Every now and then as detailers, we'll come across a car that is in such poor shape that we take the job hoping for some improvement, any improvement, knowing whatever we do will be leaps and bounds better than where it started. We don't go into it expecting too much, but somehow we manage to find a process that gives us better results than we could have ever hoped for, and in the end we're able to present our client with a MUCH better outcome than what we'd initially promised. This is definitely one of those rare occasions, and I wanted to share it with you. This 2012 Mustang spent the first couple of years of its life as a rental car....and it shows. When I performed my initial inspection, the first thing that jumped out was the obscene amount of DEEP front-to-back scratches running along the length of the car. It was clear these where from spinning-brush tunnel washes, but the severity of them is what really threw me. Even under fluorescent light, these scratches dominated the appearance of the car and I was certain that without wetsanding, nothing would come close to touching them. Unfortunately, a full wetsand and correction just wasn't feasible given the client's budget and goals for this car. Along with the straight-line brush scratches, this car also had plenty of swirls and noticeable buffer trails from a previous detail. All in all, the paint condition of this car was probably the worst I've been called upon to fix so far. Given the condition and the client's budget, I recommended a two-stage correction and told him I'd shoot for somewhere in the neighborhood of 70% correction. As always, I started with a foaming of the car to loosen heavier debris, followed by a two-bucket hand wash. I probably could have washed it with handfuls of sand and it wouldn't have made it any worse. The obligatory foam shot...these never get old to me. Once the car was washed, clayed and decontaminated with Carpro Iron X, I proceeded to do a test spot on the roof. All the horizontal panels were equally beat, and roofs get it worse than most other panels since people tend to use them for a shelf whenever they get in and out of a car. Don't believe me? Next time you're in a parking lot see how many people lay their coffee cups, purses, cell phones, etc. on the roof while looking for their keys! So I knew the roof was the perfect test spot. Now here's where things get interesting. Under LED lights, you can see just how bad the surface really is. Swirls, deep RIDS and even a couple of fat, squared off gouges in the roof. Lately, a lot of buzz has been given to using Meguiar's M205 finishing polish as a compound, when combined with the long-throw action of the Rupes 21 and microfiber pads. I've personally seen this surprising combo do incredible amounts of cutting while leaving a finish that can usually be cleaned up in only one subsequent step, so I already knew this would be my first combo to test out. As it turns out, it did exactly what I hoped it would...annihilate these heavy defects QUICKLY and leave me with as little haze to finish off as possible. It worked so well, I didn't even bother looking for another combo! This little beauty was obviously from someone trying REALLY hard to rub something off the paint, probably with a scrubber pad. I was certain this would be too deep, so I had the sandpaper soaking. But given how well 205 was cutting on the rest of the car, I figured I'd try it first. Keep an eye on the tape in the second two pics. That's right, the sandpaper never left the bucket! With just a little work, this combo cut that nasty scratch out without breaking a sweat. Now I was on a roll, so I just kept on going. Final polishing was done with HD Polish on a black B&S pad. Since the massive cutting combo was leaving such minimal haze, this very light final step had no problem clearing up the compounding haze and leaving a glossy finish that surprised even me. It honestly didn't look like the same car that was dropped off two days before! (Please excuse the dust in a couple of these pics, it was cleaned up prior to delivery.) At the end of the day, Meguiar's M205 once again proved its versatility. It cut deep defects with surprising speed, with great working time and little to no dust....except when cleaning the pads out during use, then it was like being trapped inside a snowglobe! But it didn't leave much of a mess on the car, and made finishing a breeze. I'd conservatively say this car achieved 90%+ correction, with only some really deep RIDS and those roof gouges left behind. I was pleased beyond words with the final outcome, and the owner couldn't stop staring! Total time, roughly 16 hours. Foam cannon- Optimum Car Wash mixed with 3D APC Wash- Optimum Car Wash Clay- Speedy Prep Towel/Meguiar's Blue Mild Clay Compounding- Meguiar's M205/Rupes 21/Meguiar's MF Cutting Pads Finishing- HD Polish/Rupes 21/Buff and Shine Black finishing pads Tight areas- Americana AmeriRocks/Meguiar's G110 w/ ExactFit backing plate/LC Cyan pad As always, thanks for looking!
Thank you. I love my Rupes, couldn't be without it. Thank you Dre, I appreciate that! Thank you Phil!
Wow that's an inspirational turnaround!!! Any idea of how much clear coat was removed to achieve these results? I can't imagine m205 being that aggressive.
Thanks man! I measured overall readings in the 120 micron range before starting but didn't take any afterward. Given the right technique and tools, 205 can be as aggressive or more so than many heavy hitter compounds. Remember, it has the same abrasives as 105 just in smaller quantity. In fact, this technique of using 205 was covered at the most recent NXT training class, and Kevin Brown has an article on it as well. I have that article in pdf format if you'd like a copy.
Thanks man! I don't think with a GG you'd get the same results. Here is Kevin Brown's article on using 205 with the newer long-throw DAs. http://www.buffdaddy.com/files/1519584/uploaded/Removing%20Paint%20Defects%20via%20Meguiar's%20M205%20Professional%20Ultra%20Finishing%20Polish...pdf
