Pro Polish?

[Guy]

thanks for all the input guys, i have come inside and unplugged the anlge grinder  i'm a noob when it comes to car detailing and am loving the advice, im going to do somemore research but would love to hear somemore suggestions or opinions, really want to understand more about bodywork!

read my thread about Karlsson Collins - it is very detailed and then speak to Mark or post in there if you have any questions (he's more likely to see that post) - you can see from the thread that the process we used works...  Mark gives discount to forum members and is a master when it comes to paint correction

[OutlawStar]

that was a quality post GtiGuy i will defo be following up with this guy, thats exactly the process i have in mind! youve hit the nail on the head, cheers mate!

[Ridg]

The reason i wanted it done by machine is that ive been told that the valences may not be perfectly matched to the rest of the body due to the age of the paint

a decent body shop should be able to match then to a level that you won't be able to tell, if they come back black and your cars silver then get them to do it again, at the end of the day if you're not happy with the job, then get them to redo it untill they match

like everyone is saying an angle grinder isn't a machine polisher, if you've got the money get a machine polisher, but even those in the wrong hands can cause as much damage as an angle grinder

[Guy]

that was a quality post GtiGuy i will defo be following up with this guy, thats exactly the process i have in mind! youve hit the nail on the head, cheers mate!

pleasure to help

the__ridge is right.. paint should be a good match... but it'll look excellent when you have the swirls taken out of the old paint

he's also right about causing damage in the wrong hands... Mark spent a while demonstrating and teaching me... it's more difficult to cause damage with a DA but doesn't mean that it isn't possible! with instruction the user will achieve better results quicker and have more confidence - or you can just pay a pro like Mark to do it for you!

[OutlawStar]

how much money would i be looking to put down?

[OutlawStar]

that is i'd i'd love to get instruction and be able to carry out the work myself, :smiley:l but if that isnt possible i need a solution to get my car looking sweet for the summer!

[Guy]

send a PM to Mark - you're best off asking him directly 

[Cornish Pixie]

Theres some good stuff in this thread re machine polishing.

I think the advice to stay away from rotary (angle grinder) polishing is sound unless you have access to some tuition or are prepared to go to the scrappie and buy some panels off of a car that is the same model as yours to practice on.

Swirling is almost certain if going down the DIY rotary/angle grinder route unless you have a good technique and the right polish/pad combination. The key thing with roatry polishing is speed control and it is this that makes most angle grinders unsuitable for polishing work. Rotary polishers are designed to have variable speeds, soft start and in some cases load sensors to ensure that speed does not diminish with pressure applied to the polisher when working.

Different paints generally react differently to different paint types so in this case the original manufacturer paint will probably need a fairly aggresive compound such as Menzerna Power Gloss of Pro line Intensive polish followed by something like Menzerna final finishing polish or maybe Poorboys World SSR1, where as the new paint probably will not need anything more than say the PB World SSR1 or Sonus SFX2. For the absolute best results one brand or grade of compound is generally not enough!   

The random orbital machines such as the Porter cable, UDM and Megs G220 are good machines and are much less likely to inflict damage on paintwork if used correctly.

If I have read the posts correctly there are two problems here?

1. The new paintwork does not completely match the old paintwork due to the ageing of the old paintwork?

2. The car has some swirling which needs to be removed?

A1 To be honest I don't think any amount of machining will rectify the difference in colours and if it was me I would take the car back and ask for a correct match.

A2 In relation to the swirling you could either go down the machine polishing route or try using a polish which is designed to remove or hide swirling.

This product from Duragloss is a good product and I have used it to hide some pretty horrible swirling and micro scratching

http://www.duragloss.co.uk/sb-products.asp?productid=2322&category=86

This should probably be topped off with a good finishing sealant such as this one (again from Duragloss)

http://www.duragloss.co.uk/sb-products.asp?productid=2325&category=86

Good quality waxes are also quite good for hiding minor imperfections, but if you go down this route try and make sure that you use a wax with a high percentage of pure carnauba.

If going down the  Pro route, a MK4 with light to moderate swirling would probably take about 3-4 hours to complete the machining, in addition to this the car will need washing and claying prior to machining and then need finishing off with a good finishing product once machining is finished. So I would reckon 5-7 hours work if paying a pro to complete the work.   

I'm quite happy to talk anyone through the possible solutions (DIY or paying someone to do the work) just give me a buzz (numbers are on the web site using link below) or PM me