Take the plunge or take it to someone else?

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nap3p

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Hey all -

I've got a black Porsche Cayenne that needs a thorough paint correction (wash/iron remover/clay/polish/seal). I'm debating whether to invest in a DA polisher (likely a PC), pads, clay (likely nanoskin mitt vs pads), and other necessary stuff or simply take it to a detailer and let them do it. I'm a DIY type guy and think it would be fun to do, however my biggest concern is learning how to use a DA on a black Porsche. I would likely start on my wife's white Subaru but still would be very novice when it came to trying things on the Porsche.

Overall the paint is in ok condition, there is definitely a fair amount of spider-web/cobweb/micro marring from what I would guess is the dealership and car washes. I'll try and post some pictures later. There are also some water spots I'd like to get out too.

I'm not looking for perfect paint as the car is a daily driver, sits outside (although covered), and I live in the Pacific Northwest so it sees its share of rain. Given the condition of the paint already, do you think I could do much more damage with a DA in novice hands?

The process I'm generally thinking of:
Wash
Iron remover, rinse
Nanoskin wash mit w/ nanoshock lube
M205 polish (what I have but open to suggestions)
Seal (likely an AIO)

Any thoughts or general recommendations or product recommendations greatly appreciated!
 
I would recommend obtaining a hood from a recycling facility near you. I would practice on it with a DA to see how much perfection you can obtain. Invest in some lights from Sams Club or your local Auto Store. If you are comfortable then I would practice on the wife car first and then yours. You should be able to obtain the results you are seeking after using the DA on a Hood. I would wash the hood the same way you mentioned as your process. I like meguairs M205 polish as well and Klasse as an great AIO. I can't wait to see the results.
 
Welcome nap3p!

I would strongly recommend DIY. It is intensely satisfying to do. If you've ever used a circular saw, electric drill etc. then you most likely won't have any problems with a buffer on car paint. It's just that most people are afraid of screwing something up. You won't. It's a natural feeling to think you'll mess up your paint but, again, you WON'T. The worst that might happen is that you don't get the results you were hoping for on the first go around. And...if that happens we'll talk you through it!

I did exactly what ishineforyou mentioned. I got an old panel from a junk yard and practiced. Then worked on the wife's car until I gathered the confidence to tackle my own.
 
If you have a DIY personality, you will not be happy with someone else doing it ;)

The real question is: Do you want to spend the time to learn, and do you mind spending about a 1000$ to tool up?

If you answer yes to both, then go for it. If not, just leave expectations at the door and contact a local detailer to do it for you.

On daily drivers, I would never suggest you go for flawless paint. You will want to do a medium polish or light polish to remove the oxidation and some of the swirl marks. And repeat when needed.

Over time, I have started to dislike claying and clay alternative more and more. It does a lot of damage to the paint in the form of marring and micro scratching and I feel like it's not necessary if you do all the chemical decontaminations steps. If anything is left on the paint after that, the polishing with take it out.

The only exception to this is removing iron contamination on white paint. White hides swirl marks and micro scratches, so doing a claying step and no polishing is often a good solution to save hours of work. But on black paint or any dark paint really, if you clay, you have to polish...
 
If you like keeping your vehicles looking nice and like to do things LIKE that your self-- I would go for it. You gotta start somewhere---- and some time , might as well be now
YOU WILL NOT GET IT PERFECT----YOU WILL MAKE SOME MISTAKES. The money you spend on someone else doing it will MORE THAN PAY FOR everything you need.
If it were me- I would skip the PC and go with the Griots 6" DA and their pads---try the blackfire one step as MP is impressed with it. Only drawback to the B.F.O.S. is it only available in a 32 oz which is WAY more than you would use on both vehicles several times over and is about $40

Good luck and let us know which way you go!!!!!!!
 
If you can swing it practice on a piece of material from a junk yard or better yet try and take one of Mike Phillips classes.
 
Take the plunge no one has ever suffered from having to many hobbies. I would classify detailing as enjoyable hobby where you get to go from start to finish and see your endproject. If you are a busy Lad or bird pay a valeter or detailer
 
nap3p said:
Hey all -

I've got a black Porsche Cayenne that needs a thorough paint correction (wash/iron remover/clay/polish/seal). I'm debating whether to invest in a DA polisher (likely a PC), pads, clay (likely nanoskin mitt vs pads), and other necessary stuff or simply take it to a detailer and let them do it. I'm a DIY type guy and think it would be fun to do, however my biggest concern is learning how to use a DA on a black Porsche. I would likely start on my wife's white Subaru but still would be very novice when it came to trying things on the Porsche.

Overall the paint is in ok condition, there is definitely a fair amount of spider-web/cobweb/micro marring from what I would guess is the dealership and car washes. I'll try and post some pictures later. There are also some water spots I'd like to get out too.

I'm not looking for perfect paint as the car is a daily driver, sits outside (although covered), and I live in the Pacific Northwest so it sees its share of rain. Given the condition of the paint already, do you think I could do much more damage with a DA in novice hands?

The process I'm generally thinking of:
Wash
Iron remover, rinse
Nanoskin wash mit w/ nanoshock lube
M205 polish (what I have but open to suggestions)
Seal (likely an AIO)

Any thoughts or general recommendations or product recommendations greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

Here's a Black Cayenne I did last year.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...master-sealant.html?highlight=porsche+cayenne
 
I agree with the rest, definitely go DIY.

I see you're a relatively new member, best bet is to stick around and use this forum to gain knowledge.

There must be close to a million posts and countless articles, but like the rest of us, you surely don't have to read and absorb every last one.

Feel free to take from this forum what you need to learn the ins and outs, learning about all the unique hardware available, and the processes is a lot of interesting fun.

