Experience with paint restoration?

[CREGAN]

I know of a few of you that are very awesome at bringing that paint back to life. I am OK at it but am finding it a little more of a task than I think I can handle, Time wise and experience wise. I am thinking of taking it in to a shop somewhere to get the paint brought back to life. One of the shops has this on offer to cure the oxidation and staining:

"This incredible 3 stage process will restore that Brand New Look to you car after the painted surface is cleaned.

STAGE 1: Using a heavier compound, one of JR’S trained pros fully compounds the vehicles painted surface to remove, dead paint, oxidization& most importantly scratches;
STAGE 2: A high speed polishing is required to bring shine back to paint;
STAGE 3: Requires a polymer polish and wax application using a high speed
buffer to add dept and clarity to the painted surface leaving your car with that Showroom look.

Note: This process requires that the vehicle stays overnite at our shop.

Mini Vans / Mssuvs / Fssuvs / Trucks $$ EXTRA $$ "
http://www.jrs-autodetailing.ca/services.html

Another solution I was looking into is Ming Shine. Anyone have experience with a Delica and this process.
http://www.mingshine.com/

Either job will probably set me back about $3-400. I am selling an electric boat lift, so I will be running into a little bit of cash. Not sure if this is how I want to part with a lot of it, but it needs to be done before the winter and salt season hits here. A big part of the problem is the time it takes to buff out the stains from where water has run off the window seals and left black streaks in the paint. Not sure how long the van sat before I boutgh it but it looks like a while. Any advice, recomendations, etc? Thanks

Craig

[FalcoColumbarius]

Cregan, be aware: "High speed polishing" serves only one purpose ~ it gets the job done faster. This way you can get more jobs done in a shorter period of time and make more money. You can do any polishing by hand & elbow grease. In fact one must be very careful with a buffer, 'cause if you stay too long in one area you can heat up the paint and burn through the finish.

Typically, if the paint job is scratched then you can start with a cutting wax (you can actually start with wet & dry sand paper but that takes a special interest). The cutting wax is like a really fine sanding compound, without the paper. It removes the paint around the scratch. Another thing that cutting wax does is in effect it removes the previous wax job so one must re-wax after cut-waxing.

The first thing I would recommend is washing your wagon, especially if you have the bambi bar off. DO NOT use dish soap, it is a detergent and will damage the paint finish. Go to Cdn Tire and get a bottle of car wash, it's a non detergent soap. Microfibre towels are good to have as are terry cloth towels. Get a real chamois to dry the surface. The chamois should be damp when you use it and every-so-often you need to wring it out. This is actually a part of the cleaning process, if you let the vehicle air dry you will wind up with tiny dirt deposits all over the coach finish. Once you get it to this stage then you can ascertain whether and where you need to employ cutting wax.

Look up the word "Polymer". The words "depth" & "clarity" in this instance are "poetry". For $400 I would expect "the full monty", I would expect a complete interior/exterior job, including the engine shampoo.

Remember this: If you go to Cdn Tire and splurge on the compete Auto Glym range you could do so for around an hundred bucks and you would have the materials to do a few full auto details. I would also argue that you learn more about your wagon when you detail her ~ this is how I have been learning about the engine.

By the way, the time to wax your truck is before you go into the woods, not when you come out. Apart from the vanity aspect the reason for waxing is to add protection to the paint job, in turn to protect the vehicle's skin.

DIY, take a day. That's my opinion.

Falco.

[CREGAN]

Thanks Falco - I agree that doing it myself would be a great way to get to know my rig and learn to do something else to it. You obviously do it to your rig and it looks amazing. I am just having a difficult time finding free time around here. We have a 16 month old that is VERY busy (I heard they all are though) so finding an afternoon or morning is difficult. We also live next to what was formerly a beautiful farmers field, but money talks apparently and it is now in the process of being turned into a 240 home subdivision. I have heavy equipment roaring by my place from 7 to 7, 7 days a week. The amount of dirt and dust they are throwing my way is unbelievable. So by the time I wash my van (I use a microfibre glove and Meguires deep crystal car wash - works awesome in some hot water and smells good too) it is covered in a layer of dust. That is why I am looking to hire some outside help. I did clean one side earlier in the summer with meguires paint cleaner and it did wonders but it took me all day and a lot of swearing at the wind. If anyone has some free time and experience and happens to be wandering through these parts I would gladly supply the beer and supplies and maybe even pay a babysitter!

Oh yeah - Falco, I started looking into paintless dent removal and I have found a few places. Just getting some quotes.

Craig

[psilosin]

If you can get your hands on some dry ice (cheap) it works amazingly well at taking out dents without harming the paint. Next time I get a ding I am going to try using liquid nitrogen and see if it works even better.

[nxski]

If you can get your hands on some dry ice (cheap) it works amazingly well at taking out dents without harming the paint. Next time I get a ding I am going to try using liquid nitrogen and see if it works even better.

Plaza excuse my ignorance but what do you do with the ice? Is the goal to make the metal contract enough that the dent just pops out?

[psilosin]

Is the goal to make the metal contract enough that the dent just pops out?

Yep. You nailed it.

