I just purchases a black on black '05 G35 6mt. The car, of course, has some wear and tear minor scratches, and, of course, swirl marks. I know there are many posts on how to detail a finish to remove swirl marks and minor scratches and I have read many of them. But without being a professional, I'm not sure which is the best instructional guide.

I'm looking for some feedback on a few items:

1.) Which would you guys consider the most comprehensive, detailed, and idiot proof instructional guide on here or on the net. Several threads or internet sources would be great.

2.) Can a novice do a proper detail, and paint refinish from beginning to end w/o "F'n" it up? I know from several threads, if not done right, you can make the finish worse. Is it something I can learn and do right, or am I just better off to take it to a detail or body shop to have them do it? Is the cost in equipment need to do it myself, comprable to just having it done in a shop?

3.) If I go the route of having a detailer or body shop do it, how much should I expect to pay to have the entire car done?

Thanks in advance for the help and insight guys!

 

https://g35driver.com/forums/care-de...your-ride.html

 

www.autopia.org
www.autogeek.net
You can find out just about anything you need in these sites.....also.
www.detailedimage.com

 

Your best option is to do a little research and take the plunge yourself. Many of our customers cars end up better than if they took it to a local "professional", even with their first attempt. You'll only get better over time and the money you would have paid to have a good pro detail your car is usually enough to buy the proper tools and products to do it yourself many times over.

A good starting point to understanding the basics of auto detailing is through our how-to guide. It walks you through each step of the detailing process and explains what is happening to your clear coat.

If you need a hand selecting which products to go with, please do not hesitate to ask. Feel free to e-mail or PM me for more detailed info.

Cheers,

George

 

Definitely do it yourself. You'll wind up spending a few hundred on a professional, or you could use that money towards products and do it yourself. Much cheaper in the long run, then you can do it specifically to your liking as well. Will take some practice, but definitely the way to go.

 

Def. My 1st detail came out great, though it did take me a while haha bout 12 hours!

 

All great sites.

 

Do it yourself!! All you need to do is read up on the subject. As long as you start out using weak polishes and then work your way up to stronger polishes (only move up to stronger polish if weaker ones don't get the job done after several passes) and you start out using something like this:
http://www.detailedimage.com/wax.php...l-Buffer-P110/
you'll be safe.
Many novice detailers start out with that Porter Cable, as well as an orange pad paired with Super Intensive Polish (this combination usually gets out some fairly deep swirls) and then finishing it off with a white buffer pad and PO106FF polish (brings clear coat to mirror-like finish). FYI, both SIP & PO106FF are Menzerna polishes.
Using a porter cable (<- random orbital buffer) with these combinations, it's very difficult to mess up/burn through the clear coat on your paint. You really have to try hard to mess up the paint using what I've mentioned. Using a rotary buffer on the other hand.... well let's just say there's a huge margin for error.
Also, the one of the best things about doing it yourself is knowing that you worked to produce the finished product. You'll also save yourself money in the long run if you learn to do it yourself, instead of paying a professional to detail your car (or worse, pay a novice detailer to destroy it!)

A great source for information that I've combed over and over again is:
http://www.detailuniversity.com
There are lots of friendly detailers there that are more than happy to help you out when you've got questions about detailing.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for all the great feedback guys! I'll have to look into it further. Thanks for all the resources.

 

Can a novice do a proper detail - yes

SHOULD a novice do it - maybe.

Like anything else, the results you acheive are going to be directly correlated to the amount of time, money, and effort you are willing to expend.

How much time are you willing to put into this? As long as it takes? Make sure you know what you're getting into.

How much money are you willing to put into this. A PC, pads, polishes, and quality microfiber is going to cost you. Many of the kits on autogeek.net run $200+. Certainly more than you would spend getting a detail done professionally. The payoff comes when you do the second detail, and the third, and so on. So you need to ask yourself if detailing is something you are going to keep up with and if you're willing to invest the time and effort to MAINTAIN your car's finish once you finally get it right.

Now here's the trap that I fell into.

I found that I really enjoyed detailing. I liked being able to get away from everything else and hunker down in my garage and obsess over my paint. I loved trying out new products, and found myself addicted to the autopia.org forums always trying to find a new technique or process that will get my car just a little bit cleaner.

All told, two years later, I've got a $1,000+ collection of polishers, pads, waxes, polishes, towels, sealants and dressings.

If I were you, I would try to find someone locally who has the necessary tools to do this task and either borrow them, or work with them to detail your car. See if you like it, and if you can really picture yourself hunkering down in your garage for a full day or more at least once per year to do this stuff. THEN, if you want to invest the money (and develop debilitating OCD), then go for it.

 

I think it's great to DIY. It takes A LOT of time though. I find it great, I seriously love taking care of the paint and take pride in knowing the car is gonna look ridicolously good in 5 years. I also plan on doing it as a summer job and making some cash and making other cars look good

You will need to buy a lot of equipment though. Be sure to research everything before you go ahead and do it though. Also, don't buy ****ty products, like for instance going to Costco and buying all your stuff there, it will do you no good.

Some beginner tips:
1. Before you do a full detail, use some blue painter's tape to cover up the rubber and plastic moldings (like the black strips on the roof.) and also tape off any sharp edges you will be doing if you are using a machine to polish and such.

2. When just washing the car, use 2 buckets instead of 1. 1 with clean water so you can rinse off all the dirt on the sponge, and the other soap and water. Also, invest in a quality microfiber for drying, a soft mitt for washing, and car shampoo. If you use Dawn and a kitchen sponge, your gonna strip any wax and scratch the paint more.

3. When drying, put the hose on the full open, so it comes out with a lot of water yet gently, like a faucet kinda. Then use that to spray over the car. This will sheet off 90% of the water and make it much easier.

4. Always clean off brake dust with a seprate towel or rag or whatever you wanna use. You NEVER want to put brake dust onto your paint.

 

Find Pincus' user guide on this site. Great info Great user guide.