Poor paint finish - help required!

[DrDx]

I have an Ultra Red RS200 and under artificial light the bonnet & the red painted top part of the front bumper have a swirly, 'hazy' finish that really bugs me! It looks as though the paint has been badly polished with the wrong materials and elbow grease does not seem to be helping....

Can anyone recommend a good detailer in the Wiltshire/Berkshire/Oxfordshire area that could try to improve the finish with a mechanical polish? The rest of the car is a little bit swirly but the finish is tolerable....

Thank you!

 

[Mentalpen]

DrDx sorry to say but it is down to a poor wash technique.

When you get it detailed as if you can stick around to see how he does it.

You will ALWAYS get some swirling over a period of time but you can keep it to a minimum.

I don't know the area but the following is an authorised Swissvax Detailer so will have had to go to the head office and detail a project car to show his abilities so should but more than upto the job.

Shine On Auto Detailing
Contact: Paul Townsend
Mobile: 07842 185347
Email: paul@shineondetail.com
Web: www.shineondetail.com
BERKSHIRE

 

[Magic]

With Swissvax you actually "buy in" to the programme - yes you have to go to head office and do a basic course but thats more to learn how to use their products, rather than assess your true skill. Local competitor to me is a SD, and he's rubbish, half of the amateurs in the showroom section of DW are better. But he paid his £2k so he got approved :lol:

It is entirely possible, if it is just that one part of the car that it has had a poor repair at some point or other an has been poorly buffed. You're probably best asking on DW for a recommendation (rather than just choosing one at random off a list) from people who have actually used a local detailer to you / that is unless of course you would like to make the joirney up North to Manchester and visit me? I have some exclusive forum deals for members on here, so it would be worth your while...

 

[Mentalpen]

When Clio197.net went to Swissvax first time they said you had to go to head office at harrogate to do a project car.

They had a lad from hull doing it and he had a to correct and detail a car (which was some old thing a bit like a morgan) whilst we were there so unless they have lied or changed their policy????

 

[stuey]

I have an Ultra Red RS200 and under artificial light the bonnet & the red painted top part of the front bumper have a swirly, 'hazy' finish that really bugs me! It looks as though the paint has been badly polished with the wrong materials and elbow grease does not seem to be helping....

Can anyone recommend a good detailer in the Wiltshire/Berkshire/Oxfordshire area that could try to improve the finish with a mechanical polish? The rest of the car is a little bit swirly but the finish is tolerable....

Thank you!

A guy I used to do RC Racing with has a company called Detail My Car, he is based in Newbury. He has a website with examples. I might get him to do my car at some point.

 

[DrDx]

Thanks for the advice! I am confident that the paint is original but the car was bought used and it was on a forecourt for ages... Imagine the number of washes with a shabby old leather and a dirty bucket of cold water with a squirt of fairy liquid added..... It improves every time I polish it with AutoGlym SRP but the paint seems to be quite hard....

 

[Magic]

When Clio197.net went to Swissvax first time they said you had to go to head office at harrogate to do a project car.

They had a lad from hull doing it and he had a to correct and detail a car (which was some old thing a bit like a morgan) whilst we were there so unless they have lied or changed their policy????

Yes, that's right, you go to head office and they give you an overview of their products and then ask you to demonstrate how to use them on a demo vehicle... what they didn't tell you is that these people who are being accredited are paying £1500+vat for this. The marketing angle is that these approved detailers only use the perceived best products and the fact they are approved means they are perceived to be the best. You're a prime example that their marketing works, given you've automatically assumed that the approved Swissvax Detailer for the OP's area is more than capable of doing the job (he might well be, to be fair). You'd also assume the same for the guy in my area too, and the next area, and so on... and that's how the marketing works.. and that's why some companies choose to pay and become 'approved', as it does generate work, by association with the brand - but that only goes so far, do a bad job and you simply don't get any repeat business.

