YooNiBaLL

I know there are multiple threads on detailing but will detailing get all the scratches out of your finish? the scratches are not deep but noticeable.

also, how much does it cost to repaint your entire car the original color of your car? it seems like many members just decide to repaint their entire car and they say it very lightly, giving me the notion that it doesn't cost a lot. i just want to cover up the scratches and stupid door dings...any links to helpful threads or help in general would be appreciated. thanks a lot guys.

ELL Y

iTrader: (1)

Depends on how deep the scratches are.
If the scratches can be felt with your fingernail or deeper, its generally very hard, if not impossible to polish out, and would in most instances require sanding and a repaint+blend.
If the scratches are finer, especially 'swirls' like spiderwebbing, etc. they can be detailed out or hidden by waxes.

A repaint is pretty hefty in cost, and will probably make your car value drop if you intend on reselling it in the future. (At least in my opinion- I'd never buy a fully repainted car).

I'd recommend a polish, at least initially to see if you're satisfied by it. Consider getting someone to detail it if you don't have your own polishing equipment. You can never keep your car perfectly scratch free, and a repaint will get pocked and scuffed in time as well. Drive the vehicle as it was intended to be driven, and polish and keep your car well waxed and clayed.

Stokdgs

What color is your IS ??
I worked as a Painter for awhile, and a complete paint job would be thousands of dollars now, because the paint is now harder to do, its at least a 2 stage paint, and in order for it to match perfectly, all the door jambs, under the hood, fenders, under the trunklid, everywhere the original paint is already, have to be repainted, and all the places next to these places have to be taped off. Its a very laborious process, if it is going to be perfect.
If you have door dings, consider getting the paintless dent removal people give you an estimate to remove those.
I would find a great detailer, who understands scratch removal, (not some hack with a buffer with no experience), who uses good products that dont contain fillers, has an expensive paint thickness tool, and has years of practice..
Can you do this yourself? Probably, depending on what your paint condition is like now. You would need to get a Porter Cable 7424 or a Flex 3401, and some pads and someone to show you how to use them.
As has also been said, even if you go to all the trouble to get your paint swirl and scratch free, even washing it incorrectly will introduce the scratches and swirls in the paint again.
I have had several black cars and finally quit stressing out about them, and finally got rid of all of them and dont have that to deal with any longer.
So, your assignment, if you choose to accept, is to tell us the color of your IS and if possible take a few pictures of what you are describing, with good lighting, and post them up, ok ?
There might be a good detailer we know of in your area already, so where do you live?

Good luck with this.. DanF

llamaboiz

best suggestion:

goto your regional board here on CL, ask who is a good detailer, go see who they recomend. Talk to the detailer and get his opinion

darkdream

a good auto shop - $4000-$6000 well it was how much i was quoted for basically to repaint the entire car.

Fizzboy7

Try your best NOT to have your car repainted. It really kills resale value on a newer car. As far as the scratches, a good detailer can fix all that at a fraction of the cost. The dings can also be taken out by a mobile ding repair company. They are all over the place and it's affordable. Good luck.

YooNiBaLL

my car is obsidian. and about the detailer... is it safest to get it detailed at the dealer or not? i would think getting it detailed at the dealer would allow for best results since they use experienced professionals.

as3.0cl

iTrader: (2)

in my experience, their detailers suck. they don't detail anything they put on fillers and two weeks later the swirls are back.

go to autopia.org , it's a forum mush like this filled with detailer and go check out the regional sections where they actually know what they are doing.

Stokdgs

Ok, Obsidian; beautiful, but needs to be looked at alot to keep it at its best.
You can inquire with your dealer, ask them to show you some of their detailer's work, etc.. Let them look at your paint, and advise you what they think in terms of what you have to remove, and how they would do it, etc..
They may be much higher than other independents.. Perhaps see if you can another bid on the job, just to get another point of reference, and see how close they are to each other..
One advantage to using the dealer is that they should, note I said should, know all about their own paint, how many microns thick it is, and should be able to stand behind anything they screw up. I would want to get this in writing, just to be safe.. They should have enough practice doing many Obsidians that come scratched, marred, swirled, etc., and know how to take all this out and give you perfectly clear, clean, paintwork back. You want to stress to them that you dont want swirls, buffing marks, etc., in it, it has to be perfectly clear, especially in the sunlight, and you are going to inspect it before you come in to pay for the work, and if its not right, no pay for it..
You would want to know that they claybarred the car as well, before polishing it, and you especially want to know what kind of product they used, so you can continue using it for maintenance, etc., to the paint if you choose to do some of this work later on, etc..
I believe Lexus sells their brand of waxes, etc., in the boutique, so this is what they might use..
Know that waxes only last so long before they wear off, and need to be replaced, that washing it incorrectly can again introduce swirls, etc., so you have to be careful, and especially stay away from car washes if you want to keep the paint as scratch free as possible.
Know that no one should sit on it, or lean on it, or rub their hands over it unless it has just been freshly washed, otherwise, it will scratch the paint..
And now you know why I have let go all my beautiful black beauties, cars and trucks, and know just have metallics, silvers, tungsten pearl, blue-gray, etc.. You will be fine, it just takes more work to keep your Obsidian beauty looking the best.. And NOTHING looks better than a freshly washed and waxed, Obsidian, black, vehicle !! DanF

IS350jet

Don't take it to the dealer for a detail. What you are looking for is a professional detailer that *specializes* in paint correction. It'll run about 400 bucks to have the entire car corrected by an expert. If a guy says he'll "buff" your car out for 75 bucks, stay away. Also, most PDR experts can perform miracles on door dings.

fredw1

Griot's Garage has a random orbital polisher that, with Polish #3, supposedly works well on fine swirl marks. Total cost would be less than $200, and can be reused.