Pontiac WS6 Bad Paint Job

Discussion in 'Show and Shine' started by aowheels, Aug 11, 2011.

  1. aowheels

    aowheels DB Pro Supporter

    A few weeks back I had a call to come look at this Pontiac WS6.
    After checking the car out I determined this was not going to be and easy fix.

    The vehicle suffered from a horrible paint job at a body shop that keep the car for 4 months. (un-real)
    On top of having a bad paint job, the car was also destroyed from a wet sand and buff. The sanding marks looked like they were done with no block or DA.
    Just some wet sand paper and hand is all they appeared to use. This is not the proper actions of a body shop, at least not a good one.
    The car also looks as if it was wet sanded and then clear coated over without cleaning any of the clear coat run off . (This was the most unsatisfying part about the detail.) As some spots were to battered to fix without having to repaint. Mostly in the door jams and crevices that speak volumes on the vehicles overall appearance. The "bad buff job" burnt up some of the rubber seals and left the paint scratched and swirled on top of filling every nook and cranny full of enough compound to do the whole car again.

    (Scratches, swirls, orange peal, runs, fish eyes, wet sand, over spray and un-necessary paint in un-necessary places)

    2006 Pontiac WS6 Detail / 80 hours and unable to get perfect....

    Car on the day of delivery to myself!
    This is also how the car was given giving back to the customer, in this condition...


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    Uneven wet sand marks on top of orange peel

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    Below: wet sand splatter and clear coated over.

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    Below: this wet sand / buffer splatter was clear coated over and unable to fix... Maybe

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    Wet sand marks:
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    By the front fog light: wet sand marks
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    Wet sand run off. Again with a bit of clear coat sprayed to lock it in...

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    Sanded and burnt 3rd brake light on spoiler:
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    They could have tapped the car off a bit better. Clear coat on the rubber seals

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    T-Top seal:
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    Clear Coat: again could have been tapped better...

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    Paint Condition:
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    That's some of the damage that was found on the surface and in plain site of the vehicle. Its not sure to me why the paint / body shop kept these folks car for 4 months and was returned like this.
    Got started with the wash. Trying to focus on all edges and crevices.

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    I quickly got the impression... "this is not going to work" So I begun the start of disassemble only to find the damage is getting worse.

    I removed all side markers, tail lights and spoiler.
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    Before I get back to the paint I want to show the tail light detail and get that out of the way!!

    Before:

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    After: Dressed with 303
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    Left Tail Light:
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    Wet sanded with 2000 then 3000
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    After some compounding and polish with 4" pads and rotary:

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    Right side: partial 50/50
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    Center Piece: Before:
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    50/50 and about as good as is going to get... minus the dust.
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    Again, this is about as good as it will come. Reflection of a wheel
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    The Spoiler: Notice the dirty wet sand marks on the under side of the wing... What were they thinking?
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    Un real...

    After some wet sanding of my own with 3M's 3000 and DA

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    The Top Side:
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    Time to get going on the rest of the car... Starting from the rear

    After pulling the wing off I noticed the damage that was cause when this world renowned body shop reinstalled the spoiler!

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    This is not a 50/50 of any kind. Just some crap I have to fix
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    After wet sanded:
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    After the rear has been wet sanded correctly
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    I'm not going to worry that much about the indentations were the wing will rest. But however did smooth them down a bit.


    50/50
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    And working on some of the other disasters left from the new paint job...lol

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    Sanded around the antenna with 2000 and block
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    To make a long story shorter, I followed around the rest of the car in this manner.
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    Now time to get everything polished back out !!!

    Everything all tapped up and ready to go!!!
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    Munchkin in training!!! One of my 2 buddies!!
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    working it out.... ya moving on!
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    in the workz
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    after some polishing!!!
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    Some 50/50 around the front end!
    Half wet sanded and the other half polished out!


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    Pulled it outside to review my own work and see what the light of day looks like! Many many hours in at this point!

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    Taking A much needed break from the polishing I decided to work on some other things.
    For example:
    Removing the 2... yes, I said 2 screws that the paint shop did not remove to pull out the honeycomb grills.

    I filled a piece of my wife's Tupperware "haha" with some thinner and dropped the 2 grill pieces in!


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    letting them sit for and hour or so...
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    They came out like new as you will see!

    Still on break from the polishing and letting my callas cool down, I remove each wheel.
    one at a time... Giving that my garage lift check must have bounced


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    Old wheels and haven't had much attention in this area. I spray them down with Sonax and rub out the decade old crud with some 4o steel wool

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    Even polished the nuts:
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    Cleaning out some under the arches
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    Each wheel was polished out with a 4" pad on the rotary... Lets go still much more to go!

    Wheels are done the cars all polished back out at this point.

    I back the car back outside and give it a good hosing....


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    ^^^notic the wheels polished! As I didnt take any pics from after or doing the wheels (sorry) "jacking up one at a time, I said F it"
    At this point I know this car pretty well and start to hammer it with the pressure washer breaking up some of the over spray these guys seemed to have shot everywhere.

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    On doing this I blast out plenty of unnecessary paint and clear coat over spray! Feeling like a champ now by day 4 and at over 60 hours! Im starting to see a car!

