Black Gallardo - what's the next step???

S

spumoni

New member
I just got a black Gallardo with 1900 miles - the dealer buffed and polished the car, and I must say it looks pretty decent. They didn't apply any sealant or wax - they told me to wait a week and top it off with wax.



The paint seems so soft, the car scratches so easily. Should I apply a sealant? I have a PC and all of the pads, I've got Wolfgang sealant, and Pinnacle paste wax. My fear is the more I touch the car, the more it will scratch. Will the sealant help prevent this, or should I just leave it alone.



Any advice would be appreciated.



Thanks!
 
sealant will help, and I would reapply every other month on a black car to help prevent the wash induced swirl marks!



why would you have to wait a week...sounds more like it was re-painted rather than just polished...
 
Trust me... the car wasn't painted, I'm certain of that. I think they wanted me to wait a week because of the clear bra that was put on.



In any event, adding sealant should help prevent swirls? Will top coating the sealant with wax add any benefits?



Thanks!
 
Typically Lambo paint is extremely hard not soft at all. just fyi.



However the paint will scratch just as easily no matter how hard or soft IME.



Before you seal or wax it I'd double check it either with 500W halogens in a dark garage or in direct sunlight with no cloud cover to really see if there's any buffer trails left over from the dealer. I've seen plenty of Lambo and Ferraris come back from well respected dealers and painters with holograms all over.



Also don't forget to clay it first off as well. Do the baggy test to see how rough the paint is then clay it till it's smooth. You don't want to seal all that bonded contamination to the paint.



Once you ensure the paint is good enough for your standards then protect it with a synthetic sealant as a foundation. Maybe even multiple coats to really build it up. Then every other month you can wax it with a Carnuaba or top it off again with the sealant. It's really personal preference with what you're protecting it with, it's not like it's your daily driver right....



Josh
 
Josh - that makes sense, and thanks for your reply. I'm frustrated because I've been experimenting on small parts of the car before I seal the paint. I have some minor scratching from rough hands on top of the drivers door. I carefully tried removing the scratches using a slightly damp microfiber rag, and tried several different polishes like Meguiar's 7 and Klasse all in one. Although the scratches were removed, I always am left with a slightly cloudy spot. It's literally driving me to drink! Why is this happening?



Should I try using my Porter Cable with a gray pad and do the entire panel?



I really want to get the car sealed, but everything I try seems to makes matters worse.



Thanks.
 
If you are polishing by hand, you may be rubbing after the pad/towel is dry and actually mircomarrring. hit it with the PC.



also, go ahead and seal the car. if you need to reapply sealant to areas you fool with later, go ahead. it's just a protectant, not a coat of clear that forever seals in imperfections.
 
Yes. I would give it a good polish to make sure to is completely defect free.



Then you can seal it up, knowing that at that point, its "perfect" paint. And Megs #7 and KAIO may not be aggressive enough. But itd be really nice to see some pics
 
spumoni said:
Josh - that makes sense, and thanks for your reply. I'm frustrated because I've been experimenting on small parts of the car before I seal the paint. I have some minor scratching from rough hands on top of the drivers door. I carefully tried removing the scratches using a slightly damp microfiber rag, and tried several different polishes like Meguiar's 7 and Klasse all in one. Although the scratches were removed, I always am left with a slightly cloudy spot. It's literally driving me to drink! Why is this happening?



Should I try using my Porter Cable with a gray pad and do the entire panel?



I really want to get the car sealed, but everything I try seems to makes matters worse.



Thanks.
Click to expand...



Hard to say without seeing it in person. I can only guess....



Could be your polish is too harsh and you need to refine it a couple times with less abrasive polishes to remove the hazing. If you're doing it by hand you may find it difficult to get right as their are many factors to consider, motion speed, down pressure, consistency and such are just a few.



An AIO product will more then likely not remove hazing or defects as they are not designed for that kind of correction.



Josh
 
I will try to take a picture of the cloudy spot I created on the door using the polish and microfiber, but I already have a picture of the area behind the rear plate I need to address. I'm waiting for my 4 inch pads to arrive... will try Wolfgang Total Swirl with an orange lake country pad...



I'm trying to decide between two sealants.



Wolfgang Concourse or the Klasse all in one. Which should I use? Also, gray or white pad on the PC?



Thanks!
 

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spumoni said:
I will try to take a picture of the cloudy spot I created on the door using the polish and microfiber, but I already have a picture of the area behind the rear plate I need to address. I'm waiting for my 4 inch pads to arrive... will try Wolfgang Total Swirl with an orange lake country pad...



I'm trying to decide between two sealants.



Wolfgang Concourse or the Klasse all in one. Which should I use? Also, gray or white pad on the PC?



Thanks!
Click to expand...



Great looking car.



You probably already know this, but remove the rear plate so you can access the whole area. Those 4 inch pads will make a huge different in those little tight areas.



Josh
 
Yes, I took the bracket off, and put it back on. I will certainly remove it once I try to correct it. What is IIRC??
 
I just called Autogeek - it's a good thing I didn't take the sealant route. They told me that if the car was glazed, the sealant won't stick. I needed to get a polish enhancer first. They advised me to just wax it and wait 6-8 weeks and start from scratch.
 
spumoni said:
I just called Autogeek - it's a good thing I didn't take the sealant route. They told me that if the car was glazed, the sealant won't stick. I needed to get a polish enhancer first. They advised me to just wax it and wait 6-8 weeks and start from scratch.
Click to expand...



You can use Danase Wet Glaze as you can apply anything over top of it.
 
Typically glazes being oil or silicone based tend to make it difficult for a sealant to properly bond with the clear coat.



If you're full correcting the paint there's really no need to glaze it afterwards. Glazes are designed to fill in defects and swirls so if you remove all of that before hand the glaze is not going to make it look much better.



Skip the glaze, rewash it after polishing to remove the lubes and then you can seal it or wax it.



Josh
 
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