Hello all.
I’m not a “detail enthusiast”, but I am a gearhead. Have been my whole life. Cars, trucks, bikes, atv’s, boats, airplanes, helicopters, etc. If it’s got an engine, I’m into it. Paint (and paint care) is just another part of the gearhead lifestyle. I’m not into the “patina” craze. I like smooth, clean, shiny paint. Always have, always will.
I’m an “older” gent. I just “full time” retired 1 Apr from the RCAF where I flew the CH149 Helicopter.
View attachment 66301
Thats actually me standing in the open door, we’re landing at a friends place in the country for lunch. His Dad snapped the pic for us.
I’ve been SAR for the last 28 years. Great life, lots of stories. Some great, some I wish I didn’t have. I’ve lost count of how many lives we’ve saved... and how many bodies we’ve recovered. Great highs, but also soul shattering lows. It was time to put down that baggage and move on. Life is not bad though: they gave me a “golden parachute” and now I take home 90% of what my wage was for sitting home doing nothing. Well, I do have some “hangers on” health issues...but thats not a story for here.
At year end in 2016, I bought a new truck, thinking this would be my last vehicle to take me through my retirement. Honestly, it will spend most of it’s time sitting in a heated garage, so it should last me a good long time. I went for a crew cab, 6.5 foot box, 4x4 F-150 Lariat ecoboost with the Max Tow package (have a 35 foot trailer). It’s “shadow black” and it’s got every option you can get on a Lariat.
Fast forward to this January and it needed new tires. I went to a local shop and had new Michelins put on. Michelin’s are expensive, but I’ve always had very good luck with them.
When I got the truck back, I walked around it (I always check everything after a shop has had it). It’s got the 20” painted rims on it and every rim was scratched! Not horribly and not from changing the tires. It looked like someone had laid them face down on the floor and then dragged them when picking them up. Just enough to make them look like scratched up crap. I was pissed! I brought it up to the counter guy and he said I’d have to come back and talk to the owner at the end of the day.
I took the truck home, not too happy at all. But...I have a dash camera with an sd card. I pulled the card and reviewed the video. Unfortunately for me, the guys were working to the right side of the truck, just out of view.
I went through the whole video and caught one of the guys (wearing a hunting vest with snap button pockets) using my truck as a leaning post, multiple times. I went out to look at the fender and sure enough, BIG scratch right were he was flooping around against my fender and door. Just over 12” long! I missed it on the first walkaround because I was focused on the tires and the truck was dirty. I cleaned the area, grabbed a 10x magnifier and it’s either just through or really deep into the clear. Your fingernail will catch on it.
Further listening to the tape also revealled they had done something to my RH front tire pressure sensor. Sure enough, I go look and you could tell it’s not an OEM one. Thats a problem as I have the 7 year/200,000 km warranty package. If that sensor messes up, I’m not getting it replaced under the warranty I paid extra for.
So I call the owner and he starts the usual dance: “oh, the guys weren’t sure if the sensor was already broke or not so we just replaced it with an aftermarket one” and then he started the “prove the scratches were put there by my guys”. Well, I send him the video and thats the end of that. You can see the guy rolling on the fender/door and hear the techs talking about breaking the sensor when they broke down the rim and tire. Then you can hear them having a hell of a time getting the truck to recognize thier aftermarket sensor. End result? He’s paying up, no more questions.
Every body shop I go to wants to paint all the rims and the fender/door. I’m not overly keen on that. The ford black is notoriously hard to match and I don’t want to have a new truck that a respray fades to a slightly different shade in a few years. I understand what the shops are doing: they want the payday and they don’t want to put out work that doesn’t look perfect. A respray is the quickest way to both those objectives.
I talk to a detail shop the tire shop owner wanted me to go to and he starts talking about taking off about half the clear layer and putting some product on it to build up the layer again and the buff it. Sounds like that acrylic “diamond coat” crap we used to sell at a dealership I worked at when I was young. Then he shows me a couple cars in his showroom (used car dealer also) they’ve used it on. Shiny? Yup. Defects everywhere? Yup. No thank you, I walk out the door and don’t look back.
So, where to go from here?
Well, I used to work at an autobody place (part time) when I was a pup. I did minor stuff, some of it buffing. I know I can fix the scratch in the clear and the rims myself, but I don’t have any of those tools anymore. All I’ve got is one of those retail wax applicator “buffers”, the type with the elastic bonnets. Useless for this job.
I strike a deal with the tire shop guy: buy a new oem tire sensor and give me 300 bucks to buy tools and products and I’ll fix the scratches myself. I know I will take more care on my own stuff than anyone else will.
He jumps at it and we’re done. He was going to replace the tire sensor and swap out the bang on wheel weights for adhesive ones (yes, they used bang on weights on painted rims), but I decided I wasn’t comfortable with giving my truck back to those techs (I’m sure they got a talking to), so I said I’d handle it myself.
Well, first I need a buffer. After lots of reading I settle on the Dewalt DWP849X. Yes, I get the rotary vs orbital arguement for “beginners”, but the Dewalt rotary will fit more of my needs in addition to just the truck. Sure, there will be a learning curve, but I’m always up for learning a new automotive related skill. $250 makes a new one mine. Then I grab a yellow and a black 7/9” pad from SM Arnold. “Cool it” Speedy Pads they’re called. Then I pick up a 6” Velcro backing pad and one black and one yellow pad from “Farecla”, g-mop is the pad name. Keep in mind I’m not in a place where I have a lot of options for this stuff, so it’s more a “take what you can get and be glad you got anything” type of situation.