    Here is some of the flacks of paint from places like the motor underside of the bonnet etc.


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    Once done and dried, I went around wiping out the jams and edges the best they could.
    Along most of the edges was still left with lines or jotted lines of the wet sand residue the bodyshop had clear coated over. Leaving still a whitish color.
    I did the best that could be done without breaking any clear, that would later be a problem of flaking or cracking the paint. I would have to say, this was the most unsatisfying feeling about the detail.

    The whole car was wet sanded down with 3M's 3000 Trizact ( many places and several passes)

    The headlight where lifted and cleaned around

    Things like the lower amount of orange peel

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    The grill vents replaced after being treated...
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    The interior: All cleaned and dressed with 303
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    The tail lights back in and each interior panel cleaned on both sides
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    winging it!
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    One of those white lines that's so frustrating
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    Thats it for now!

    Thanks for viewing!!!

    All the best,
    Brian




    To be continued
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  2. Lucci Elite Detail

    Lucci Elite Detail DB Forum Supporter

    Sick Write Up man, car turned out great!
     
  3. Danny

    Danny Nuba Guru

    Amazing work! you corrected a nightmare.
     
  4. froboy272

    froboy272 Obsessive Detailer

    shame to see such a great car in that condition. you really hooked this owner up!
     
  5. WashingJosh

    WashingJosh Jedi Nuba

    Awesome work. What percent of correction were you able to achieve?
    If I lived in FL, I would ask for the name of the body shop so I would never have to go through this.
     
  6. kakeuter

    kakeuter DB Forum Supporter

    Great attention to detail, had to have been overwhelming to look at it when you started.

    -Kody-
     
  7. hamza7

    hamza7 Welcome to Detailing

    You made some great work out of that! Man oh man, that bodyshop shouldn't have been paid for this job.
     
  8. Chas

    Chas DB Forum Supporter

    That is some top notch work with a serious amount of detail attended to. Great write up the owner must have been thrilled!
     
  9. Wheelz25

    Wheelz25 Jedi Nuba

    Outstanding job!
     
  10. P1et

    P1et Official DB Moderator

    Mate that is some unbelievable work, I never thought that thing was going to be saved when I saw the first few pics. So sad to see shitty bodyshops get away with subpar work like that.
     
  11. Kaban

    Kaban Welcome to Detailing

    Great job!
     
  12. CG SoCal

    CG SoCal Any Rag Vehicle Washer

    Remarkable transformation. Who knew that is was blue paint. You saved the owner on this one... Hope you got some $$$ for all your hard work.

    Cheers,
     
  13. aowheels

    aowheels DB Pro Supporter

    Thank You Guys!!! The detail was worth it!!!

    And that body shop from what I have heard has just recently pulled their signs down.
    I don't know the name or location.... doesn't matter
     
  14. Stokdgs

    Stokdgs Detail Master

    This is what happens when drunks work in bodyshops..

    If this client paid for this then that is another serious issue..

    You have done a remarkable turn around of a ruined car - thanks so much for sticking with it and getting it done !! I am so proud of you !!!!

    A$$Clown Painters like that one give all Body Shops a bad rep - there is absolutely so excuse for the mess he made..

    Thanks for saving this Client's sanity and bringing that Pontiac back to beautiful !

    Dan F
     
  15. Upper Class Detailing

    Upper Class Detailing DB Pro Supporter

    Unbelievable detail. Great job!
     
  16. knucklesmagee

    knucklesmagee Virgin Detailer

    hello, this ws6 pontiac firebird trans am was a gift i bought for my wife. i had it painted for her and this is what i got back....a ruined car.... i stopped payment, they threatened to sue me, said car was ok when it left the shop. i had to actually go down there at 9 pm at night and i told them if i have to kick down the door, i wll, but im taking the car home, 4 months was enough. i thank the heavens for brian, my wife wouldnt even get in the car, no less drive it. now she loves it, he worked miracles on her car. i thought it would look better, but never did i think it would look like it did. omg i was shocked, impressed and grateful all in one second....her car looks better than a new one... it looks like its wet and a mile deep, like you could swim in it. brian is the most attentive person to detail i have ever met. and, hes a real nice guy... not an egomaniac at all... just a hard working honest guy. and he knows his job better than anyone ive ever seen. im giving him my prostreet 48 chevy areo-coupe to do next. the orange color will probably blind people by the time hes done...lol..i cant thank him enough for what hes done for me...remember, this was my wifes car, and my idea to have it painted...lol...so brian saved a marriage and a pontiac....lol....
     
  17. freefallin2000

    freefallin2000 Birth of a Detailer

    ABSOLUTELY AMAZING WORK. This may be one of the best resurections I have ever seen. I really want ot learn how to wet sand s oI can fix the paint on my Mustang.
     
  18. supercharged

    supercharged DB Forum Supporter

    amazing work!!!never seen so much attention to a Pontic Firebird...
     
  19. SilverGTV8

    SilverGTV8 Jedi Nuba

    Absolutely amazing work great turn around!
     
  20. M3ride.

    M3ride. Wax on..Wax off

    Insane work! Great job.
     

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