I'm still confused about cut/buff/polish on white paint...

[Paul A.]

I have always been and remain somewhat confused about how we sometimes say we can get away with not correcting white paint as fully as we do darker colors. There are even some product descriptions that suggest refinement may not be needed for white.

My goal on every job is to flatten the paint as much as possible to maximize reflectivity of light. Sure, I understand white hides so much but aren't we always after the flattest and most reflective paint possible?

Why do we give white vehicles a mulligan?

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Why do we give white vehicles a mulligan?

Because we're lazy? Because we want to remove the minimum paint possible? Because if you're working on a car that's not yours and isn't going to get treated like yours you're just shoveling swirls against the tide? Because we're trying to service the customer by giving them the best value and it's easier to get a white vehicle to look good than a black one so we can charge less for a white one?

Take your pick. I'm not saying I fall into one of those camps but I'm just trying to give some answers to your question.

 

[boosteddub69]

I think when you're doing a customer's car, you work to the correct level of diminishing returns while making sure to do the job that you quoted.

As an owner of a white car, when I work on it, my goal is to correct all of the major defects, bring the level of shine up to my standards and then feel good about the job I've done.

 

[WillSports3]

I think it's because white is harder to get right than black, harder to see everything so the time you would spend on fully correcting white paint will be longer than black so it comes down to business. If you're ok with spending an extra hour compounding out a car and polishing it to refine it and checking with a swirl finder every five minutes for the same price, then do it but I think for a lot of people it comes down to business sense for them.

 

[Paul A.]

Great answers guys and got me thinking. Thanks for your perspectives.

 

[FUNX650]

IMO:
It's kind of like some people giving
a mulligan to the roofs of p/u trucks,
(regardless their color), and other
"taller"...[ie: difficult for Customers
to see]...areas/surfaces of similar
vehicles: SUVs, Crossovers, etc.


Bob

 

[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

No confusion here Paul A! I treat a customers white vehicle no different than any other color. The process remains the same.

Before:

After:

 

[Just02896]

Vehicle color makes no difference to me. The biggest deciding factors when it comes to level of correction are my clients budget and expectations.

 

[2black1s]

I think it's because white is harder to get right than black, harder to see everything so the time you would spend on fully correcting white paint will be longer than black so it comes down to business. If you're ok with spending an extra hour compounding out a car and polishing it to refine it and checking with a swirl finder every five minutes for the same price, then do it but I think for a lot of people it comes down to business sense for them.

I agree completely with your first sentence. I'm an old car painter and I always found white to be the hardest color to wet sand and buff because you simply cannot see what you are doing as easily as other colors.

I'm also in the camp that the color does not dictate the results I strive to achieve... Regardless of color, near-perfection is always the goal.

 

[RaskyR1]

I have always been and remain somewhat confused about how we sometimes say we can get away with not correcting white paint as fully as we do darker colors. There are even some product descriptions that suggest refinement may not be needed for white.

My goal on every job is to flatten the paint as much as possible to maximize reflectivity of light. Sure, I understand white hides so much but aren't we always after the flattest and most reflective paint possible?

Why do we give white vehicles a mulligan?

For me the only time this comes into play is when the owner is on a budget and only wants a 1-step correction, even when it needs more. 1-steps are always a give and take and I explain that to the client and let them decide if they want more gloss or more correction. Since light colors make it harder to see things light faint DA haze you can usually get away with more correction while leaving that paint looking good, even though it's not as refined as it should be. FWIW, I really don't like doing this and it's only come up a few times.

 

[TTQ B4U]

Vehicle color makes no difference to me. The biggest deciding factors when it comes to level of correction are my clients budget and expectations.

Agree 100%. White is more difficult to "see" as the correction moves forward, thus proper lighting is most important. I typically use lights on stands that I call "ugly lights" They show everything very well and it's really a matter of owners may opt for allowing for 90% correction because under normal lighting the 10% remaining will rarely be seen or at least not seen easily.

 

[Paul A.]

More great discussion, boyz. Again, thanks.

