has anyone here lost interest in detailing?

Nissan paint is holding up well for me. Mine is a 2001. Paint quality is pretty high actually.

OP needs a new car.
 
Have you tried finding someone local that moonlights or does painting as a hobby (but is very good at it) to do it for much less than a body shop? I know there are tons of people that advertise on CL, etc. that do it out of their home garage and often times you can find people that can do a really nice job. Will it be as good as a 7K job at a fine auto shop, no way, but will it get rid of some of the issues you are facing, sure and then you can take maybe an "ok" job and color sand/correct it and I bet it would look really great, just an idea, good luck.
 
I guess this is a good spot for my first post.
Ive been a detailing enthusiast since my first car. I also tend to start off strong when I have a newer vehicle but end up getting discouraged as time/miles go on and a wash+wax just doesnt cut it. I was slowly falling into the same pattern with my current vehicle, 2011 Nissan Frontier Pro-4x in dreaded black. I got it nearly new with 7k on it, I always have been carefull with the paint but the the swirls and fine scrathes I just couldnt hold off.
I'm fortunate to have a work vehicle to use as needed so I parked my truck in my shop and started on what I consider a total paint rehab. I purchased a pc da buffer, numerous pads, wolfgang tsr 3.0, klasse sealant and collinite liquid wax. Im only 3 panels in at this point but I have been stunned with the results thus far. This is my first time stepping up to mechanical paint correction and i'm seriously kicking myself for waiting so long.
To sum up my ramblings, I was definitely falling into my old pattern of detailing despair but with my new tools and motiviation I have regained hope in maintaining my vehicles finish for the long haul.
 
I think once you get a new car your interest will be rekindled.

I don't think I'd be into detailing as much as I am if my DD had clear coat failure.
But getting a new/used car that's in good shape would/does make me want to keep it in as good a shape as possible.

I'm kinda glad it's winter right now... I don't have to obsess over what my car looks like (it's out of the elements), and my winter DD, well, it's outside and driven every day so I'm not gonna go nuts over keeping it clean. My main objective over the winter is to keep the salt to a minimum.
Come spring I'll be back into paint correction and the occasional customer :dblthumb2:
 
I try to keep my DD as clean as possible.... But driving 60 miles a day for work isn't helping lol.

I have chips on my hood and front bumper, random scratches here and there on my car. It is not garaged atm.... so it is sitting outside. Wash the car every other week.

Starting to come to a conclusion that DD can only be maintained to a certain level.... it isn't going to be perfect so to speak.
 
I'm sure you'll get back into it once you gets something newer.
 
Sold my 10 year old Nissan a couple of years ago. There wasn't a scratch or swirl to be found. The paint held up like Fort Knox. It looked brand new inside, outside, and under the hood. It was a little dirty on the underside past the wheel wells. If you're having clear coat failure you must have iron working it's way into the paint or not enough sun protectant.
 
OP, just take a deep breathe and to quote Aaron Rodgers..."RELAX"

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timaishu said:
I have for the most part. I still wash it properly, but that's the most I put into it as well as a spray wax every once in awhile. Not interested in fixing swirls or scratches anymore as the paint is too delicate..

The reason I lost interest is my cars paint, it just sucks. The roof's clear is failing, the hoods clear is showing signs of failure and was backed into denting the front lip, the right front fender is just massively jacked where only a full repaint can fix it, all four door handles the clear coat has delaminated, both mirrors are faded and discolored, the rear bumper was a junk repaint from day one, the spoiler has some sort of fiberglass cracking leaving thousands of small cracks under the paint.

From a distance it looks nice detailed, but upclose I can see all the flaws. I have considered getting a full repaint, but the cost is not worth it to me. I would rather use that amount of money as a down payment for a new-used car.

Sigh.. Im almost praying my car catches on fire and is totaled just so I can get something else.. Or that someone deeply keys the entire car so I could have my insurance pay for full repaint or something.
Click to expand...

I feel your pain. I have an 03' civic coupe (satin silver) with just over 182k and both the front and rear bumpers are fading compared to the rest of the car. I think the clear (thin japanese paint) is starting to fail on the front and when the good/warm weather comes around I think im going to use a coating to help reduce any further damage. it's nice not having a car note each month and im gonna drive it till the wheels fall off. looking at my nephew's 13' Hyundai elantra, there's no comparison as to which paint quality is better and it's not the Honda...
 
You could sand away all that degraded clear coat and deal with the base coat below, no? I guess, sort of treating it like single stage paint.

If so, someone in the "Samples" thread is getting rid of numurous sanding disks. Give hime a try.
 
expdetailing said:
You could sand away all that degraded clear coat and deal with the base coat below, no? I guess, sort of treating it like single stage paint.
Click to expand...
Too bad that it doesn't work that way. If so:
The life of a Detailer would almost be a breeze. :xyxthumbs:


Bob
 
I can`t say I have lost interest but I have narrowed down the products that I use. I do like caring for my cars and my new to me Arctic White C6 is proven to be a challenge to detail. My OCD does try to raise its ugly head again but I fight it off :)

Da Burgh did have some nice weather over the weekend so I got my garage warmed up and went at it :)

Pics when and if the sun ever shines again
 
Haven't lost interest but I definitely spend different amount of times and use different products on our vehicles

Camaro is always clean and use my best supplies on

Truck (my DD) is washed and usually clayed once a year. Seal and wax 2x a year. Few wks ago someone asked when I got the new truck, I said TD 5 yrs old and their jaw dropped.

Wife's van - wash maybe once a month interior ever few wks. It gets trashed with the kids. This is more of a point a to b vehicle.


Ryan
 
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