Autopia/PC Virgin

[bacid]

I recently had 3/4 of my car repainted due to ice falling on it at a restaurant..



After the repaint it became obvious how bad of shape my paint was (even though I washed/waxed every few months using Finish First).



I started doing research on how I could fix up the rest of the original paint so that it would look as good as the new paint.. that adventure brought me here, to Autopia.



The main reason for posting this is so that other newbies can see the wonders a PC can do.. I've essentially saved $300+ as a professional detail was what the bodyshop told me I needed!



Note: It took me close to 9hrs to do this so I won't be waxing (Klasse AIO/SG) until tomorrow.



Process:

- washed

- clayed all original paint panels

- OC w/ Cutting Pad

- OP w/ Polish Pad





BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

[Scottwax]

Big improvement! The paint was just awful in the before shots.



Here is a helpful hint, dress those tires and fenderwells before the Klasse twins, no chance of tire protectant overspray messing up your newly applied sealant that way.

 

[the0ne]

good work, how fast were you moving your pc? seems like I need to slow down on mine, I had a similar work to do on a black car, and the results wernt as good as yours (I used same compounds)

 

[bacid]

scott: i didn't really plan on using tire protectant because i'm paranoid my tires will crack.. however, i do have some vinylex, maybe i will spray that on and see if it makes the tires look better than they do now.



theone: i moved REALLY slow, put A LOT of pressure, and did numerous passes on each panel. hence the reason it took me so long!!



the results were well worth it though.



i didn't take before/after pics of the front bumper, but there was a big difference.. before the bumper was faded to the point where there were white dots everywhere. now the spots are still here but VERY hard to see unless i shine a light on it and go up close.

 

[ScubaStevo]

scott: i didn't really plan on using tire protectant because i'm paranoid my tires will crack.. however, i do have some vinylex, maybe i will spray that on and see if it makes the tires look better than they do now.



theone: i moved REALLY slow, put A LOT of pressure, and did numerous passes on each panel. hence the reason it took me so long!!



the results were well worth it though.



i didn't take before/after pics of the front bumper, but there was a big difference.. before the bumper was faded to the point where there were white dots everywhere. now the spots are still here but VERY hard to see unless i shine a light on it and go up close.

Your tires won't crack from a water based dressing. Try armor all for example.

 

[bacid]

duly noted, thanks!