RaysWay
Autopia Specialist
This past Saturday I was busy finishing up a Dodge Durango detail when I was interrupted with a tap on my shoulder. Having polished paint inside of used car dealership for several weeks now, I've grown accustomed to regular interruptions from salesmen, customers and general curious onlookers. The buzz of a polisher attracts car people like bees to honey, and working inside of a car dealership; I may as well be the queen. 
I turned around and saw two familiar faces and one stranger. For a moment, I thought about using my overused "No speakeh tha ingles" reply to ward off the interruption but I could see the urgency in their faces; this was no time for games. I removed my earplugs and wiped the sweat off my face before being bombarded with questions. The owner of the dealership and a salesmen were in a debate with a potential customer on the condition of the clearcoat on a Pontiac G6. The customer thought the clearcoat was beyond repair. He cited past experiences in which the clearcoat was too damaged to be restored on previous cars he owned. They asked me to inspect the car outside.
Outside the paint looked horrible, all of the horizontal panels on the paint were covered in swirls, waterspots and oxidation. It looked dull, but the clearcoat was not compromised. I told him it would all buff out and the paint could actually look very good. My third opinion didn't change his mind so the owner of the dealership asked me to polish the trunk. So I drove the car inside and this is what I saw...
Looking at these pictures, I think it looked much worse in person especially in direct sunlight. My simple point and shoot camera is horrible at showing swirls. But you can still get an idea of the condition of the paint.
While taking these pictures, the three men gathered around me. I had a crowd.
I decided to go straight for heavy cut with a Makita 9227c and a Lake Country HydroTech Tangerine Pad. I laid down a bead of 3D AAT Rubbing Compound and polished a small section of the hood. When I turned off the machine, everyone leaned over to inspect the paint...
The first reaction I noticed when I wiped off the residue was from the owner of the dealership, he had this big goofy smile on his face. The reluctant buyer was amazed. He actually turned to the owner and said "how much are you paying this guy??" It was a great feeling.
The paint wasn't perfect of course after a single application of rubbing compound, but I was really impressed on how it cut and finished.
(Sorry for the blurry pic I was in a rush)
I ended up using the same combo on the rest of the trunk area while they finished with the paperwork. I applied Optimum Car Wax for protection. The car was sold and I received a tip from the buyer, and later from the owner.
Thanks for reading!
I turned around and saw two familiar faces and one stranger. For a moment, I thought about using my overused "No speakeh tha ingles" reply to ward off the interruption but I could see the urgency in their faces; this was no time for games. I removed my earplugs and wiped the sweat off my face before being bombarded with questions. The owner of the dealership and a salesmen were in a debate with a potential customer on the condition of the clearcoat on a Pontiac G6. The customer thought the clearcoat was beyond repair. He cited past experiences in which the clearcoat was too damaged to be restored on previous cars he owned. They asked me to inspect the car outside.
Outside the paint looked horrible, all of the horizontal panels on the paint were covered in swirls, waterspots and oxidation. It looked dull, but the clearcoat was not compromised. I told him it would all buff out and the paint could actually look very good. My third opinion didn't change his mind so the owner of the dealership asked me to polish the trunk. So I drove the car inside and this is what I saw...
Looking at these pictures, I think it looked much worse in person especially in direct sunlight. My simple point and shoot camera is horrible at showing swirls. But you can still get an idea of the condition of the paint.
While taking these pictures, the three men gathered around me. I had a crowd.
I decided to go straight for heavy cut with a Makita 9227c and a Lake Country HydroTech Tangerine Pad. I laid down a bead of 3D AAT Rubbing Compound and polished a small section of the hood. When I turned off the machine, everyone leaned over to inspect the paint...
The first reaction I noticed when I wiped off the residue was from the owner of the dealership, he had this big goofy smile on his face. The reluctant buyer was amazed. He actually turned to the owner and said "how much are you paying this guy??" It was a great feeling.
The paint wasn't perfect of course after a single application of rubbing compound, but I was really impressed on how it cut and finished.
(Sorry for the blurry pic I was in a rush)
I ended up using the same combo on the rest of the trunk area while they finished with the paperwork. I applied Optimum Car Wax for protection. The car was sold and I received a tip from the buyer, and later from the owner.
Thanks for reading!