Don't be afraid to ask, because somebody here will come along and give you sound advice. Mike Phillips, our forum guru detailer often chimes in, will pinpoint you to articles he has authored, and videos free for the taking.

There's nothing unusual as for the paint on the Cayenne, such are said to have relatively hard paints. Meaning no extra special precautionary measures need to be taken.

As for the PC7424XP, yes a fine machine, and can cover all your basic needs. It should be fitted with a 5" Backing Plate, and the largest Pads that are commonly used and suggested are 5.5" Pads. This machine may also be fitted with a couple smaller Backing Plates, and you'd then be able to also use 4",and even 3" diameter Pads for smaller areas and tighter spaces.

Many of the PC Kits sold here and elsewhere often come with a larger plate and 6.5" pads, this you don't really want.

Learning all the proper Decon processes is important, and not hard at all. You'll perhaps learn new washing techniques, learn about contaminant removers such as Clays, artificial Clay products, Iron removers, and the vast array of many great tools, Wheel Cleaning Tools of many sorts, Towels, Grit Guards, Foam Guns, etc., on and on.

There are many "systems" from a myriad of manufacturers to choose from, All of the Autogeek House Brands sold here, Wolfgang, Pinnacle, McKees, Blackfire, are all outstanding top notch products. There is not a dud in any product within any of these detailing lines mentoned. Polishes, Cleaners, Shampoos, Iron Removers, Clays, Sealants, Waxes, Towel Cleaners, on and on all are fantastic products do what they state they will do, and highly recommended by myself and others here. (No, I have no affiliation, just a regular member like you)

Autogeek also has a sister site BTW, called Autopia. Very similar as to here in all regards. I am a member of both sites, many, if not most of us are.

Throughout the year, both these sites hold many great sales with discounts, free shipping, many come around during the holidays.

You can sign up to be on both site's notification lists for such sales when they occur.

Welcome to this forum, and have fun!
 
Greatly appreciate all the input! I think I will go DIY. More questions certainly to come...need to read a little more about pads/AIO/machines.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'd say go for it. Do it yourself.

I cannot count how many people I've met in the real world or the cyber world that TRUSTED someone with their car only to in the end do it themselves to get it right the second time. Too many people out there that call themselves trained, knowledgeable detailers that simply don't have a clue. Sure there are plenty of "Good Detailers" out their too but confirming they know what they are doing is the tricky part and the last thing you want to do is find out the hard way that they don't know what they are doing.

Here's why. If they do hack work, that is leave your car swirled-out or filled with micro-marring, their process REMOVED paint. For you or anyone else to do it a second time to undo their damage means REMOVING more paint.

You only have a little paint from the factory to get the car through it's service life. See this article as it makes it really easy to wrap your brain around how thin factory paint is.


Clearcoats are thin by Mike Phillips



And the good news is - it's really not that hard to use a simple, 8mm free spinning orbital polisher. One of the articles I've written that I share a lot. The entire THREAD has a TON of information in it plus in my opinion, the most accurate and complete video on what to do when you're first starting out.

You'll have to read a thousand Facebook "messages" to find this much information in a single place on a single page and it's accurate.


Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips



The article actually has more information on microfiber pads versus foam pads than you can find anywhere.


Let us know what direction you want to go - I'm sure others plus myself will be happy to help.


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Get you a Griot's 6 with a Griot's 5 inch backing plate. Get a few pads, some 3d speed then have fun.
 
Better not need much correction at all if you intend on using 3D speed
 
It’s like you cane to a meth den and said I’m thinking about doing meth or taking up golf.....lol. Everyone here is a DIY’er and me personally just went through same debate.

II went DIY route and I’m not Typically that type. I was going to get a coating done and the “pros” I went two were all 1000-1500. I didn’t mind the money but they were all super d!€Ks. So I’d figure I’d spend money on best products and do myself.

Only thing I’d recommend 100% is skip the 8mm basic DA and get a 15mm long throw. Watch some tutorial videos and you’ll be fine. It’s a more aggressive machine but unless you stop in one place..... leave their for 60 seconds you shouldn’t have a problem. Anyone with common sense can get a good job done. If your not a utopian level OCD you’ll love the finish product and feel like a proud papa when someone tells you how nice your car looks.

My only caveat is if you need Deep correction with older paint. Unless you buy a paint gage you d definitely leave to pros.

I bought the Griots boss 15mm and a 3” mini DA from another company and loved it so much I’ve done 4 vehicles so far. It is definitely therapeutic for myself


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It's only work. If you have the time, the results are very satisfying - but, no harm in letting a pro do the work either.

I note that I am 81 years old and I do the work myself.
 
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DIY is good because you’ll have the tools to do the same in more cars.
But a Porsche is curvy. Keeping the pad rotation is not super easy, especially for a beginner. A Flex would be great on your car but I feel like the learning curve is a little steeper.
Maybe find someone from this forum that is local to you and can tackle the project with you so you learn for the future and the person will help you get the results you’re after.
 
BSoares said:
Maybe find someone from this forum that is local to you and can tackle the project with you so you learn for the future and the person will help you get the results you’re after.
Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion! Where are you located nap3p?
 
If your wifes car is outside.. are you gonna do the polish inside if you end up doing it? seems like everyone does polishing inside after cleaning not sure if people do it outside either.
 
animescreen said:
If your wifes car is outside.. are you gonna do the polish inside if you end up doing it? seems like everyone does polishing inside after cleaning not sure if people do it outside either.
Click to expand...

I polish outside. In fact, I do all my detailing outside.

"I don't even have a garage. You can call home and ask my wife...." - Charlie Daniels.
 
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