[CREGAN]

Alright Falco - You may have one this round. I took your advice and a days worth of elbow grease and queens knickers (reference to another thread for those of you not in the know) and gave the paint a washing, then used paint cleaner, then cleaner wax, then ultimate wax (all meguires stuff, just like you and the glym - I really like my meguires) and boy does she ever look good. My shoulder feels like mush but it was worth it. I will post some pics soon because I just finished the waxing and .... it started to rain. Least I know it works now.

Still looking into the paintless dent removal. Only one quote has come back to me at $250. Still looking around as I think that might be a bit high. Right?

Craig

[FalcoColumbarius]

Well, now that I have "one" this round ~ I will rise you and "two" this round . Meguiar's is not a bad product line, I use it on some car washing projects ~ I particularly like their #1 Yellow Stock Brazilian Wax. I am not sure if Meguiar's has a sealer to go over the final wax but when I use the Auto Glym sealer it makes the Miss Lil' Bitchi's skin glow like the glass, positively stealth.

I haven't heard from Chewy or Fishslapper lately but it would be good to get their two bits on this topic as they are up on this subject matter.

Friday I was re-skinning the MLB and as I stood there with the Makita buffer on 3.5 (out of six) working the paint renovator I got to thinking about those guys who told you about the "high speed machine buffing" ~ and how easy it is to go through the clear coat. Earlier in the week I was going over a couple of L400s and one of them had two burn-throughs, one on the sliding door handle cove and one on the rear left quarter panel, which is a pity because it's really not a cheap fix, especially if it's on a big panel. If you do decide to use a buffer ~ never stay on one place for too long, leave it, let it cool and come back to it ~ wax under a spinning buffer can create a lot of friction, heat up and tear the paint if you're not careful. ( Is it still dead?)

I look forward to the pictures, although they never do the job justice. I'll bet your baby looks sweet.

Falco.

[CREGAN]

whoops- my england not so good. You win/won;)

Craig

[roadie]

Dish soap is absolutely fine to wash a car with. It will not hurt the finish, but will strip waxes/UV inhibitors off your vehicle and leave it vulnerable to enviromental damage. If you ever decide to invest in a buffing machine, just buy the softest foam pads available and keep the speed low. It will still work much faster than by hand. Between washing and buffing it is also a good idea to clay bar the vehicle. You will be amazed at the crap it pulls off even after washing!

[FalcoColumbarius]

Dish soap is absolutely fine to wash a car with. It will not hurt the finish, but will strip waxes/UV inhibitors off your vehicle and leave it vulnerable to enviromental damage.

Hi Roadie, I respectfully disagree with you on this point. Dish soap contains detergent. It is a synthesized compound of alkylbenzenesulfonates and is excellent at removing dried egg from a plate. It has a dual personality ~ an emulsifier, being both "hydrophilic" and "hydrophobic", latter of which is why it is a good degreaser, which is why it removes wax, as you noted.

Polyurethane acrylic clear coat (what Delicas are coated with) is a polymer, as the name suggests. As are many wax compounds that detergent is known to strip. The polyurethane acrylic clear coat is hardened onto the vehicle with a polyisocyanate hardener. This makes the paint job tough.... but it's still paint and being an organic compound it is susceptible to things like gifts from birds or sap from branches. If you ever see either of these items on your paint job, remove them as they will eat into the polymer.

Over a period of time, dish detergent will compromise the finish of your clear coat, causing it to cloud.

If you ever decide to invest in a buffing machine, just buy the softest foam pads available and keep the speed low. It will still work much faster than by hand.

I use a foam pad for applying the paint renovator (cutting wax), but I prefer a wool pad for buffing. Incidentally, Meguiar's Scratch X has been rated quite highly as a fine cutting wax, 'though I have never used it.

I apply a finishing wax or sealer by hand, buff with wool pad; microfibre towel; flannel (for those special moments).

Actually a towel is a really useful item to keep ~ not only is it good for caressing your baby with ~ but also provides a marvellous deterrent to the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal.

Falco.

[psilosin]

Actually a towel is a really useful item to keep ~ not only is it good for caressing your baby with ~ but also provides a marvellous deterrent to the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal.

Best...salespitch...ever. I'll buy 2.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Actually a towel is a really useful item to keep ~ not only is it good for caressing your baby with ~ but also provides a marvellous deterrent to the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal.

Best...salespitch...ever. I'll buy 2.

Beauty is Truth, Truth is Beauty.

[Aciled]

Check out this thread. I made reference to a good product line. Pro.

LOL Dish washing detergent cuts grease and will cut wax, but thats it. If you do not want to spend the$ use baby shampoo. Costco carries the Mequires wash liquid, preetty cheap...


http://www.delica.ca/forum/removing-roa ... 26-30.html

Ian

[roadie]

There is no way that a small amount of dish soap will do damage to paint/clear coat. It is simply not aggressive enough, nor is it left on the surface long enough to ever do any perceivable harm. You are far more likely to damage your paint by touching it in an effort to remove "dirt" from the surface. I would never recommend using anything other than microfibre for washing/drying your car because other materials tend to "drag" contaminants across the surface of your paint and therefore scratch it.