Detailed Reflection Auto Spa - 2014 Camry Hybrid - Cardaddy & CarMomma - PBL Paint, Glass & Wheel Coating - Attitude Black Metallic
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rops:Mike@DedicatedPerfection
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- Feb 26, 2011
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Incredible work Tony! That black Camry looks incredible now!
MitchLiving
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- Feb 18, 2014
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It being factory paint and a thin coat of clear, do you wet sand with the highest grit paper first? like a 3k grit to make sure you don't damage the clear coat with the typical 1500 grit that people tend to start out with?
cardaddy
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- Nov 20, 2012
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Absolutely!
I wouldn't even THINK about 1500 grit without trying the least aggressive method first.
The right rear quarter had been dinged up prior to my customer buying the car. It looked like they had even tried to hide a bit of it by shooting just a little clear over it. Likely their PDR guy.
They'll even airbrush clear on when touching up to hide dents and dings. It actually looks like more sanding than what it was.... but what we did was very very light, just grazing over the top. There were almost 20 random defects in that one little area so it just made more sense.
I have a Meguiar's hand pad holder that I'll use for those bigger areas, where normally on a defect I'd hand "feather" sand it. Using the paper sometimes just on the tip of your fingertips working outwards from the defect.
It's important to communicate with the owner about what has happened prior to you being tasked with a repair. And even more important that you communicate what work YOU can do before, and especially after.
You really only have one or two big corrections that you're going to be able to get, no matter how much paint is on there. (Unless it's single stage, but even then its limited.)
In this instance, it was made perfectly clear that if they get it back in the condition it was in that we cannot fix it again!
(Although I'm sure some dealership or car wash guy with a big ol' rotary buffer will be more than happy to tear into it fir $39.95.)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using AG Online
cardaddy
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I mentioned CYA earlier. Things like a thorough inspection sheet, photo documentation, good notes, paint readings, all of these we need to consider anytime we're doing not just paint correction, but at ANY time you have someone else's vehicle in your possession.
Never underestimate the fact that there was previous damage that the owner either didn't know about, or didn't make you aware of. Delivering a nice shiny and slick vehicle back to an owner, then mentioning, "Oh, by the way, you had this damage here, and this damage here, I hope you knew about it." is NOT something you want to do unless you have very good record keeping and take plenty of photos OR very * deep * pockets.
If it's just a wash and wax, and no machine is going near the paint, then you surely don't have to be a diligent in pointing out defects but it can still help. When you consider that the customer may be a 'regular' then you can establish a record and as things change with the vehicle over time you can bring up those changes with the owner.
The reality however is with a wash and wax you could end up spending an extra 30 minutes just inspecting, taking photos, and writing up your VIF.
Here are the shots we did on the Camry during inspection. Note that there are tape spots all over the car. Those are there to help the camera focus. Not going to waste drive space here with all those photos, but it's worth mentioning.
DIRTY
This is what we were looking at to begin with!
CarDaddy.... what spooky eyes you have!!!!!!
After claying, still couldn't get a decent reflection shot.
Much better reflection shots....
RUPES?
FINISHED
Never underestimate the fact that there was previous damage that the owner either didn't know about, or didn't make you aware of. Delivering a nice shiny and slick vehicle back to an owner, then mentioning, "Oh, by the way, you had this damage here, and this damage here, I hope you knew about it." is NOT something you want to do unless you have very good record keeping and take plenty of photos OR very * deep * pockets.
If it's just a wash and wax, and no machine is going near the paint, then you surely don't have to be a diligent in pointing out defects but it can still help. When you consider that the customer may be a 'regular' then you can establish a record and as things change with the vehicle over time you can bring up those changes with the owner.
The reality however is with a wash and wax you could end up spending an extra 30 minutes just inspecting, taking photos, and writing up your VIF.
Here are the shots we did on the Camry during inspection. Note that there are tape spots all over the car. Those are there to help the camera focus. Not going to waste drive space here with all those photos, but it's worth mentioning.
DIRTY
This is what we were looking at to begin with!
CarDaddy.... what spooky eyes you have!!!!!!
After claying, still couldn't get a decent reflection shot.
Much better reflection shots....
RUPES?
FINISHED
cardaddy
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- Nov 20, 2012
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Thank you so much sir for your compliments. :dblthumb2:
I try to make it where I actually contribute something with a "Show & Shine". There really isn't much point to posting a bunch of photos and not being a part of actually HELPING others understand how you got to where you did. Well, unless you just want to stand around waiting on people to pat you on the back and tell you how great you are.
I'd rather try to help others understand the process. After all, it's not some top secret patented copyright protected masterful arm manipulation by NASA trained robots going on now is it?**
Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
**
So yeah, ask and if I have the answer I will share it. We have plenty of serpents running around that's for sure.
Yup, that is indeed a 2013 that he bought with 1500 miles on it!
They had one before this one that got totaled. So the wife said she wants another one, (their other car is a Prius) and her ONLY stipulation was that it "be black". He wanted all the bells and whistles and said the closest one he found was in Chicago. :dunno: Of course the last one the bought in Boston.
He says that's worth going to the Northeast to save the money, but buying the plane ticket, (and seeing the condition of the paint) I can't imagine he's saved any money.Funny though was the part where he was thinking that the $100 gift card was actually going to help him recover the damage done to the car. At one point early on I had told him that our basic wash and wax (sealant actually) would run $120 but that didn't include any buffing, but even that takes 3~4 hours. He sounded a bit puzzled then said, "Wow, I was hoping what they gave me was going to get me half way there."
But after our visit price never came into the conversation. I told him that a coating started at $595 and left it at that. Then I told him that with the additional work we would work hard to keep his budget in mind, but every car we do is a reflection of our family. I can't let work leave here that I wouldn't accept for my own vehicles.
Then we showed him what we do, some photos of other work, and of course he could see a ton of products, compounds, polishes, sealants of all types and prices, really neat banners (THANK YOU AutoGeek!),
and hundreds of neat microfiber towels and he realized that you do indeed get what you pay for. Best of all, he even understood the hit that small businesses take with card processing and paid cash!
(I use Square, but do pass that cost on just as most companies do these days.) Should have seen CarBoy's eyes after all the griping, (not wanting to be in the detailing business these last couple of years) when I plop down a bed full of $20's on his bed. He usually just gets what I pay him, (taken off the balance of his wheels and tires I bought for his 4Runner) and doesn't see the payout. :laughing: Now he wants to detail all the time! Im the MANDarned if tonight he wasn't telling me he'd found a jacked up 4x4 that the guy wants someone to crawl around underneath it wiping down all the suspension, then do a AIO on the paint. I told him I wasn't crawling around under NOTHING! Funny thing though, he's looking forward to pulling more wheels off, Sonax, claying and cleaning them. Maybe I've created a monster. :dunno: