things you should invest in:
- porter cable and lake country foam pad kit
- claybar
- 3m scratch remover
- hi quality polish
- glaze (produces deep wet look)
- carnuba wax or sealant

 

Rediculous suggestion. It would cost him WAY more money to do this, and probably worse results than if he just paid a pro to do it.

 

You spelled ridiculous wrong. If he did go this route, he would have the tools necessary to maintain his finish rather than taking it to a detail shop every so often. Not a bad suggestion.

 

First was with dawn soap, then wash with regular shampoo. Clay and add a few coats of Carnuba and your off and running

 

There are no steps in your recommendation that will remove the swirls or scratches... the Carnuba may fill them in for a short period, but they will be back and noticable within a few days.

 

definitely not a bad investment. Especially for the amount of money you'll spend going to a detailer every so often. Seriously, a 6 year old can literally use a Porter Cable orbital. Gernby just has some personal vendetta against everything I say something. wtf.

 

I'd have to agree with both sides of this. If you're looking to take care of this problem and maintain it yourself by simple washes and one-step waxes or sealants, you're better off hiring a pro for 200-500 bucks. If you're serious about maintaining your car regularly using a porter cable and experimenting with waxes, polishes, and sealants, put that money into the pc and supplies.

If you want both, and money is not the main issue, you could do what I did. Buy a pc, hire a pro and watch what and how he does it.

I got started with this forum, then moved to autopia.org and autogeek.net for forums specifically designed for detailing enthusiasts.

Good Luck!

 

Here's my 2 cents...

I also have an Obsidian 07-350, x-pkg. I fortunately got it prof. clayed and waxed right after purchasing it. However, I washed it two times without knowing proper techniques and now have a lot of micro-marring and swirls. I was going to send it to the detailer 2/yr at a cost of approx $400/yr, but I decided to get off my lazy butt and I ended up buying a pc and all the works. It takes a lot of time, but to me it's fun and satisfying to do your own car. You can't do that much damage with a pc and swirl remover. If you have time, take the time to learn how to detail your car. If you don't have time, pay a prof. and you should be ok.

Actually, I would pay the prof. this time to make sure the car is as close to the original condition as possible and then take care of it from there. All the others are right about not trying it yourself this time b/c it seems like this one is more of a fix than a maintain.

Good Luck!

 

You're not likely to buff off enough of the clear to reach the colored paint unless you really don't know what you're doing. Most likely any damage done can be easily fixed by a skilled detailer. Visit Autopia.org and ask for some good referrals in your area. You're bound to get someone to help out.

 

I really hope you don't think I have any sort of personal vendetta against you. I guess I just disagree with your opinion often.

The reason why I disagreed with your suggestion above is not because I don't think those items would be a good investment for future maintenance, but I don't think he should attempt fixing this problem himself. First off, the PC is not a very good buffer. It is great for waxing and mild polishing, but it would take forever to use one to do a significant full-car buffing. My detailer uses a large orbital buffer to remove scratches, then polishes with a PC.

 

pay a prof IMO, for one reason alone. if your finicky about your finish ( as most of us are) and your car is black, buffing it will only create swirl marks that will drive you mad. buffing a black car is a detailers/painters nightmare. SWIRLS SWIRLS SWIRLS.....OMG the SWIRLS. but at the same time, i do love the DIY approach, i would just get too **** over it. BUT THATS JUST ME!
i dont think i helped any in this matter, just stated my OPINION...GOOD LUCK MATE

 

I'll agree with most that he should first take it to a professional. But he should definitely invest in car care products such as stated above. But to say a PC is not a very good buffer?? How so? Your detailer uses an orbital to remove scratches and polishes with, guess what, an orbital. Seriously, a PC can do it all with the right speed setting, foam pads, and polisher. Go back to rewiring your ECU or something at Dell. Your incessant haterism is getting old.

 

OK Fellas, let's step back and keep things civil and helpful here, ok?

... Firstly, no one should EVER call any suggestion ridiculous here, that's not appropriate for the opinions and suggestions offered, and is counter-productive for the forum in general. Might I suggest a different choice of wording next time?

How about some tact and something like:

"I disagree with that suggestion because..."

I think anyone would take it as a personal affront when a (valid) suggestion is demeaned.

So...I'd rather not close this thread because it has legitimate issues that need as many polite&helpful opinions as are available.

Realize, that the written word may not always convey the inflection you intended, so choose words wisely.

That all said, the point is valid and should be considered as an alternative. In essence; "give a man fish, he eats today, teach a man to fish, he eats the rest of his life".

I *think* that's a decent parallel to having someone do the work for you now vs learning to do it all yourself. Not everyone will have the time, inclination or confidence to do this of course, but that doesn't negate the advice as sound.

Also, although I can't be certain, there are a few mentions of pros using an "orbital" buffer. IMO, (being a professional detailer) they may MEAN "rotary" rather than orbital. FWIW, one spins completely circularly (rotary) and the other in a concentric orbit. The former cuts paint fast, the latter is more benign. Both have specific purposes and limitations.

I know more than a few pros and *most* would be using a rotary buffer for moderate to severe scratching and spider webbing etc., and some will finish ( as I) with an orbital. There's a large difference in the two as most of you already know.


Lastly, fall back on the axiom of: "Though we may disagree, we don't have to be disagreeable in the process."

Watching this thread closely.

 

My apologies. I should not have called any suggestion ridiculous. BTW, will CL ever have a "Check Spelling" button?

EDIT: I just now noticed that there is a spell check button ...

 

Thanks for stepping up and saying that Gernby, now back to our regularly scheduled detailing "stuff".