josh7owens

I had my s2k clayed and buffed and it's smooth and looks good from a distance but as soon as you get within 5 feet of the car thier is sratches all in the paint. kind of like swirls made up of scatches. Is it possible to fix this or does the car need to be resparyed?

wanabe

who did the "buffing"? (we call that polishing)

polishing, when done properly, will get rid of the swirls and light scratches. you do not need to repaint.

got any pics?

josh7owens

i'll take some pics tomarrow. This moble detail place did the polishing i guess if thats what you call it. they used this stuff called very cherry with a buffer and before that they used mirical mist and before that they claybared it.

I dont know much about buffing and stuff other then the wax job i do every couple of months.

wanabe

+1 on why we do it ourselves and why this forum is here!!
(to help you do it yourself, so this type of stuff never happens again)

look forward to the pics- we can help you fix this, and can help you do it right next time.

josh7owens

these are taken with my iphone. I tryed to take some under normal sun light but you cant see the swirls on the phone. It looks good from a distance but when your close its all scatched up.

josh7owens

thanks for any help you give guys. If it cost me a $200-400 dollars it would be worth it. Once its fixed i should be able to just wax it and keep it looking good. I've never buffed before and dont know if i want to risk messing somthing up. Although I have clay bared and stufff

akimel

Josh, I don't know how much you paid for your "detail," but the guy did not do a good job for you. The whole point to buffing the paint is to remove swirls and scratches. Clearly he did not do that. You could always complain to him. Perhaps he'd offer to work on it again, but I don't think I'd trust him.

You will need to decide whether you are willing to invest the time, energy, and money into polishing the paint yourself. It is definitely something you can safely do with a dual action polisher, but it requires a large initial investment (machine, pads, polishes, microfiber towels, tape, etc.), and it will take a couple of full, exhausting days of work. But if you are willing to take ownership of the polishing process, it's all very doable. There are some fine detailers who hang out here on this forum, and they will see you through to success.

But if that sounds too much (and for most people, it is too much), then find yourself a really good detailer. In addition to this forum, I would put out some queries over at Autopia.. Those guys take their detailing pretty seriously. Tell them that you want a swirl-free finish according to Autopian standards. And get references. It will cost you, but your car will look terrific afterwards. Other forums you might want to check out for detailers are Truth in Detailing, AutoGeek, and Detailer's Bliss.

Good luck!

josh7owens

I would actually wouldn't mind to invest into getting the stuff to do it but other then waxing, washing, and claybaring. I dont know anything about paint restore lol. If you could give me a list of what i need and a really good write up on how to do everything without messing up the paint, I'd do it.

Also I only payed $75. It sucked lol

akimel

Josh, here's the beginnings of a list:

1) Dual action polisher. Your candidates include: PC 7424XP, Megs' G110, and Flex 3401.

2) Assortment of polishing and finishing pads.

3) Polishes. Many possibilities. I would suggest that you begin your collection with Meguiar's M105 and M205. Both contain non-diminishing abrasives, which means that one does not have to polish until the polish breaks down; rather, you polish until either the defects have been removed or the lubricating oils dry up.

4) Lots of good quality microfiber towels.

5) Lots of foam applicators.

6) Megs' APC+. It can be diluted for various purposes. You can use it to clean your tires and wheel wells and engine bay, as well as your interior vinyl.

7) Good quality wax. Everyone has their favorites. For your black car, consider: Pinnacle Souveran (but wait until it goes on BOGO), Blackfire Midnight Sun, Victoria Concours Red, Megs' M26, P21S 100%, Harly Wax, Lusso Oro.

I would suggest that you speak on the phone with our sponsor, Phil of Detailer's Domain, and perhaps also with Rick of Auto Detailing Solutions and with a customer service person at AutoGeek and Proper Auto Care. See what they recommend and who will give you the best price for what will be a large initial purchase. Everyone is offering a labor day sale, so now is a good time to buy.

josh7owens

would the m105 and m205 remove my scatches?