My brother was telling me he talked to someone at his work who used to be an autobody guy and that when it came to detailing a black or any dark color car for that matter that he used a 3 step process to get the car's paint to be absolutely swirl free. I asked what the process was but he wouldn't say. Are there any autobody people on here that might know what process this guy was talking about?
People who choose what corrective process to use based on the color of the car are just plain retarded and should not be detailing at all. And OP, he's talking about a three step detail, in which a rotary or dual action polisher is used, along with a compound, medium polish, and finishing polish and their respective pads. It's your normal paint correction detail.
Meh, you dont need 3 steps to get every defect out. As always it depends on the condition or the paint and it everything is possible to remove. M105 M205 PO85RD Should work well
I beg the differ. Color does play a role in what products you use or your process if that makes sense. On dark colored cars you most of the time will need to use something like 85rd to finish where as light colored cars you can say finish down with 106F or M205. I will say though that most body shops do not know how to detail. I have seen so many horror stories where cars come out freshly paint with swirls and tons of holograms. as stated though 3 step process is your normal paint correction. Sometimes it may involve more or less steps but generally 3 steps.
I think he means that you should not skip a finishing step just because you may not see as big of a difference on a lighter color. You should treat every color the same way as perfectly level paint is perfectly level paint regardless of pigment. The main variable there is paint hardness and how some paint colors like white tend to be harder.
the three step process he is most likely speaking of is that of the 3M 3-Step Process used by most body shops. what it entails is using twisted wool and 3M compound first, followed by 3M Swirl Remover with a black 3M waffle pad, and then finishing with 3M ultrafina/ultrafine and a light blue 3M ultrafina/ultrafine waffle pad. used CORRECTLY, this process can yield excellent results as seen here: http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/show-shine/18081-couple-pics-work.htm i use this combination at my full time job as a detailer when it is necessary. most people using this 3M 3 Step Process dont know how to properly utilize it at all, nor do they know anything about working polishes properly, proper technique, or anything proper about paint correction for that matter, which is why most body shops and dealership detailers cannot yield acceptable results. to me it goes without saying, but there is NO set process or combination or products that will work for every car, color, clearcoat, etc. every car is different, even if its two of the same car in the same color. experience, knowledge,trial and error and a little bit of "detailers intuition" are the best ways to figure out what processes or steps to take to properly correct paint.
Yeah I was just stating that this is what the 3 step process can look like. I wasnt clear enough Sometimes Menzerna SIP and PO85RD is enough to finish flawlessly on a car. And the method and products you choose should be based on something that is the least aggressive to do the job. Ex. My Black Honda has plenty of swirls and light scratches, but IMO the clear is soft enough to do a great job with SIP and 85RD. There are way to many 2 and 3 step combos to list
Even a one step with the proper polish and pad combination can yield great results with a fraction of the time expenditure for a full 3 stage correction detail. If you are not sure about going all out on your daily driver or any car for that matter, a great way to start is by performing a one step with a polish like Menzerna Power Finish and a white Lake Country pad to get results like this:
Yep, a proper one-step can eliminate a lot of swirls while saving paint. Here's another good example just to add to what Christian posted(awesome work btw). Achieved by mixing P203S and PO85RD. YouTube - 2006 G35 By Horizon Detailing
It's pitting, like basically it got hit by a rock and made a dent in the clear but not hard enough to chip the paint. They're usually too deep to be worth chasing, like a rid just much more abundant.
