Detailing and Paint & Body Questions: For the new Guys.

[Candyman]

Hey their shawny,

Welcome to the Forum, and thank you for the props. Actually color matching by swatch is rapidly being replaced by computer eye technology which will give you an almost perfect color match which is by far more accurate than the human eye.

Hey Will,

Hahaha, yep, that sounds familiar indeed! Welcome to my world!

It is way tough to try to keep myself contained , especially at a car show! I remember one year at the PT River Run in Laughlin NV, a friend of mine asked me if I could maybe try to bring my high speed Dewalt 849 rotary with me to get a defect out. I figured he was going to have his RV set up somewhere in the back of the parking lot away from the show, but instead, he was set up in the middle of the Vendor's so I wound up kind of inadvertently creating a small show which led to a Headlight Restoration, which led to removing emblems and air brushing a pin stripe, which led to air brushing some more pin striping on an air bag cover, and on, and on, and on. I swear, I pretty much spent the entire 4 days walking from PT to PT just buffing, and air brushing day, and night. It was such a blast, and try as I may, its really hard not to want to work on cars every time I am around them! In fact at that same show, after spotting the Judges making their way down the line of PT's towards one of my close Friends PT's, I had to rush over and redress his tires for him as it just looked unfinished, and of course he got a Trophy!

I think tires are my worst thing at a show as every time I walk around a big show, that's the first thing I notice. Mine are always dressed with Meg's Gel to deep glossy perfection when showing, but I would say 80% or more never put anything on their tires, and many are even dirty, or browned over which kills me. Or seeing people who have spent big money on way nice custom paint, and are afraid to either take care of it themselves, or have anyone else take care of it for them which also tears me up! I remember really getting on Poi to let me work on his Vert which he spent over $6000.00 in custom paint, and was too nervous to leave it with me, nor did he feel comfortable putting Glaze on his paint as he thought it was bad for it. That is the stuff that gives me nightmares!!!

Anyways, I feel your pain! Detailing is a true addiction for which their is no cure! All you can do is walk through this world with a bottle of NXT, a Microfiber, and make things shiny one car at a time!


Go easy my man, and I will catch ya later.

Candyman

[William_F]

Funny thing about tires at our house is that it is my wife's favorite part of the end result when I'm done detailing her truck. The irony is that of all the hard work that goes into a good detail, the tires take the least for me.

I've been using Hot Shine Tire foam so they get cleaned and fressed in the same shot and I don't actually have to do any work except wipe down the rims afterwards

[SantaGuy]

Hey Candyman,

I have quite a bit of micro scratching. In reading your detailing guide I can't figure out if you glaze before waxing or instead of waxing.

I have a nice smooth feeling finish so I don't think I need to clay bar but I may need to polish. What I'm really after is a deep wet looking finish on my Inferno Red.

I do not have a buffer so all this work will be done by hand. What do you suggest?

Thanks

[Candyman]

Hey Santa,

Ok, If you really want your PT to stand out, here is what I would recommend to get the most out of your paint by hand and make it pop. I know this will be a small investment, but this will give you fairly good results while working by hand to produce a clear deep gloss finish without getting into serious money on chemicals, and buffers. Before I recommend chemicals, to answer your question, Wax is always the last step with no exceptions so always glaze, then wax. Now, here is what I would recommend using on your paint.


Here is the polish I would use to take care of the majority of your micro-scratching and spider webbing in your paint.

3M Finesse-It II Finishing Material


And Glaze which will add oils and nutrients to give that deep wet look, re-create that new just painted look, and make your color really pop.

3M Imperial Hand Glaze



As for Wax, if you really want to max out your color and finish to stand out, its better to apply a good paint sealant, and then apply a good Carnuba Wax over the top which will produce max gloss, and excellent results. With that said, here are a couple of my recommendations on combination's of Paint Sealants, and Carnuba Paste Waxes that work very well on vibrant colors like Red, Yellow, and Green.

1. 3M

Sealant: 3M Performance Finish 16 oz.

Wax: 3M Automotive Detailing Products

2. Wolfgang

Sealant: Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant delivers a deep, wet, liquid shimmer unlike anything you can imagine.

Wax: Wolfgang Füzion Carnauba Polymer Estate Wax, carnauba car wax, show car wax, polymer wax, paste wax, Wolfgang German car care


Another wax I would highly recommend trying, is compatible with any of the Paint Sealants mentioned above, and is formulated specifically for use on deep, richer colors like red, orange, purple, green, and so on. A full sized can of this Wax is a bit on the expensive side, but will last for 20 - 30 coats easily so in the long run, the cost is not so bad. Anyways, here is a Link to both an inexpensive Sample, and a full can of it.

