Auto Detailing Question - JAX, FL
 

I live in Jacksonville Fl (I know, not a very exciting place to live - but it's close to Orland and Miami, so cant complain). I Have an OB G35 and have some pretty bad marring issues - (previous owner). Up until now, I have just covered it up using wax, but am pretty much over that and would like to have it wet sanded an polished. I am not very experienced at that so would much rather have a shop do it.

Anyone out here in Jacksonville know of a great reputable shop that could help?

NOTE: I have already googled like crazy but not many people don't really write reviews on the popular sites so I thought I would try here.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You might have more luck posting in the regional forums.

I can honestly tell you, though, if you ever decide to try your hand at wet sanding, it's NOT that difficult. So long as you use the proper grit papers, and a high-quality buffer/high-quality polishes, you'll be just fine.

In fact, you can wet sand and polish by hand if you get fine enough sandpaper. Your arm will be sore, but it's safer than if you've never used a buffer.

If I do try to wet sand, it definitely wont be with the G, probably with my girlfriends civic :dunno: Or unless I decide to paint it soon then I will try it out before taking it in.

Have you tried just straight up polishing the marks first? Wet sanding isn't hard, but it's sort of a last-resort method to getting damage out of paint. Go to Wally World or Advance and get yourself a bottle of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Meguiar's Swirl-X. Grab yourself a foam hand pad, and a gripper handle to stick to the back of it, and go to work.

You might have better luck at www.Autopia.org. It is dedicated to detailing. They have a forum that you can join and a lot of pro detailers post there and might know of someone close to you. I found the site over 8 years ago when I got my OB coupe. You really should make the investment and learn to do it yourself. It is very rewarding to own a car with perfect paint. I am sorry but as an experienced detailer do not wet sand your car. There are a number of heavy to fine cut cleaners that when used with an orbital buffer (rotary buffers are best left to the pros) and the correct pad will remove the defects. The clear coat on our cars is not that thick and is soft with wet sanding you could easily cut thru it if you're not experienced.

Yeah I bought Swirl - X one and attempted one time. Did the hood and it came it good, but was extremely discouraged by the amount of time it took to do by hand. I had already washed the car using two bucket method and did the whole clay bar thing. Jumped into the polishing and was to much work. Decided to go with just waxing it by the end of the day. Haven't attempted again since.

Awesome, thanks for the site and the advice. That was actually gonna be my next question - if I should even wet sand at all.
I always clean my car myself and properly maintain it and never take it to get washed (hand/machine). - I even request that it not be washed when I take it to Infiniti for regular maintenance. However, I don't have a buffer and don't want to make the mistake of ruining the car attempting it so a shop is the only choice I have. I will look for a shop that uses heavy to fine cut cleaners and avoid the wet sanding.

I currently have following products by Chemical guys:
Scratch+swirl B-Gone
Advanced Finishing Polish (p40 - polish)
Butter Wet Wax

Meguiars clay bar kit

Not sure if I should switch it up - I'll check that site though for pointers.

I really doubt you would need to resort to wet sanding. My car used to be OB, so
I know what a pain it is to keep it looking good. Get yourself a Porter-Cable 7424 buffer and some quality polishes. I use Menzerna products myself. It's very hard to mess up your paint with this buffer, unless you keep it on a single spot for like 15 minutes or something. I buy all my detailing supplies from detailedimage.com, a vendor on this forum.

Also, educate yourself about detailing. You can pay $300 for a professional detail, but you can easily ruin all that work in a matter of days if you don't know how to properly maintain it.

Awesome advice! I've had that buffer in my wish list on Amazon for like 4 months or more now. Wasn't sure if it was a good buy but did hear it was pretty idiot proof. I might just look into that then.

I looked over the Menzerna, looks like a good purchase. Is Chemical guys not any good?

Sorry for all the questions. I have literally mulled this over since the day I got the G. I have a bunch of different waxes and various other car products and found that I really liked Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax alot so got some of their polishers. Except for the one time I used it on the hood they have pretty much been sitting there for a while.

I've had a Porter-Cable 7424 buffer for the 8 yrs I've been detailing. Never a problem. Still worls great. They have a special section on Autopia about machine polishing. The key is using the proper pad with the proper compound. As Silencer_0 said it is really difficult to do damage with an orbital buffer. There is one simple rule to follow and you can't go wrong. Start with the least aggressive product/pad combo that you feel will correct the defect. If that doesn't work then go a little more aggressive. All products have a specific abrasive number. Mequiars for instance has a fine cut cleaner, a medium cut cleaner, and a heavy cut cleaner. Chemical Guys products have a very good reputation. There is nothing wrong with Mequiars products and they can be found at your local auto parts store. I also use Menzerna polishes. They are a little more expensive but are recommended for the Nano clearcoat on my Mercedes.

Detailing a car's exterior from start to finish can be a time-consuming PITA. But it's so rewarding when you step back and see a better-than-factory shine coming from your paint. :D

Oh, by the way, FWIW: The Turtle Wax Back to Black kit will work as a temporary fix. I tried it out last summer, and it looked nice after I did it. But the dyes in the wax and spray fade out after two to three washes. The positive side to the kit is the bottle of liquid clay that comes with it. It works absolutely awesome.