to recommend somebody in your area, shoot me a PM. I would love to help you out and make sure you get the Ferrari done right!

 

Husker,
Todd detailed my 348 (in the picture) and really seems to know what he is talking about! Also, it is nice to see he is willing to help someone who he has no chance of doing business with because he likes to educate people who are interested. I think your shop offer to buff the car out for $300 seems like a good deal to me.
BT

 

I agree with BT. Also, Tropical Detailing (Todd) knows his stuff. Take his advise and PM to him if necessary. He has a great clientele here in S. FL. He has done my car and customer cars also.

 

I agree $300 sounds like good deal to me.

You also asked about a cover. I think dragging the cover on and off the paint causes scratches. Only cover your car when it is going to be laid up for some time and wash it right before. Have two people apply the cover and try very hard to not rub it on the paint

 

Do it yourself .........it is not that hard if you take your time .....


I like keeping my cars clean and only recently discovered detailing.

I was going to get a professional to give my 360 modena a detail with paint correction as it had a lot of swirls and hologramming from the previous owner.

I then thought that if I purchased a Portercable buffer and the appropriate products that I could also use it for further cars and applications if needed and if I was not successful then I could always sell the equipment.

I did a bit of research on detailing forums as to what products and techniques to use so that I would get the best possible results......


I took the plunge and bought a portercable and some poorboys ssr2 and ssr1 along with some mothers polish and to finish I would be using Meguiars NXT Techwax.

On d-day I followed the methods that I had researched and it took about 10 hours........

The results are astounding all traces of swirling are gone and only a few deeper scratches remain which I would imagine could be removed by using a rotary buffer but I can live with them as they are not in areas of high visibility.

I was very apprehensive about using a buffer on my car but the Portercable is easy and fairly safe as long as you do not use too aggressive a product...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

don't do it yourself! specially if you have never done it and don't have the tools. if the guy is good, it will be the best $300 you will spend on your car. ferraris have crappy paint and it can be thin in spots, specially if it's older and has been done several times before. just to give you some perspective, the top guys charge $650+. you will be stunned by the difference if it is done right. also, $300 (or $650 for that matter) is not worth 10 hours of hard labor to me. i'd rather pay to have it done right. but that's just me, i hate to even wash my car. and, strangely enough, i'm off to pick up my repaired spoiler today. ripped off at 140mph.

 

I agree. Ferrari paint really is overrated. It looks like Taffy did good work on his 360 above, but you can see on the side it has orange peel and the reflection doesn't have the depth you'd see on a top-notch paint job.

 

I suppose it all depends on how fastidious you want to be about the little defects that all cars come with. No car is perfect and the more perfect that the finish of your car becomes then any defect that you aqquire will stand out more than if there were a few minor blemishes in the paint. The orange peel you see in my paint was much more prononced before I began work,this was due to an inferiorly painted "jealousy scratch" repair ......the rest of the car is glassy .....I know the orange peel can be removed by using a rotary instead of the Portercable but to me it is not bad enough for me to be to bothered about.

10 hours spent on my car to me is justified as I no longer work and like to enjoy not just driving my Ferrari but making her look as best as I possibly can.

Maybe I will procure the services of a pro detailer to see if it really is that much different , but in the flesh I feel that my car looks better than most Fcars in dealers showrooms.......

Each to his own though ..........

 

It doesn't look bad at all. In fact the factory paint on my 328 decklid isn't as good as the repainted area on yours.

Of course, Lexus wouldn't have let the car out the door that way...

 

Yes but sometimes the Italians want to finish early for lunch ......whereas the Japanese are more regimented ..........lol