Paint correction in the cold

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ThirdgenTa

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So I have a customer who has been wanting my to detail his car fo about 3 months now. But he didn't end up scheduling it until about 2 weeks ago for that Sunday. It ended up pouring all day so he wanted it rescheduled until this weekend. The temps are now dropping and I have not worked with polishes in this cold of weather. The high this sunday is supposed to be 50 degrees. So it will be anywhere from 40-50 degrees that day. Will this cause any problems?
I will be using menzerna polishes and menzerna power lock sealent as my lsp.
This will be an 07 hyundai sonata. Any tips? Is the paint hard or soft on these cars?
 
Excellent question regarding polishes performance in cold weather...I am quite interested in the answers.
 
I've had to work on cars when it's snowing outside... the cold definitely makes everything more difficult.

There's a tip in this article for working in hot sun that can also help when working in the cold and that's to shrink down the size of your work area.

Not a huge tip but sometimes every little bit helps...

Tips for working in warm/hot weather or direct sunlight



:)
 
THanks for the tips guys!
Now anybody know about the paint on the Hyundai? Just wondering if a 1 step I am going to be able to finish in one day.
 
What about spray wax, & QD during the winter months to help maintain protection & shine? Does temperature affect applying these types of products?
 
Waxy said:
What about spray wax, & QD during the winter months to help maintain protection & shine? Does temperature affect applying these types of products?
Click to expand...

I remember last year when it was about 20 degrees out I tried to spray QD and it froze on contact lol
 
Waxy said:
What about spray wax, & QD during the winter months to help maintain protection & shine? Does temperature affect applying these types of products?
Click to expand...

I would think the same principals that apply to using other car care products would apply to most spray QD's/waxes. But there are exceptions, no doubt. Maybe ones that contain no water? Also, I would suspect that a vehicle's panel-surfaces temperature would come into play.

IMO......
Sometimes, when conditions prevail
That dictates it's just too darn frigid.
Because no one should become rigid,
Performing what's known as a Detail!

:)

Bob
 
Sometimes it's best to just be honest with the customer. In my experience...compounds and polish absolutely do not work well in the cold. They dry up quick, and you lose a lot of spread time. Not too mention your pad will be stiff due to the cold, as well as your clay bar. A cold clay bar will cause quite a bit of marring.

Since the customer waiting so long, I would politely advise them to wait till warmer weather. Just my opinion. I actually had to do this with a customer the other day. But then again...I have a shop to work in as well. If you need the money...then make it happen I guess, ha.
 
I have occasionally worked with compounds and polishes in 40-50 degree temps and while it's not optimal, it can be done. If need be, work smaller sections than normal. A tip for keeping your clay bar malleable and soft is to occasionally drop it into a cup of very warm water as you are claying. Then need it a little bit after a brief soak in the hot water. You will find that this works very well.
 
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