Thought I would add this if anyone is interested. Firstly my cars paintwork and condition is a good as it can be for a 14 year old, however seeing how my new local detailers have got a few cars up (especially a C63 AMG Black) that was wet sanded, flatted back, detailed and ceramic coated, it looked amazing, and next level to a stage 2 or 3 polish, it was like glass I was gobsmacked. I have always wanted it done, never had the bottle, and now here we are. I want to get my car the best it could possibly be. I had all the work done underneath and now to perfect the outside, It will be better than new when finished. Work has started and Its pretty bloody scary seeing your car being, basically sand papered back! I will document the process, it will be in for over 2 weeks!! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Ill always share a few other cars coming and going getting some Spa treatment as well! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
First one would have to determine if Ferrari applied a clear coat to their non-metallic finishes on the 430. I don't know. But if the wet sanding process shows up as white in the wet sanding water then yes that's the clear coat being removed. Contrary, if the resulting sanding "mud" shows up as red then the car has been painted with single stage paint -- and no clear coat. The average factory clear coat once applied is about the thickness of a page from a magazine... factor in the loss of clear coat to washing, waxing, and the elements over a 16 or 17 years... Even 2500 or 3000 grit wet sand paper is still taking the clear coat off. And too much for my tastes especially since the pigments used in red paint are not very stable and highly susceptible to oxidation. We've all seen the 15 year old red Miata that is now a dull pink-ish red. But if the car is a garage queen, then probably not an issue. Exposed to the sun (UV) and the elements, I, myself, would pass on the process. PS: I have over thirty years in the restoration automotive business-- FWIW
Ferrari absolutely applied clear to all paints on F430. The last single stage paint midengined V8 car was the 355 (it switched from single stage to base layer + clear in 1997). This process is probably taking 20-30% of the clear off is all. Still plenty left.
They use very high tech paint gauges these days, they show all the thickness’s of the paint, clear coat and any filler / accident damage as well. You will have to neglect a car for it to oxidise!, however, it is not for the squeamish, mine will never see rain, it will always have a coating, it will always be looked after, and once done it will look amazing.
Fun fact: on the TV show, Ultimate Factories: Ferrari, they follow the creation of the 599. However, when they're in the paint shop area, the car shown going through the process is the F430. I only bring this up because they show the clear coat process. Link for anybody that hasn't seen it:
Thanks. They had just finished this C63 Black Edition, I mean, there is detailed and polished, waxed, and what most will think is a nice shiney, polished car, and then there is this process. It really threw me what they can get paint to look like!
Definitely a art on the wet sanding. Actually its very fun to see the results. Been doing this as long as I can remember since being a painter and and a detailer. This was the last car I just painted and they topped it with Geyon mohs ceramic coating which is a very simple one to use. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Looks good, but still has Orange Peel to me, the wet sanding I have seen done looks like glass or a mirror!
Wet sanding is a little too extreme but the result would be breathtaking. 2-stages paint correction is good enough for me. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
how come they don't cover the lights? I would think since they are high grade plastic, the sanding fines would not be good for the surface of them? ie, could get in the pores?
Its having the full works done, had a spare set of wheels done in Cromo Grigio Corsa Met as well. It should be better than new once done! well that's the plan!
Me to mate, might have to invest in a new camera, I think my old Cannon IXUS will do it an injustice!
So all the wet sanding has been done and its had its first "hard polish" and its already incredible, its got medium and fine polishes to go, then onto all the interior brakes and coatings. Image Unavailable, Please Login Its really hard to picture just how stunning you can get paint. This is a high power sun gun, its normally just a light source blob that is designed to show swirls and marks around the light, this shows the detail in the light, its LED's because the paint is pristine, perfectly flat and all the peel and imperfections removed! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login I wont want to dive it now!
You're sellin' it! Wow that really does look perfect. Funny i was just thinking the same, wouldn't want to pull it out of the garage!
Thanks for the kind comment, in person it looks even better! I know what you mean but its a car at the end of day - its having Gtechniq Ultra so it should lock in the work that's been done and it should be easy to keep it well!