Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

[Grand Am GT]

Hi,

I’m new to the site, and let me first give kudos to the mods and members who dispense a wealth of information.

I’ve always been a regular wash/wax guy, and never knew how much could be done to keep a car looking great, until I found this forum about a week ago. Though people I don’t know have complimented me on my car, I would like to do more, and eventually start a detailing business.

My plan is to do a full detail, take some after photos, and use those with the ones I’ve included here to start a portfolio. Business would be word of mouth for now (friends/family/ex-coworkers would probably be first customers), but you gotta start somewhere.

Some of the photos are for the overall condition of the car, while others, such as the spots/scratch ones are more specific. The little white specks seen in the one photo are from a towel (didn't have enough microfibers).

Even with all the reading I’ve done, I’m still not exactly sure what my car needs, and don’t want to mess anything up. So I would greatly appreciate any insight you’d like to share on what is the best course of action for improving the looks of it.

Thank you for your time.

[Ganesa]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

well IMHO i think your car is in a great condition...
im usually the type of person who starres at a cars paint (good/bad condition) when im at a parking lot, think its a bad habbit.. hehe

but if your not satisfied with your car yet, maybe you could try using the claybar if you have never used it on your car, and feel that the surface of your car is not smooth enough, because it helps remove above contaminents, and then try using a light cleaner product or swirlX to remove the light scratches that you have :]..

if that doesn't satisfy you, you could always try cleaning your engine compartment and the small tight areas that never gets looked e.g. behind license plate, wheel well, etc... hehe

good luck

CMIIW, Im still learning too

[CieraSL]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

The car looks pretty good. I noticed a few scratches and the one spot in the right hand side of this picture where it looks like burn marks from a buffer or perhaps from rubbing in that area too hard?? I'd be sure to get that taken care of, maybe with some Ultimate Compound or Scratch X 2.0. Other than that, pictures look good!

[Grand Am GT]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

Thanks, Ganesa.

I've thought about using a claybar, and will double check the car's surface.

Thanks, Ciera.

I'll take a look at the spot the next time I wash her.

If you have any thoughts on what those spots are in pictures 6/7, let me know.

Thanks again.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

Just sticking to the basics is plenty of corrective procedures to take most cars to a higher level, that is,

Wash
Evaluate
Clay
Clean - Remove defects like swirls and scratches
Polish - Optional
Protect - Apply your favorite wax or paint sealant.

All you need to do is let us know if you're working by hand or machine and if by machine which type of machine.

Machine Photos - DA Polishers - Rotary Buffers - Traditional Orbital Buffers


If you want to get into this as a weekend hobby and even eventually a business then if you don't currently work by machine we would highly recommend looking at getting a DA Polisher to start with.

You can get better results faster when working on clear coats by machine than you can working by hand.

[Grand Am GT]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

Hi Mike,

I've read about the five steps, and the G110, which certainly does seem to be the way to go. I know there are plenty of kits available through ADS, and even Amazon. Though I would still want to apply the wax by hand. I seem to recall reading a thread about water spots? Is it possible that's what showing in picture # 6?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

I seem to recall reading a thread about water spots? Is it possible that's what showing in picture # 6?

Here's the thread about water spots,
How To Remove Water Spots off Automotive Paints

Is this the picture? The spots look like something 'on' the paint, like paint or something, it's hard to tell from the picture.





Sometimes this helps...

How-To capture swirls, scratches, etchings and other surface defects with your camera

[Grand Am GT]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

Great. Thank you.

I'll see what I can do about taking some clearer pictures, just have to wait for the clouds/rain to go away.

Thanks again.

[Grand Am GT]

Updated Photos - Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

The first two photos are of the spots in question.

The second 3 photos are where Ciera wonder about a burn mark from a buffer or rubbing too hard. I don't have a buffer, and how does a burn mark happen just by rubbing too hard? Do you think the photos still have the burn mark look?

The last photo is where a tree branch fell during a storm and hit my car. Is that something Swirl X could take care of?

Thank you.

[Murr1525]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

1. Spots - I think wash, clay, and a paint cleaner would be fine for those spots. How strong of a paint cleaner would depend on what, if any, etching the spots have made.

2. Buffer Trails - I am unsure about a burn mark, but it does seem like someone took a buffer to the car at some point, or really rubbed something against that fender. Even if you have had the car from new, the dealer may have 'prepped' it for you.

3. Tree Scratch - As far as fixing it.. maybe. I assume you can feel it with a finger nail? If so, it might be too deep to completely remove. Something like SwirlX, or ScratchX/UC could likely improve it at least.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Updated Photos - Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

The first two photos are of the spots in question.

The second 3 photos are where Ciera wonder about a burn mark from a buffer or rubbing too hard. I don't have a buffer, and how does a burn mark happen just by rubbing too hard? Do you think the photos still have the burn mark look?

The last photo is where a tree branch fell during a storm and hit my car. Is that something Swirl X could take care of?

For the spots, they are either removable or not, try some Ultimate Compound on them and see what happens. If they are topical you should be able to remove them, if they are deep then nothing will fix them, at the point it's time to push away from the keyboard and go out into the garage and try something.

For the burn marks, if you didn't do it then it could have been done by someone that worked on the car before you owned it, perhaps the dealership? Regardless, try rubbing it lightly with a light cutting product like SwirlX with foam applicator pad, if a little rubbing makes it look better try some more, if a little rubbing has no effect then it could be to deep?

Watch out for the color of the car on your applicator pad, if you see color that means you're through the clear coat and stop working on that section. Might try to track back to who had the car before you even if it's the dealership and see if they can explain.

As for the scratch/scuff where the tree fell and hit the car, try SwirlX first and if that's not working fast enough then try Ultimate Compound.

It's really quite simple, but it requires going out and doing some testing to see what you can do.

If you haven't read this already, give it a read as it will explain what it is you're trying to do...

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7228

[Grand Am GT]

Re: Newbie Looking For The Best Course Of Action.

Murr/Mike,

Thank you both!