Their policy hasn't changed, I doubt, I'm just simply pointing out how it actually works, given I'm in the trade, and have seen some of the completely shocking work some Swissvax Detailers have produced (locally to me). Fortunately reputation in this industry actually goes a very long way, much further than 'approved status', that's why I'm far busier than the company I mention and the majority of my client database has been built through recommendation.

I'm not having a rant here btw mate, I know emotion can sometimes be lost or misinterpreted in text, I'm just giving you an inside view of what really goes on behind the scenes. No malice intended

It improves every time I polish it with AutoGlym SRP but the paint seems to be quite hard....

Autoglym SRP is only a very very light polish, infact it's an all-in-one really as it also contains fillers (like a glaze) and acts like a sealant. You'd be far better using an actual polish, something like Scholl S17+. You could use this on a tri-foam applicator and work it by hand to see if that resolves some of the deeper defects. I fear you may need to work it by machine though to get optimum results but it's worth a shot when the 250ml of the Scholl polish is ~£10, and an applicator a few quid more.

If you shared a picture with us that might help diagnosis a little...

 

[DrDx]

Thanks for the advice...

I am seriously considering the long drive to Manchester for the 1-day detail that you quoted me for a few weeks ago! In the meantime I will try a proper polish as you suggest and see how I get on... If I buy wisely I surely can't make the finish any worse!?

I will try to capture the finish in a picture bt it will be tricky. It is worse under artificial light and it looks like the paint has been badly and unevenly polished with something that is very slightly abrasive.... You can make out the back and forth strokes in certain lighting...

Most people wouldn't care but I want to try to fix the car to be the best it can be.... :blink:

Yes, that's right, you go to head office and they give you an overview of their products and then ask you to demonstrate how to use them on a demo vehicle... what they didn't tell you is that these people who are being accredited are paying £1500+vat for this. The marketing angle is that these approved detailers only use the perceived best products and the fact they are approved means they are perceived to be the best. You're a prime example that their marketing works, given you've automatically assumed that the approved Swissvax Detailer for the OP's area is more than capable of doing the job (he might well be, to be fair). You'd also assume the same for the guy in my area too, and the next area, and so on... and that's how the marketing works.. and that's why some companies choose to pay and become 'approved', as it does generate work, by association with the brand - but that only goes so far, do a bad job and you simply don't get any repeat business.

Their policy hasn't changed, I doubt, I'm just simply pointing out how it actually works, given I'm in the trade, and have seen some of the completely shocking work some Swissvax Detailers have produced (locally to me). Fortunately reputation in this industry actually goes a very long way, much further than 'approved status', that's why I'm far busier than the company I mention and the majority of my client database has been built through recommendation.

I'm not having a rant here btw mate, I know emotion can sometimes be lost or misinterpreted in text, I'm just giving you an inside view of what really goes on behind the scenes. No malice intended



Autoglym SRP is only a very very light polish, infact it's an all-in-one really as it also contains fillers (like a glaze) and acts like a sealant. You'd be far better using an actual polish, something like Scholl S17+. You could use this on a tri-foam applicator and work it by hand to see if that resolves some of the deeper defects. I fear you may need to work it by machine though to get optimum results but it's worth a shot when the 250ml of the Scholl polish is ~£10, and an applicator a few quid more.

If you shared a picture with us that might help diagnosis a little...

 

[Mentalpen]

Yes, that's right, you go to head office and they give you an overview of their products and then ask you to demonstrate how to use them on a demo vehicle... what they didn't tell you is that these people who are being accredited are paying £1500+vat for this. The marketing angle is that these approved detailers only use the perceived best products and the fact they are approved means they are perceived to be the best. You're a prime example that their marketing works, given you've automatically assumed that the approved Swissvax Detailer for the OP's area is more than capable of doing the job (he might well be, to be fair). You'd also assume the same for the guy in my area too, and the next area, and so on... and that's how the marketing works.. and that's why some companies choose to pay and become 'approved', as it does generate work, by association with the brand - but that only goes so far, do a bad job and you simply don't get any repeat business.

