B- on Detailers Final Exam

B

boywonder

New member
Vehicle: '97 Maxima SE

Color: Super Black



This car had a lot of scratches on it......literally. I tried EVERYTHING in my arsenal to get them out (all the way up to my PI III RC) and no good.



At any rate, we started buffing with the rotary using the Sonus Polishing pad with SFX-1. The SFX-1 reduced a good amount of the swirls but it wasn't to my satisfaction. I played around with SFX-2 on the badly swirled hood of this car and SFX-2 did absolutely nothing to get these swirls out. After dealing with this for a good hour or so, I finally suggested to my partner that we just buff it out using Menzerna Power Gloss and then follow it with AIO and SG.



I literally tried Everything I could to get these swirls out but the more I tried, the more I was getting discouraged and frustrated. Even one of the guys that was with me tried the same things and it didn't put a dent.



However, the rest of the car came out nicely. :D Pics coming very soon.
 
PrinzII said:
Vehicle: '97 Maxima SE

Color: Super Black



This car had a lot of scratches on it......literally. I tried EVERYTHING in my arsenal to get them out (all the way up to my PI III RC) and no good.



At any rate, we started buffing with the rotary using the Sonus Polishing pad with SFX-1. The SFX-1 reduced a good amount of the swirls but it wasn't to my satisfaction. I played around with SFX-2 on the badly swirled hood of this car and SFX-2 did absolutely nothing to get these swirls out. After dealing with this for a good hour or so, I finally suggested to my partner that we just buff it out using PB SSR 2.5 and then follow it with AIO and SG.



I literally tried Everything I could to get these swirls out but the more I tried, the more I was getting discouraged and frustrated. Even one of the guys that was with me tried the same things and it didn't put a dent.



However, the rest of the car came out nicely. :D Pics coming very soon.
Click to expand...



That's the reality of detailing, you can't always take something old and worn and make it look new again. You can just hopefully improve on it. Some things are just beyond detailing and only a repaint will get it back to like new condition. Sounds like you did all you could do. Just for a hint, you might try a heavy compond made for a rotary before you completely give up. Maybe something like Megs Medium or Heavy cut cleaner.:)
 
You said this was on the hood. Is there any way that the "swirls" were actually the beginning of clearcoat failure? My hood is the same way and Rod of Meguiar's looked at it with a little microscope-type device (similar to a jeweler's loop) and came to that conclusion.



That panel isn't polished anymore for fear of accelerating the damage, but it is slick and shiny:D
 
PrinzII said:
think: It was also on the trunk.
Click to expand...



That may lend even more credence to the theory. The rear of my roof and hood have the same issue. The only reason my trunk does not is a repaint due to an accident prior to my ownership. I understand your frustration.
 
Think: The client was pleased, but considering the perfectionistic person that I am, it bothered me personally. It was just one of those cases where I felt I could have done more but was leery about doing so. But sometimes, we have to err on the side of caution when detailing another person's vehicle. Thanks for the words of encouragement. :D
 
Hey Prinz,



it's part of the game... You can't get everything back to perfect, hell, my 96 miata doesn't even come out blemish free anymore..



I'm sure the condition you left that car in was 1000000x better than it was before...



That's more than anyone should expect after neglecting their car for years...
 
Here are the afters:



PICT0271.jpg




PICT0269.jpg




PICT0265.jpg
 
I guess I'm glad I didn't do his car then. I would have had one hell of a time with a PC.

I don't notice all of those door dings in the driver's side. Did you pop them out? I remember seeing a good dozen dings in a row last summer.



EDIT: wait...I think I see them in the last pic of the driver's side. Did you try to pop them out?
 
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