O.C.Detailing (Lynchburg, VA.) - 1998 Porsche Boxter (Heavy paint Correction!)

A

adrock2003

New member
This 1998 Porsche Boxter had been on the lot for 9 months before I got my hands on it. My understanding is that 3 other detailers and a painter touched it before I did as well and it still wouldn't sell. After 18 hours of work on the exterior of this car, it sold 2 weeks later. Prior to me detailing this car, the owner of the lot stated that he hated this car and said he didn't care what happened to it. He only let me detail it because I had been pushing him to let me clean it up to see if it would sell, and it did. ;)



Process:



- Wash via 2-bucket method, Meg's Gold Class Shampoo and a bit of degreaser mixed into the wash water to remove any old product that may have been lurking on the surface.

- Clayed with Meg's Clay. Every square inch was clayed.

- Correction work was done with Optimum Compound on Yellow LC Cutting 4" pad using PC7424 (not the XP version). The front bumper was wet-sanded to remove all traces of orange peel left behind when it got repainted due to having far too many rock chips, then buffed out with Meg's Diamond Cut 2.0 Compound on another 4" yellow cutting LC pad. I then followed up the compounding stage with Optimum Poli-seal on a LC 4" Orange Light-cut pad.

- Wheels were cleaned with Meg's Wheel Brightener and aggitated with several brushes.

- Tires were dressed with Meg's Endurance Tire Gel

- No LSP was applied, but I think it came out incredibly, and lasted until the day it sold.



And now for the photos!



BEFORES:



These photos are before being washed...

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...can you tell the bumper hadn't been wet-sanded out by the person who painted it? Really? Me neither!!!

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Both headlights had clearcoat overspray on both of them and they needed to be wetsanded and buffed out to get rid of it...you can see it in the lower right portion of the light in this photo and barely see it in the upper left area as well.

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The next couple pics are after it was washed, and Leroy was walking in the background, everyone say "Hi Leroy!!"

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Nice reflection huh? :confused:

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Though it's not apparent in this pic, my test area was the passenger's rear fender, which is correct in this photo.

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And here's the same fender up close.

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This photo is compounded, but not polished out yet.

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Compounding finished on the driver's side, but still no polishing has been done.

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Same rear quarter...gratuitous shot I guess.

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And NOW THE AFTERS! FULLY CORRECTED!!!



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I REALLY love this quarter!

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Me in the hood!

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Cool reflection of a Saab Vert in the door.

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Let me bring your attention to that front bumper everyone. Tell me that looks like a freshly painted bumper now!

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No...I REALLY love this quarter, seriously.

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And that's it for this one. Thanks for looking. Your comments are greatly appreciated. Criticisms are very welcome as well.



Adam
 
Speaking from experience, that was a great job. We had one of these in the shop about a month ago. The customer came to me wanting to spend less than $200.00, but after I told him about proper paint correction and the benefits, he was all ears. It is nice to get the customer "who gets it".



I hope that the dealer now realizes how important the "quality of work" plays into the sale. I still have dealers that don't get it.
 
He actually paid me a tad more for this car, but I did spend 18 hours on correcting it. He contracted my services even though he already has 2 full-time detailers on-site 5-6 days per week. He took me after I walked into his office and asked if he needed a "real" detailer. He initially said no but then asked me what kind of equipment I use. When I started listing everything, he stopped me mid-way and said, let me see what I have. ;) I've now done about 10 cars for him and he keeps getting more for me every week. Can't wait until a car takes me 1 day or less. heh



And thanks again Howareb for the post and compliment. :D It's nice to know people appreciate the labor I put into a car, even though it's probably more than the car required to be "corrected". I'm still ironing out my processes and trimming down the time I spend a little at a time. :D
 
wow sounds like you scored. I might need to use that line. "Need a real detailer?" it really is the truth though . . . . it's not being harsh it's being truthful as most people don't understand how in depth detailing is.



Very nice job on the porsche. What grit did you wet sand with and did you use a sanding block?