I too do NOT shortcut based on color. Like Paul G (and others said), i also do exactly the same job or rather the exact same effort regardless of color. Yes, it depends on what the customer ordered and it is much more difficult for me to see the results on white but I scrutinize a white paint job and make sure it gets just what the customer ordered.

In addition to always wondering about this line of thinking, i.e.white gets a vacation, was the fact i was reading through some product descriptions online and saw a couple that specifically suggested something along the lines of "may not need anything further on white or light colored paint". An example can be found in the product description of Menzerna Power Gloss 1000 on the AG store. I clearly understand what they are saying but if black needs a refinement step after PG, white does too. In my mind...although that's where my conscience resides anyway.

 

[WillSports3]

I think we all know that no matter the colour, a proper paint correction is a proper paint correction but what it seems like it comes down to a lot of people who own white cars are used to white hiding a lot while black car owners are constantly scrutinizing the car so have the opposite problem. White does get a pass just like how black never gets a pass, it's the two polar opposites and the reality of what we see depends on the colour of the car. A guy with a lighter colour will never have the same mirror sheen to the point where you can't guess the colour of the car just because the colour dictates what we see but the guy with the darker car will see swirls just that much easier.

 

[TTQ B4U]

The downside to white IMO, especially on the back side of the car is ferrous spots that require iron x or continued upkeep to remove them. Likely due to exhaust and airflow that causes dirt to settle on the back of the bumper/deck lid area.

As much as I hate black I still love it that much more. White looks good and IMO clean but it too shows dust and light dirt. Downside is it really only "shines" or glows at night. During the day it's more Meh... Also, a clean white car next to a perfectly corrected white car still doesn't cause either to really jump out at you. However, when I park next to the typical average clean black car, mine screams perfection and makes theirs look bad. Even dirty it does that. :xyxthumbs:

 

[LydiaGP]

More great discussion, boyz. Again, thanks.

I too do NOT shortcut based on color. Like Paul G (and others said), i also do exactly the same job or rather the exact same effort regardless of color. Yes, it depends on what the customer ordered and it is much more difficult for me to see the results on white but I scrutinize a white paint job and make sure it gets just what the customer ordered.

In addition to always wondering about this line of thinking, i.e.white gets a vacation, was the fact i was reading through some product descriptions online and saw a couple that specifically suggested something along the lines of "may not need anything further on white or light colored paint". An example can be found in the product description of Menzerna Power Gloss 1000 on the AG store. I clearly understand what they are saying but if black needs a refinement step after PG, white does too. In my mind...although that's where my conscience resides anyway.

I don't know this for sure, but I'm wondering if perhaps the reason they mention that is because white paint is notoriously harder than black? It would seem like that would only apply with single-stage, but perhaps that's what they're referring to?

 

[parshooter]

Downside is it really only "shines" or glows at night. During the day it's more Meh... Also, a clean white car next to a perfectly corrected white car still doesn't cause either to really jump out at you.

Challenge accepted (although being a rank amature, mine won't be "perfectly corrected").

 

[boosteddub69]

The downside to white IMO, especially on the back side of the car is ferrous spots that require iron x or continued upkeep to remove them. Likely due to exhaust and airflow that causes dirt to settle on the back of the bumper/deck lid area.

As much as I hate black I still love it that much more. White looks good and IMO clean but it too shows dust and light dirt. Downside is it really only "shines" or glows at night. During the day it's more Meh... Also, a clean white car next to a perfectly corrected white car still doesn't cause either to really jump out at you. However, when I park next to the typical average clean black car, mine screams perfection and makes theirs look bad. Even dirty it does that. :xyxthumbs:

I'm not sure I agree.

I recently corrected my white '14 S4 (I mentioned that on purpose...I've seen you on the 'Zine) and one of my buddies noticed right away how much better it looked after correction and protection, and it wasn't in bad shape before.

 

[CarolinasFinestDetailing]

A professional detailer treats every color the same and does his/her best to maximize results based on customer`s expectations and budget.

 

[Paul A.]

Absolutely agree ^

 

[JustJesus]

Downside is it really only "shines" or glows at night. During the day it's more Meh...

To me, this is a little more than "meh" - Approaching noon, so it's nowhere near night time.