Their policy hasn't changed, I doubt, I'm just simply pointing out how it actually works, given I'm in the trade, and have seen some of the completely shocking work some Swissvax Detailers have produced (locally to me). Fortunately reputation in this industry actually goes a very long way, much further than 'approved status', that's why I'm far busier than the company I mention and the majority of my client database has been built through recommendation.

I'm not having a rant here btw mate, I know emotion can sometimes be lost or misinterpreted in text, I'm just giving you an inside view of what really goes on behind the scenes. No malice intended

Thanks for that Magic.

That now make far more sense!

Not really how we were told then.................

Makes the whole process rather false and worth little or nothing then.

As they say you learn something new every day.

Products are still excellent in my opinion and easy for this muppet to use anyway. I'm also told they are bringing out some new machine polishing products out soon.

Cheers again Magic.

 

[Foxspeed]

you could use something like meguires ultimate compound.....very good results even by hand!!

 

[DrDx]

I think I will see what I do to improve things this weekend by hand and take things from there... I think someone has tried to polish the bonnet with the wrong product - something slightly abrasive - and I just hope that it can be recovered! If all else fails I am going to treat myself to a professional detail.... :blink:

you could use something like meguires ultimate compound.....very good results even by hand!!

 

[luke3]

If that fails, try russZs on here, he's a detailer and his work is amazing!

 

[DrDx]

Thanks for the contact!

I have been going a bit of YouTube searching and I thing the bonnet & top of the front bumper suffer from 'haze'... It is as though someone has used too much of an abrasive polish and it has not been worked enough to break down the particles...

I hope that sort of 'damage' can be rectified ......

 

[DrDx]

I spent some time working on the bonnet & front bumper this afternoon... I washed the front of the car, clay-barred the affected areas and used a soft cotton cloth with Auto Glym paintwork renovator to gently polish the paintwork. I then applied a coat of Auto Glym super resin polish and I am very pleased with the results...

This has convinced me that the previous owner used the incorrect materials to clean the car and so the next step is going to be a machine polish!!

The question is, am I brave enough to purchase a Dodo Juice Buff Daddy and have a go myself....?!?

 

[Magic]

It doesn't just end at a machine polisher though mate - there's the pads, the polish, and not to mention a paint thickness gauge. By the time you add it all up and the hours spent learning how to use all the equipment, you'll have spent more than what it would cost to have it detailed by a pro detailer and the results arguably won't be as good as a pro could achieve. Of course the upshot is you can find some satisfaction in doing it yourself and you do get to keep the bits to do any other cars you buy...

 

[DrDx]

I certainly get the feeling that buying a polishing machine could be the tip of a very big and expensive iceberg!! I think I will work the paint by hand and aim to get the 1-day detail booked in soon..... Thanks for the advice!

you could use something like meguires ultimate compound.....very good results even by hand!!

It doesn't just end at a machine polisher though mate - there's the pads, the polish, and not to mention a paint thickness gauge. By the time you add it all up and the hours spent learning how to use all the equipment, you'll have spent more than what it would cost to have it detailed by a pro detailer and the results arguably won't be as good as a pro could achieve. Of course the upshot is you can find some satisfaction in doing it yourself and you do get to keep the bits to do any other cars you buy...

 

[james_h]

Hi mate,

I know we have been sport of discussing this on my thread as you seem to have all the same problems I do/did.
http://www.clio197.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16721

I had exactly the same thing - poor swirl marked front bumper and panel where the Renault badge is - and it looked awful under artificial light as well!

In the end I had a professional detailer sort it for me - RussZS from here - and now it all looks amazing.

I definitely can concur that using the wrong cutting compounds by hand makes the problem 10 x worse - but that's the obvious thing to try when you try to make it look better like I did!

I would get a detailer to machine polish it with the right materials/compounds - then try not to use anything abrasive on the said panels ever again!