Have you ever been dissapointed to find...

Yeah I just had that experience with a family member's truck. Didn't think it was that bad until I washed it. Then I still didn't think it was that bad until I saw what was left after the swirl remover and a cutting pad. Just think though, you can have the shiniest scratches on the block

Good share...

I learnt the hard way about not to getting too much fixation on one aspect of detailing after my first purchase .. A mix of products i need and didn't need....I was too fixated with paint and negelected the interiors,wheels, trims, grills/emblems, sills, doorstep,crevices,etc...It only took me 2-3 details to realize that getting the swirls out is only a quarter of the battle, finishing nicely on the other parts i neglected is what separates the pros and the amateurs.. I was working on a brand new car... I can't imagine your take on a car that my take...has been driven for years with RIDS, deep scratches, curbed wheels, bird poo marks, etc... But hey what do you do after all those frustrations especially with the tools/supplies you have invested ? I know I sucked it up and move on to handle the rest of the aspects.. Tbh I don't think I've reached the pro's level..I simply take it as a hobby who knows maybe after 100 more details i'll reach their level...I'd say if you still get the relaxation and joy from doing it...Keep doing it...Afterall it's not a useless activity...If you're good enough you may save hundreds of dollars of detailing money and who knows you may be good enough to make it your side job... If you dont have the time for an extra hobby then there's always the for sale section :hungry:

Reminds me of a quote by I think it's Mike Phillips... Getting the swirls out is ..., getting the polish out of the crevices is detailing.. I forgot the exact quote but that really hit me..

Looks like you should join a "how to paint your own car forum instead" LoL.

Re: Have you ever been disappointed to find...

I think you picked the correct vehicle to do your initial defect and paint correction. Now you have seen first hand what can be exposed when all is said and done. A good lesson was learned and now you can tell the owner of your next detail what can be expected . Nothing like hands on training.

Re: Have you ever been disappointed to find...

2old2change said:

I think you picked the correct vehicle to do your initial defect and paint correction. Now you have seen first hand what can be exposed when all is said and done. A good lesson was learned and now you can tell the owner of your next detail what can be expected . Nothing like hands on training.

Click to expand...

:iagree:

Yesterday i did my first test spot on my car with Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and Finishing Glaze. When i buffed off the TSR I was amazed! Then i saw all the deeper scratches left behind... I did a second run of TSR just to make sure, but they stayed there.

My paint was in pretty bad condition, even worse than i thought. If i want to remove those i'll need a more aggressive compound, they don't look deep enough to qualify as RIDS that would need sanding.

On the bright side, my paint never looked better! The swirls are 95% gone and the test spot looks amazing! I'll be doing the whole car later today when i get some shade :xyxthumbs:

My DD is a Toyota Tundra with a few bad spots, but it's in the shop ATM. So my first detail was on my sister's Chevy Prizm...

I knew it was bad to begin with, but after the process, I realized it was HORRIBLE! and there is nothing to be done to fix it. That car will probably never be washed/detailed again until it is dead (which I hope comes soon). :bat:

I had that happen once. I got together with a good friend, I was feeling ambitious and was going to do a simple one step on her car. She has a VW Jetta that hadn't been washed in about a year so the dirt was hiding the horrendous paint underneath. After washing the car I was horrified and didn't have the time nor interest to spend all weekend correcting it, at least not for free.

I couldn't believe how bad the paint was. You would think it had sat outside for 35 years, but the car is only a couple years old. What's funny is she saw the car after I washed it and commented on how nice it looked. I agreed, and went on with my day. :bolt:

Oh I am afraid of this with my cars all the time....especially I know how bad the demons paint is....top half is 40 years old and the bottom half was resprayed some time ago is chipping, and just very poor quality with cracks, sand marks the works

Nick@Autogeek said:

I had that happen once. I got together with a good friend, I was feeling ambitious and was going to do a simple one step on her car. She has a VW Jetta that hadn't been washed in about a year so the dirt was hiding the horrendous paint underneath. After washing the car I was horrified and didn't have the time nor interest to spend all weekend correcting it, at least not for free.

I couldn't believe how bad the paint was. You would think it had sat outside for 35 years, but the car is only a couple years old. What's funny is she saw the car after I washed it and commented on how nice it looked. I agreed, and went on with my day. :bolt:

Click to expand...

I am always amazed at the number of people that think their cars look fantastic after you wash it and use a one step on it. And you are trying to think up an excuse for why it looks so bad and why you can't improve it. Only one person out of a hundred, or even fewer really knows what a perfect car looks like.

oldmodman said:

I am always amazed at the number of people that think their cars look fantastic after you wash it and use a one step on it. And you are trying to think up an excuse for why it looks so bad and why you can't improve it. Only one person out of a hundred, or even fewer really knows what a perfect car looks like.

Click to expand...

Isn't that the truth..

I used to be one of those people in my pre-autogeek discovery days. My idea of a perfect car used to be a simple wash and dry without water spots, greasy plastics & leather inside, and vacuumed carpets. :nomore:

Thanks to AG I now have people commenting on how clean my DD is after it's gone a week without being cleaned (when I think it's filthy). Seems to be especially present activity from females. I guess people just don't have the same attention to detail as we do.

So to OP, 99% of the public will think your car looks perfect after a 1 step no matter how bad your paint is. :xyxthumbs: