hi, i live in the north west of england and work as a detailer (although here we call detailing valeting) i am going to be doing a full paint correction on a black 1997 toyota corrolla. the paintwork is in real trouble. i plan to do my test panel with m#205 and a black polishing pad to see what results are achievable and to ascertain how soft the paint is. pending that my plan of action is to do the first stage using farecla G3 regular paste compound on a standard G mop. i have had excellent results with this product using zenith techniques and it burnishes really well (i think it's DAT because it breaks down into a polish) for the next stage my plan is to go with m#205 but don't know which pad i will use because i have not worked the paint yet. my query is this; given that soft black paint is hard to finish by machine (even with a DA) i was hoping for some advice on finishing by hand, such as which products, applictors and techniques to use (after the m#205 stage i will be finishing with a really fine finishing polish and pad so any recommendations for this will be gladly recieved aswell. i am going to be doing an IPA wipedown between each stage so nothing containing any fillers please
1997 black toyota corrolla
- Thread starter valeter
- Start date
Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 7
Hmmm.....
Do some testing with the M205 with a soft foam finishing pad. If this isn't finishing out to your standards of quality then try some Menzerna SF 4000 or SF 4500
I'd sure find a way to finish a 2007 Toyota Corrolla out by machine then investing the time, energy and sweat that's going to be required to do it by hand unless this is a 1997 Toyota Corrolla Show Car going on display at a premier car show and even then I'd still find a way to machine polish it and machine wax it unless you're going to coat it.
The human hand cannot compete for quality of finish on a clearcoat paint system when competing with a machine.
cleanmycorolla
New member
- Apr 27, 2012
- 3,805
- 0
As a corolla owner and Detailer of many. It tends to be softer paint. A fine polish may do wonders so try least aggressive first. M205 works well on my corolla!
Flash Gordon
Well-known member
- Feb 6, 2010
- 11,458
- 463
If I were you I would leave as many fillers in the clear as possible. No IPA wipe down. You're going to need as much help as you can get messing with a 17 year old toyota
- Thread starter
- #5
just a quick update, It was my neighbours car, an elderly couple and they agreed to let me tidy it up for them (no charge, as I explained to them, if you pay me, it is no longer a hobby).
I removed all the tar and clayed the whole vehicle. (just for good practice i did a vehicle inspection using mike phillips link to his vehicle inspection sheet, how to build a part time detailing business) it was good because before I did anything I knew every millimetre of the vehicle, every defect and was able to plan my 'strategy' accordingly) I didn't print off the sheet just hand drew it off the screen.
When I start my own business I will definitiley follow mikes advice in this as it is an invaluable part of the preparation process. But I digress; so with this being sunny England and the car being parked out side my house I was waiting for an opportunity (window) where the weather conditions were optimal.
At six am there was a two mile per hour wind, I managed to machine polish one half of the roof and the rest of the back wing/fender/panel( test panel), before the wind picked up and started gusting. It may come as no surprise for some of you to hear that the paint was not soft at all, in fact it was quite hard inasmuch as there is a bird dropping etching left which will need to be wet sanded.
That day I put a coat of cheap wax on and later I went back and hand polished then hand waxed the rest of the vehicle (on a different day).
the vehicle now looks very shiny and the couple are very happy but I can still see the swirls where I wasn't able to machine polish the rest of the vehicle. No pictures because my phone has a useless camera and I haven't got a clue how to upload them anyway.
Like I said though, it is a project so I can get back to it when time allows. thanks for the advice on this matter. It was very helpful.
I removed all the tar and clayed the whole vehicle. (just for good practice i did a vehicle inspection using mike phillips link to his vehicle inspection sheet, how to build a part time detailing business) it was good because before I did anything I knew every millimetre of the vehicle, every defect and was able to plan my 'strategy' accordingly) I didn't print off the sheet just hand drew it off the screen.
When I start my own business I will definitiley follow mikes advice in this as it is an invaluable part of the preparation process. But I digress; so with this being sunny England and the car being parked out side my house I was waiting for an opportunity (window) where the weather conditions were optimal.
At six am there was a two mile per hour wind, I managed to machine polish one half of the roof and the rest of the back wing/fender/panel( test panel), before the wind picked up and started gusting. It may come as no surprise for some of you to hear that the paint was not soft at all, in fact it was quite hard inasmuch as there is a bird dropping etching left which will need to be wet sanded.
That day I put a coat of cheap wax on and later I went back and hand polished then hand waxed the rest of the vehicle (on a different day).
the vehicle now looks very shiny and the couple are very happy but I can still see the swirls where I wasn't able to machine polish the rest of the vehicle. No pictures because my phone has a useless camera and I haven't got a clue how to upload them anyway.
Like I said though, it is a project so I can get back to it when time allows. thanks for the advice on this matter. It was very helpful.
Flash Gordon
Well-known member
- Feb 6, 2010
- 11,458
- 463
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