Makes me want to go and talk to some of the smaller dealerships around here though there arn't very many.
 
I will use as low as 1000 grit, but 2500 grit will take out pretty much everything I need to get out and I can just buff out the marks with an orange pad and compound, depending on the hardness of the clearcoat that is.



I have 3 sanding blocks. Each of differing hardnesses. I have found that I only use the Meg's softest sanding block though. The other 2 are just too hard and gouge the paint instead of sanding it.



Also, I've found that even if you show pictures of your work to people AND explain that a detailer does more than make a car shiney, until you actually show them the difference in-person, they still don't have an actual clue as to what a "true" detailer does. My thoughts are like this, if you're not fixing paint and removing stains, you're not detailing. You're washing someone's car. Applying wax does not a detailer make. Personally preparing a surface and making it READY for wax...THAT makes you a detailer. Removing stains and bodily oils and fluids from carpets and upholstery, THAT makes you a detailer. Anyone, even a MONKEY can vaccuum the interior, but not everyone can take a 5-year old kids mess and make it look like it never happened. AMIRITE?
 
car looks way better. Good job!



Just to clarify.. you sand with 2500 grit then just use a 4" orange and a PC and it polishes all the sanding marks out?
 
It depends on the clear coat. Some clears won't correct even the lightest sanding marks without a wool pad and heavy compound. So far, I've only had 2 cars like that. All of the others allow me to polish out the sanding marks with either 1 or 2 hits of a decent polish on an orange or yellow pad.



And thank you for your kind words. ;)
 
I'll find a clear that corrects easily one day and do a quick video of me taking out the marks with my DA and orange pad with polish. The post I did on the Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab was done with my DA, orange pad and polish after wet-sanding the entire passenger's side of the truck. Take a look at it.



http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-de...a-2003-dodge-ram-1500-crew-cab-lots-pics.html



Hell, you can SEE my polisher on the chair and the Optimum Polish II on the ground in my 50/50 pics in that thread as a bit of proof. :buffing:
 
Wow! I'm over-whelmed here! Thanks so much everyone!!! Wait till you see the 1987 Mercedes 300 SDL I'm finishing up tomorrow. :D I still have a lot to learn and have found someone local to help me knock out even better, FULL details rather than just exterior only work. Crossing my fingers and hoping we do well.



I don't consider myself a "pro" yet, but I'd say I'm experienced. ;) Seasoned may be a better word. There are folks on here who make my work look sad and they can do it in one day...they are my heroes! As of this point in time for me, I'm working on "getting it right" first. I'll work on reducing how much time it takes me as I go. Not like I'm working by the hour anyway, right? :help:
 
Don't think for a minute I won't pack all my stuff up into my beat up Bimmer and head up there next time I get the gas money in my pocket! ;) I'm ITCHING to learn more and get even better corrections. I LOVE LOVE LOVE black cars and the challenges that come from making them as close to perfect as i can get them.



Matter of fact, if you let me know what your schedule looks like in the next couple of weeks, I'll talk with the wife and come up for a day or two as a "learning" assistant if you're up for it. I would come with some knowledge, but would be there in full learning mode. The only problem would be sleeping arrangements as I don't really have money for a hotel room...Hmmm, maybe a day trip? heh I'd like to get there early enough to watch from start to finish.
 
Yea im slammed right now with corrections, but once things settle down in a few weeks, (if they do) we can do a day thing and work on some stuff. I always like meeting new people from the boards and just chattin it up. Just talk to the wife and let me know. I look forward to it. Great job on the detail btw.
 
Thanks for the compliment. :D I'll work out the arrangements on my end and try to get back to you in a week or so and make it a point to head up that way. I'll leave Lynchburg really early in the morning and drive up and make it a day trip, or, if I get some extra money, I'll rent a room and make a 2-day trip out of it. We'll work out the details in the next week, and thank you for offering to show me some pointers. I'm excited to gleen some information from you and apply it to my work here in the Burg as they call it.
 
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