Sorry for the lack of details, I had a family friend inquire about doing his "Hot rod" after he saw the results of doing my father's girlfriends 2011 Lexus RX450H. The hot rod is a 50' something truck with a "$10,000" custom red paint job (his baby). I haven't had a chance to inspect the paint yet, but from what it sounds like is that it has minor swirls. I don't think it has any RIDS though. Suggest a plan of action for me? What I had been thinking myself was to spot test first with the Uber blue final polish pad paired with SF4000. I was also considering ordering Sonax paint cleaner to try on this job. I was thinking of ordering a premium wax from Detailers Domain to try out for this car as well. I want to give it as high gloss of a finish as possible. Can I use Menzerna Power lock sealant and then top coat that with a premium wax for extra protection? Thank you for your time!
Before you go and start spending money, you need to ask the customer what he wants out of the detail. Does he want correction or does he want the vehicle to be well protected and wants to get rid of some minor swirling? A lot of people just want a car to be shiny and can care less about swirls. If you have the knowledge/experience, you should do a small test spot to show the level of correction the owner wants out of the detail. You are correct in starting with the less aggressive method first. I presume you understand that the level of correction depends on clear hardness. Keep trying combination until you find one that produces the acceptable level of correction for what you will be paid for. If he just wants a good All-In-One (protection while taking care of some minor marring swirls), you have several options: 1. Sonax Paint Cleaner topped with Sonax Poly Net Shield (haven't tried it, but this combo is highy recommended by Phil) 2. Optimum GPS topped with Opti-Seal (great AIO and opti-seal gives a lot of gloss) 3. HD Speed (looks dripping wet ... durability is so-so) I prefer sealants myself. You should be fine topping any of these AIOs with Menzerna Powerlock. I highly recommend Sonax PNS. Coating-like sheeting and it lasts about 5-6 months on daily drivers. Wouldn't be surprised if it lasts longer on a show car. Keep us posted, G
Just to add to what GDAL said, on a 10k custom paint job I would use a paint thickness gauge on each panel to see what you are working with. If he just wants a detail (wash,clay,polish,sealant) you should be ok without a PTG. I do agree that PNS is awesome, but on a show car you probably want something with a dripping wet look. I would do a nice glaze after polish and then top with HD Poxy, which gives you the look of a wax and the protection of a sealant.
Thanks for bringing up the paint meter ... I completely forgot about this important device. I would spend the money on an affordable paint meter. Highline sells affordable paint meters and many members of the online detailing community haved stated that the ebay units that look exactly like the HLII are the same unit at a lower cost. If he just wants an AIO, I would skip the meter for now, but it's always important to know paint thickness before you do any type of medium/heavy polishing.
He's looking for protection and to remove minor swirls. Personally, I want to give it a dripping wet look. If he is satisfied with the results he has a lot of friends to refer me to. I was thinking the same thing about PNS, I've used it on my S4 and the 2011 RX450H and the results were awesome. Not quite the dripping wet look I want to acheive for this truck though since it mainly sits inside except for special occasions. I was also wondering about the PTG, but I figured I would be fine if I only intend to very lightly polish the truck. I'm definitely interested in picking up a PTG eventually. Although, I still don't quite understand how the information is applicable since it provides you with the depth of the primer, paint and clear combined. How do you utilize this properly? From the information I've been given I don't think it'll be necessary for this job though given how lightly I plan on polishing this truck. I will see for sure though once I get to inspect it in person. Btw, thanks so much for everyone's input!
