ProV1

i've seen some amazing before/after pics of once faded, dull & oxidized paint w/ lots of swirl marks get transformed into that incredibly deep, wet rich sparkling paint. that's great, and gives me hope that my 97 Mercedes will look great again if I drop $200 for a complete detail job, but I wonder how long this will last? I'm guessing all the polishing is only temporary, and as the coating wears away I'll be back to ground zero?

Or is the rejuvenation semi-permanent? any info appreciated!

MikeyC

The permanence of the detail job depends on 2 things . . .

1. The quality of the detailer's work.

If you choose a poor detailer instead of removing the defects in your paint he will likely use a glaze to "hide" your paint's imperfections. Unfortunately, the fillers in a glaze don't last very long especially if it rains or you wash your car often.

2. How you take care of the car after it's detailed.

Cob webbing doesn't appear by itself you know. It usually comes from poor washing technique, dry rubbing paint, or from going through a car wash. If you wash your car by hand using proper 2-bucket technique and you wax it regularly using a high quality wax, high quality applicator, and high quality microfiber towels then depending on the environment you live in your detail job could last close to a year.

What you need to understand is that a good detailer will polish your paint. Polishing the paint does not leave anything behind. What it really does is sand down your paint to create a smooth surface. So, once a defect is polished out it's permanently removed. If a defect re-appears after polishing then it's actually a new defect. So, if you polish your car properly to remove defects and then take proper care of your car after that to avoid instilling new paint defects the detail job should last quite a while.

Above all . . . do your homework! Just because a detailer charges $200 doesn't mean he's any good.

wanabe

agree 100% with mikeyc-

i would only add that the best way to do a complete swirl removal and get it right is to do it yourself...
lots of us to guide you though this-
and for the same $200 you can have the machine and products that you will need to care for your car for a very long time.
if interested in this choice, let us know and we can give you some advance reading.

a common suggestion is to post up in your local forum for a fellow member to supply the machine and teach you how to use it. you offer to supply all products and refreshments. great way to make a new friend and get your car done better than most pros would do it (cause you will take all the time it needs, and a pro has to get in and out to make any money- and he will often take every shortcut possible).

my car was last polished for swirls about 2 years ago- most people think it looks better than new now... i will probably do another removal next summer. so, as mikeyc says, it depends on how you take care of the car. my daughter's car had swirls within a month of her last swirl removal (cause she didnt take care of it)-

MikeyC

I did a removal of some DEEP cob webbing on my mom's car this past spring. Needless to say they were back in a pretty short amount of time and now just a few months later are fairly deep again. She takes the car through car washes and goes long periods in between washings. Occasionally, she also likes to use the car as a shelf which doesn't help either.

afwfjustin