I had made a deal i was getting my car clayed compounded and waxed for $120.. My friend on the other hand said hed clay and wax my car for $40 bucks.. Whats the compound part? What would the compound do? Takeout scratches? Is 120 a good deal? or go with the 40? help

 

If they are going to clay, polish (compound) scratches, glaze and wax then it is a good idea.

I guess the questions is do either of these people know what they are doing? You can screw up a paint job if you have no idea what you are doing.

Also depends on if you need to have scratches taken out. What color is the car?

 

yes I have scratches that id like to get out, it silver.

 

fly me to florida and ill do it for free, but your paying to fly me to florida

 

no fly me...

 

That is the most important question.

It takes me about 8 hours to wash and wax the Z. I divide the chore into two four-hour days. So figure someone is going to work 8 hours for $40? I don't think so. Not sure what results to expect, but what you are going to get is a rush job with little attention to detail.

Ask in your regional forum for detailer recommendation. You get what you pay for.

 

hmmm.. Hope I can find the right guy

 

talk to some of your fellow Z owners out in your area. They should know of good places to get your car looking hot.

My personal theory, I'd rather pay $150-200 to get the job done well and get it done once. You could pay dearly in the long run when you go half-@$$.

 

I would be afraid to pay $120 for a "compound" service. That seems like an aggressive first step as well, especially on silver.

IMHO, spend the detailing price towards a good orbital buffer and practice yourself. You'll be saving a lot of money in the future while having the peace of mind that it's being done right.

 

I charge very close friends $100 for a single step with a quality polish/ lsp including interior. 120 to compound is bs. To compound correctly and correct the haze the compound has done takes alot of time 120 will almost assuradly make the paint look worse.

 

hmmm.. I see.. I really appreciate the advice!!

 

there are a lot of issues here. i am a proffessional detailer, and have been for over 10 years. i offer on site deailing around the baltimore area.
1. does your car really need compounding? i ask because compounding is very aggressive. it should only be done as a last resort. if your car has some minor scratches, and generally needs some shine back, than i would do the following: 1.wash and dry, 2.use tar remover wherever you see tar, grime, etc., tar remover may even remove little marks of various types,
3. clay bar treatment, with a light colored car you could use an aggressive clay if the surface is very rough to the touch. if it is not so bad, use a mild clay.
4. it is at this point you must decide if your car needs a compound or a polish. very rarely does a car need a complete compound job. you may use a little compound on some problem areas, but it must be followed by a polish step. whatever you do- do not let an inexperienced detailer compound or clay your car. some cars do not need this step at all. most of my jobs do not get a full compound or polish job.
4. if your car looks good and is free of scratches, just go ahead and wax it.

in the case of the Z, i charge $100. this is for a full interior and exterior detail. if it needs compounding or polishing with the high speed buffer it will be more. about $20 for each step.

i would be a little hesitant about both of your detailers. the first person wants to charge you full price and compund the car. has s/he even seen the car? a car has to be in pretty rough shape to need compounding.

the second person seems to be promising a lot for a little. always be suspect of this.

wow 8 hours for a Z detail- that car must look awesome!

 

Its REALLY simple to clay a car. Wash the car well and dry (yes I know you can clay during wash but meh, i dont). Use a good Quick Detailing spray for lube and lightly rub the clay over the paint, feel free to be generous with the Q.D. Do a body panel at a time and wipe off the area with a clean microfiber towel. fold the clay so that you get a fresh surface to grab "crap", you dont want to be rubbing the same "crap" over all the other body panels. All this should take about 15-20 minutes of your time. One thing to note if/when you drop a clay bar THROW it away please, you can imagine what is going to stick to it when it hits the ground. I break the bars in half just in case, clay+QD can be a little slippery.
And I have to agree with everyone else that when i get out the compound...its usually a OMG this is gonna be a "fun" project<--sarcasm. but to save ya $40 you could wash, clay wax the Z in about 2 hours of your time being new to it speaking of newbies, this is my first post and well hi everyone! I am hopefully picking up my Z in this coming week

 

^^word

I'm no professional detailer but know that you only use compound on trouble areas as it basically scrubs the paint off.

 

welcome! post some pictures of the car when you get it.
you are right claying is simple. i usually clay a car as i rinse it after a good wash. i don't use much lube as i already have the car wet and clean. the key to a good clay job is 1. a clean car, 2. no heavy tar, 3. fresh clay.
it is pretty easy, and the results are awesome.

 

Im so excited to be getting this car! i cant stop smilin when i think about it (that means my face is gonna start hurting from smiling all day). the first thing i plan on doing is telling the dealership to not wash it or even think about walking torwards it with some nasty stained rags lol should be a fun wash, clay wax. i havent busted out the souveran in a while.