3 stage paint fixer upper?/

9

94cc0rd

New member
hey guys. I was wondering if anyones heard of this before. I totally forgot what it was called but it was a 3 stage something. The guy at the body shop said that they first sand it down with 2000 grit sandpaper... then wash it... then clean the paint, i'm assuming clay bar or something... then polish and wax...



he said for $300, the paint will look brand new and will remove scratches and swirl marks and everything off the paint.



he also mentioned that i won't be able to wash my car for 5 days after it and it can't get wet at all or else some stuff will come off and it will be ruined...



just wondering if you guys have heard of it and if it's worth it.
 
How bad is your paint? We need pics.



I would stay away. For 300 you can get a PC, pads, and the perfect shine kit = all 95% of most people need.
 
Don't do it...Bodyshops are hacks..there is no need for 2000 grit wetsanding, I dont need any pictures to tell you that. All they are going to do is take off more clearcoat then necessary, as for the 5 days before getting it wet? What is this guy smoking? What a scam.... :o
 
well, i looked through all my pictures and couldn't find any good pictures during the day to show the quality of the paint but there are several little scratches all over... my roof looks like a cat ran around on it... my rear quarter panel is keyed lightly, my fender is scratched, my front end has a lot of rock chips and stuff...



it's a black car so i know a lot of the chips and stuff on the front end are unavoidable.



my friend referred me to this guy and he hooks me and some other friends with body shop work and such... he was so confident as to say that if i wasn't satisfied, i wouldn't have to pay a penny...



how much would it be for one of you crazy detailers to completely detail a cars paint, removing scratches and swirl marks and stuff...
 
also, i don't really want to spend $300 on detailing equipment because it won't be worth it for me... i'm not a detailing freak but i just want to remove the scratches and swirl marks in my paint without paying thousands of dollars for a new paint job..
 
94cc0rd said:
also, i don't really want to spend $300 on detailing equipment because it won't be worth it for me... i'm not a detailing freak but i just want to remove the scratches and swirl marks in my paint without paying thousands of dollars for a new paint job..
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That's why you spend a few hundred instead, not thousands!



Trust me, if you want to remove scratches and swirls, invest in some money and get a PC 7424 along with some polishes, wax, tools, etc. $300 can easily buy you more than enough supplies.



You have to realize that your car will always get swirls. Most people on here polish their car about 2 times a year (spring & fall). Also, I think if you're going to go out and pay someone to detail your car (OR DAMAGE YOUR CAR), you might as well invest some money and DIY.



One set of products will go a long way.



Oh yeah, welcome to the forums!
 
94cc0rd- Welcome to Autopia!



As they've said, this doesn't sound like a good idea. I can't help but think that the admonition to not get it wet/etc. is because they use a lot of fillers (i.e., "makeup" for the car's paint, a temporary fix) that'll wash out, revealing problems you thought had been solved. Once a car's been waxed you oughta be able to wash it, let alone just get it wet. This just sounds fishy.



Wetsanding/polishing/waxing can work great. BUT...it'll often take off a lot more clear/paint than just polishing/waxing alone and that can bode ill for the paint's long-term durability. If you can get by without the wetsanding you'll be ahead in the long run. IMO a *good* pro won't say they need to wetsand until they've examined the car, it's a fairly drastic step to take.



I fully understand that not everyone wants to get into detailing. In your case, I'd try to find a good detailing pro who will not only fix things up now, but also do proper hand-washes. Washing without marring (i.e., just putting the swirls back in) is tricky and there's no point in getting the paint perfect just to let it get messed up again.
 
94cc0rd said:
my friend referred me to this guy and he hooks me and some other friends with body shop work and such... he was so confident as to say that if i wasn't satisfied, i wouldn't have to pay a penny...



how much would it be for one of you crazy detailers to completely detail a cars paint, removing scratches and swirl marks and stuff...
Click to expand...



1. How is this guy going to make any money if he says you dont have to pay a penny if your not satisfied? The answer is, he is going to sand down your paint until there are no imperfections, so you'll think the finish is flawless...not a good strategy. Once again, do not do this. If you want to justify saying no to this guy ask him why is it necessary to wetsand a car when many other detailers can get rid of imperfections with just buffing, ask him his knowledge of holograms, tell him you better not see the swirls re-appear after washing just because he uses glazes..ask him why the finish cannot get wet.. Basically...tell this guy he is a scammer, then go pay someone to do it the right way...For $300...you can get your car looking showroom new from a *experienced* detailer...seems like this guy is just taking the easy way out and screwing people over.



2. I would charge around $175 for a full exterior detail - depending on the condition of the paint
 
$175 sounds about right. This is for a full detail. Interior, exterior, wheels, etc.



And this is just using stuff to get your car back to looking good. No sandpaper or stuff that 'cant get wet', whatever the F that means.



So, where ya from? You're surrounded by people that do this because they love it. Might as well take advantage...
 
is there a specific sub-forum where I can find detailers around my area? honestly, i do not want to spend $300 on pc's and detailing equipment and such because i probably won't use it enough to make it worth it. I can't even justify paying 10-20 bucks for a car wash...



I'm from Socal, Arcadia to be specific...



I'll be sure to stay away from this guys 3-stage thing... btw, if it makes any difference, this guy runs a collision body shop type of thing... does a lot of insurance work and such.
 
94cc0rd said:
is there a specific sub-forum where I can find detailers around my area?
Click to expand...





yup, click forums on the main page and scroll down to where it says 'Regional Forums' (5th one down) and click on SW USA and try posting there bud, good luck man
 
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