indierock

so is it possible to have a professional detail the paint job of my car to where the swirl marks are completely removed? i just wanted to know what I can expect and also what the cost would be to do something like this. My car is a 2003 and i bought it used so i want this baby restored to new for me.

attamz

Yes it is possible. If you find someone that knows what they are doing, have them complete a 3 stage buff on your car. I promise that you will not be disapointed.

cessna

Yup, but its time consuming, and therefore expensive....
Here's a tip,....
Bring a six-pack in with your car when you bring it to the bodyshop


Cessna (Works for me EVERYTIME!)

indierock

whats the price range i'm looking at? i can also buy a rotor that costs $150 from autotopia. it says it can remove swirl marks however i am curious to find out how userfriendly it actually is. any one experiment with it before?

DavesZ#3

iTrader: (26)

A professional had better be able to do it - because a lot of us amatuers are able to do it.

Go to Lowes and get the Porter-Cable 7336SP Random Orbital Polisher/Sander for $109.

Visit www.topoftheline.com and get the 6" velcro backing plate made for the PC:
http://www.topoftheline.com/porcabvelpad.html

Get a few of the Lake Country white and black pads:
http://www.topoftheline.com/lacopa7.html

The following sites will teach you the basics to PC polishing:
http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/det...1430487&page=1
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14421
http://www.roadfly.com/magazine/7/po..._buffer.1.html

davidv

iTrader: (2)

Maybe. Swirl marks may be superficial, or deep into the clearcaaot. The only way to tell is by working with it.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

A random orbital buffer is a time saver. If you know what you are doing, the results can be beautiful. If you don't, the results can be disastrous.

indierock

i think i better leave it to the pros. now the only problem is finding a good one that doesn't charge an arm and a leg. any recommendations for shops in the pleasanton, fremont, union city, hayward area? i try to stay away from san jose b/c too many cops.

EdgeOfSanity

iTrader: (1)

i dont see how you could possibly screw up using a random orbital.

EdgeOfSanity

iTrader: (1)

you're going to have to pay for quality work. Most detailing places wont do a good job, they'll just hide the swirls temporarily. Go to autopia.org and check in the local section to find a detailer near you. The guys on that site will do a really good job. If swirl marks bother you, you're better off in investing in a random orbital and doing all the work yourself. Swirls will always find their way back on your car.

indierock

damn are you serious? i thought once i get the swirls out professionally, then all i'll do is take proper care of it when i wash it and swirls shouldn't appear. I did download the WHOLE autopia.org manual from there site and it seems pretty overwhelming. i have seen pics of other 350z cars here and some are 3 years old and the paint looks brand new with no marks,swirls whatsoever. it also happens to be the same color as mine so i would love to get it like that.

I did call around and find a few detail shops in my area. they quoted $125-200 depending on how severe it is so that price seems totally resonable to me as long as they deliver on the promise of removing the marks.

On another side note, 2 different people pointed out to me how their seems to be an orange peel paint job effect on the whole rear bumper. i did buy the car used from an acquaintance and i did do a carfax search as well and it said the car was never hit or had been in an accident so i don't know what gives. Either way it now bothers me since I had it brought to my attention and I guess I was also told I could have a good detail shop re-sand it and then buff it again so get the orange peel effect out. Is there any truth to this? also what is it going to cost appx. for a job like this? OR is the orange peel just a part of the car b/c i have read threads where orange peel seems to be on many 350z that have never been in an accident or needed repainting of any sort.

DavesZ#3

iTrader: (26)

Once you get the swirls out, obsessive care on your part will help keep them out for a longer period of time. Whether or not you get swirls again just depends on what your car goes through, especially during washing and drying.

While the Autopia guide seems overwhelming, carefully study the parts on washing and drying. If you follow those recommendations, you'll lessen the chances of picking up swirls.

For a condensed version on how to care for your car, check out the thread sticky at the top of this forum: Brad4rdHay's Detailing Posts

Also, check this page out:
http://crackaddict.com/~flynn/howtos/washhowto.htm

EdgeOfSanity

iTrader: (1)

Once you get the swirls removed they will eventually come back. If properly wash and dry your car you can prevent them from coming back for awhile, but you'll get them again eventually. No matter how hard i try i get swirls on my black z.

A good detail is going to run you around $200. Personally i would find one of the guys on autopia from my area to do it. I dont trust and of the car detail places around here.

Orange peel is just part of owning a z, every one of us has it. Some colors are worse than others. If the orange peel bothers you enough you can have someone wet sand it and it will get rid of it.

indierock

IF you can tell me where to find someone on autopia in the bay area that is willing to do the detail work on my car for a reasonable price then I would love to use him/her. Maybe even I could watch him do it so he/she can teach me and then I can just buy the stuff and do it at home when the need arises.

As far as the orange peel i'll just leave it. As long as other people have it and its common amongst Z's then I'm fine with it. I just thought mine was the only one lol. Thanks for the input bud.

EdgeOfSanity

iTrader: (1)

just went to the regional forum for california and there was a thread already started for a bay area detailer. http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65795

sq40

iTrader: (4)

My Idiot Neighbor took a Buffing Pad and Power Drill to his car to get out swirl marks. Took the Paint right off in a 6" x 12" wide swath.. Funny as hell.

EdgeOfSanity

iTrader: (1)

indierock

thanks for the tip. i wrote the guy an email so hopefully he'll respond.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

schweatty

iTrader: (2)

dude,

do yourself a favor and just buy a porter cable, some pads, and quality polishes and sealants. if your obsessed about swirlies, you should know that they will come back with washing even when using the safest techniques. for the price of one quality detailing, you can get all the equipment i mentioned above. you cant screw up with a random orbit polisher. its the way they are designed. i never even waxed a car i owned, but i read some material, bought a pc and menzerna, practiced on my jeep's hood, then tackled it with amazing results. you will be dissappointed in someone else's work. just my $.02