Sample: Dodo Juice Banana Armour Hard Car Wax, carnauba car wax, dodo juice waxes, carnauba paste wax, yellow wax, banana car wax

Full Size: Dodo Juice Banana Armour Hard Car Wax, carnauba car wax, dodo juice waxes, carnauba paste wax, yellow wax, banana car wax,

Also, I think I may have mentioned this one before but for your convertible top, this is the only recommended, and endorsed Product to clean, and protect the materials used in production of all tops directly from The Haartz Corporation, Manufacturer who created all of the original tops on all convertible PT's that were ever produced. Here is a Link to the Chemicals from Raggtop.

RaggTopp Convertible Top Care by Wolfsteins: RaggTopp Convertible Car Top Detailing Products for fabric & vinyl tops. convertible top cleaner, fabric


And a Horse hair Brush for cleaning of convertible tops without damaging them:

Natural Horse Hair Convertible Top Brush

Anyway, Glaze, and optional Paint Sealant always before Wax which is always your last step in the process.

Working by hand is a bit more involved, time consuming, and to achieve high caliber results, its good to have better products to help, and the different combination lI recommended above should make your paint look as flawless as possible. I know it can be a bit costly up front, but once you initially buy everything needed, then you should be set for quite a while, and get a good return on your investment.

You go easy, if you have any more questions, I am always here, and ready to help.


Candyman

[SantaGuy]

Hey Candyman,

In prepping my PT today to work on the micro scratches, I found several small pinhole chips on the hood and left fender that go right through the paint. (I have a bottle of Dupli Color touch up paint. It's a good match but I've never used it on as exposed surface as the hood.)

Should I touch these up or am I better off simply polishing and waxing?

Thanks,

[SantaGuy]

Originally Posted by SantaGuy

Hey Candyman,

In prepping my PT today to work on the micro scratches, I found several small pinhole chips on the hood and left fender that go right through the paint. (I have a bottle of Dupli Color touch up paint. It's a good match but I've never used it on as exposed surface as the hood.)

Should I touch these up or am I better off simply polishing and waxing?

Thanks,

Candyman,

I just found several of your older posts recommending NOT trying such repair yourself. I will see who I can find locally to do it. Thanks anyway.

[Candyman]

Hey their Santa,

Sorry I missed your posts. I have been really busy on some side paint work, and haven't had much time but just to pop in for a minute or two between letting coats cure in the booth.

Sounds like you found my posts on the subject at hand already though so hopefully that should point you in the right direction. If not, please let me know.

Its just so much better, and easier to have small paint chips taken care of professionally. They can computer match your paint on site using the same system I use in my buddies mixing room at his paint shop so the color will be close as possible whereas touch up paint will usually be way off, and you will always get a much better finish by using an air brush verses using a spray can, or brush, and you will get the job done correctly using correct paint, clear urethane, and it will be color sanded, and rubbed out to give a good professionally done appearance for minimal cost as where it is almost impossible for the average person to achieve the same kind of results by doing it themselves.

Honestly, I literally lost count a long time ago of all the people who used to bring my their DIY touchup nightmares to fix. Its not that it is really hard to do, but to do it right takes some Automotive paint knowledge, and experience, as well as the right equipment to get it done right. Since having the entire vehicle done professionally is usually only around $100.00 - $150.00 for the entire car, that is just your best bet every time.

Please let me know if I can be of any further help.

Candyman

[Candyman]

Hey their Santa,

Sorry I missed your posts. I have been really busy on some side paint work, and haven't had much time but just to pop in for a minute or two between letting coats cure in the booth.

Sounds like you found my posts on the subject at hand already though so hopefully that should point you in the right direction. If not, please let me know.

Its just so much better, and easier to have small paint chips taken care of professionally. They can computer match your paint on site using the same system I use in my buddies mixing room at his paint shop so the color will be close as possible whereas touch up paint will usually be way off, and you will always get a much better finish by using an air brush verses using a spray can, or brush, and you will get the job done correctly using correct paint, clear urethane, and it will be color sanded, and rubbed out to give a good professionally done appearance for minimal cost as where it is almost impossible for the average person to achieve the same kind of results by doing it themselves.

Honestly, I literally lost count a long time ago of all the people who used to bring my their DIY touchup nightmares to fix. Its not that it is really hard to do, but to do it right takes some Automotive paint knowledge, and experience, as well as the right equipment to get it done right. Since having the entire vehicle done professionally is usually only around $100.00 - $150.00 for the entire car, that is just your best bet every time.

Please let me know if I can be of any further help.

Candyman