Paint Detailing - looks like I'm doing it myself

Well, today was disappointing. After Wagonfest 09, I was all excited about shining up the paint on our three cars, and solicited advice from a number of fellow wagon enthusiasts. Response was split 50/50 between DIY and pay somebody, so I had two detailers stop by the house and give their opinion. Both have been in the business for quite a number of years and came recommended by several folks I knew. One guy was gruff, walked around the cars, quoted me $125 for a basic exterior job and that was it; no explanation of what he would do. The second guy nitpicked the cars to death, claimed the wagon needed a total repaint, and told me I was better off doing it myself (all he would do was a claybar and a wax).

So, looks like I'll be doing it myself. All of you who have provided your advice over the past few days, thank you! and I will probably be in touch with you!

I had a friend who use to detail. $125 was his price for clay bar, 3 step wax and interior cleaning!

Joel you will be happier in both ways if you do it yourself. You will save $ and the outcome will be the same only the feeling will be better.

If it does indeed need paint ,and I hope all who witnessed it at wf are honest with you, then consistency is the only way it will maintain a shine now.

I have a limo that from 10 feet would make you think it is mint. It is the only car not maintained from new by me and it is in need of paint. Don't be too critical of your cars.

Joel, I have YET to see a car that needed a complete repaint and couldn't be helped with a good buffing, especially for a DD. "You need a repaint" is detailer code for "That is a big ass car and I don't feel like messing with it". $125 for an exterior is about right, considering that to do it right will take upwards of 6-8 hours to do. Not explaining what the detail entails is just bad customer service.

I am looking for a detailer near you that will cut you a break.

In the end, it is YOUR $$ and the decision is yours, but ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I just want to do this once, or do I want to keep these cars looking new?

2. The scratches on the car, does your fingernail get caught in them? If so, you need to either wet sand, or paint. If not, they will buff out.

3. What is more important, the convenience and cost of drop off/ pick up, or take the time and save the money and do it yourself?

If this is just a one time deal, then have it done. If you want to keep up with it, and wax/polish on a regular basis, then buy quality professional tools and do it yourself. The initial cost will be about the same. The savings come from repeated use. There is a wealth of useful knowledge, both on this forum and others, and on the internet. If you need help finding GOOD instructional videos, let me know and I'll send you the links.



Wish I was closer.


Robert

Good advice Robert. I also want to explain the statement the outcome will be the same. I don't mean that Guys like Robert and Frank aren't a whole lot better than driveway Joe,I was referring to the guy who said to you the car needed paint. If this is the case I felt there is only so much anyone can do so it may as well be you. I have never buffed a car in my life and plan to leave that to the pros.

Just so you guys understand, my cars look FAR from perfect. It doesn't bother me that the guy said they needed paint but they're just not worth a paint job. I'm a mechanic at heart and I keep a close eye on rust, so that's my background. Bodywork is a skill I have not learned yet.

Long story short, none of my cars are "beautiful" - but I just want to keep them clean and cared for. I don't mind doing things myself (hey, I started building 4L60Es because I had two broken ones one summer), I just want to know what I'm getting into before I jump in.

And lastly, I realized that it's not like I can really screw up the paint worse than it is, so what have I got to lose?!

Joel, If you're looking to do it yourself it's really not all that hard. Just takes time. On my first wagon, I did a buff and polish job myself prior it it's WagonFest trip. It was a DCM car and like all dark colors shows ALL the scratches. Yet my amateur skills made it look better.

Here's what I did (your mileage may vary and so on and so forth...)
I got a cheapo random orbit "buffer" with several cotton and a "final buffing" pad
Bought Mequiars #7 (show car glaze) and #9 (swirl remover) along with their yellow wax.
Wash and dry car
Of course as with any detailing this must be done on cool paint (no direct sun)
I used small amounts of #9 with a pad and buffed the entire car
Removed #9 (with microfiber towels for entire process)
Used small amounts of #7 with a different pad over the entire car
Removed #7
Applied wax with a clean pad
Removed wax
Buffed car with the final buffing pad to remove any remnants of wax

With an electric buffer this is a MUCH easier job though you certainly can do it by hand. Now my buffer is no where near as nice as the ones our resident detailers use and won't take out quite as much of the swirling/scratching simply because it doesn't have the torque of the professional models.

However, for (as Robert stated) about the cost of having your car done once, you will have the equipment and supplies to do it yourself for some time.

I will also say that comparing my job above to what Chris managed to make my beater Cruiser look like.... well, there really isn't a comparison. My Cruiser looks WAY better than my DCM Roady ever did. However it all depends on your final desired results. Since you (like myself) are not looking for a show car, the above would probably work for you.

Hope this helps some!

Thanks Mike! I appreciate your advice. And just so everyone's clear, the detailers I spoke to privately (including krzdimond, thank you!) gave lots of advice, all of which I wrote down. It's not that they're not revealing their processes on this thread; it's that they already spent time talking to me! And I appreciate it guys. You know who you are.

Resurrecting this thread because I don't feel like starting a new one.

If you haven't used a claybar...

I washed/waxed/undercoated a friend's vehicle yesterday and the paint felt and sounded like sandpaper, even though this was an '05. I pulled out the claybar and went to town. What a difference. Nice, clean, smooth, quiet paint when I was done.

You can buy the clay in different grades according to how bad the car is.Makes an amazing
difference in the paints appearance and its not hard to do it!
Jim