Now I need product. Meguiars gets pretty good reviews and I can pick it up nearly anywhere. So one bottle of Ultimate compound, one bottle of Ultimate polish and one bottle of Ultimate liquid wax. I have clay bars, but I grab a new box of Mothers, mostly because it was on sale half price and my clay bars are pretty well used up.
Microfibre clothes/towels I already have, along with proper wash mits and car soap.
Now I’m about 200 bucks in over the 300, but thats OK because there are other spots on the truck I would like to touch up as well as being able to use it on the wifes car, my bikes, the boat, my hot rod, etc.
Just hammering the rotary to the truck wasn’t going to happen. I need to get back my “feel for it”.
So I toss the 9” yellow on the Dewalt and go at my old red garden tractor. It’s scratched, missing paint in places and just overall beat up. It’s a single stage red (probably from a rattle can) so it’s pretty faded and chalky too. On goes the compound and I keep it at 600 rpm until I get a feel for the buffer. After a few passes, looks pretty good! I up it to 1400 and keep on. Clean it off and the paint (whats left of it) looks good. No signs of buffer marks or burn through on edges. So I toss on the black pad and the polish. Start at 600 again and pop up to 1400 after a few passes. Paint looks even better and no obvious problems from the rotary. I can actually see my reflection in the paint! I clean the pads and call it done for the day, happy with the progress so far.
Next up I’ll roll out the Mustang and practice on that. The Mustang has a base clear paint on it, but it’s in the middle of a rebuild and bodywork is part of that. So the paint is in various states of distress. Some places are bare metal, some places are in good shape and most of it is scratched or damaged in some way. Lots of places to practice on. The car will need a full respray anyways.
So, long intro. Thanks for sticking with me if you're still reading.
I’m not a “detail enthusiast”, but I am a gearhead. Have been my whole life. Cars, trucks, bikes, atv’s, boats, airplanes, helicopters, etc. If it’s got an engine, I’m into it. Paint (and paint care) is just another part of the gearhead lifestyle. I’m not into the “patina” craze. I like smooth, clean, shiny paint. Always have, always will.
I’m an “older” gent. I just “full time” retired 1 Apr from the RCAF where I flew the CH149 Helicopter.
View attachment 66301
Thats actually me standing in the open door, we’re landing at a friends place in the country for lunch. His Dad snapped the pic for us.
I’ve been SAR for the last 28 years. Great life, lots of stories. Some great, some I wish I didn’t have. I’ve lost count of how many lives we’ve saved... and how many bodies we’ve recovered. Great highs, but also soul shattering lows. It was time to put down that baggage and move on. Life is not bad though: they gave me a “golden parachute” and now I take home 90% of what my wage was for sitting home doing nothing. Well, I do have some “hangers on” health issues...but thats not a story for here.
At year end in 2016, I bought a new truck, thinking this would be my last vehicle to take me through my retirement. Honestly, it will spend most of it’s time sitting in a heated garage, so it should last me a good long time. I went for a crew cab, 6.5 foot box, 4x4 F-150 Lariat ecoboost with the Max Tow package (have a 35 foot trailer). It’s “shadow black” and it’s got every option you can get on a Lariat.
Fast forward to this January and it needed new tires. I went to a local shop and had new Michelins put on. Michelin’s are expensive, but I’ve always had very good luck with them.
When I got the truck back, I walked around it (I always check everything after a shop has had it). It’s got the 20” painted rims on it and every rim was scratched! Not horribly and not from changing the tires. It looked like someone had laid them face down on the floor and then dragged them when picking them up. Just enough to make them look like scratched up crap. I was pissed! I brought it up to the counter guy and he said I’d have to come back and talk to the owner at the end of the day.
I took the truck home, not too happy at all. But...I have a dash camera with an sd card. I pulled the card and reviewed the video. Unfortunately for me, the guys were working to the right side of the truck, just out of view.
I went through the whole video and caught one of the guys (wearing a hunting vest with snap button pockets) using my truck as a leaning post, multiple times. I went out to look at the fender and sure enough, BIG scratch right were he was flooping around against my fender and door. Just over 12” long! I missed it on the first walkaround because I was focused on the tires and the truck was dirty. I cleaned the area, grabbed a 10x magnifier and it’s either just through or really deep into the clear. Your fingernail will catch on it.
Further listening to the tape also revealled they had done something to my RH front tire pressure sensor. Sure enough, I go look and you could tell it’s not an OEM one. Thats a problem as I have the 7 year/200,000 km warranty package. If that sensor messes up, I’m not getting it replaced under the warranty I paid extra for.
So I call the owner and he starts the usual dance: “oh, the guys weren’t sure if the sensor was already broke or not so we just replaced it with an aftermarket one” and then he started the “prove the scratches were put there by my guys”. Well, I send him the video and thats the end of that. You can see the guy rolling on the fender/door and hear the techs talking about breaking the sensor when they broke down the rim and tire. Then you can hear them having a hell of a time getting the truck to recognize thier aftermarket sensor. End result? He’s paying up, no more questions.
Every body shop I go to wants to paint all the rims and the fender/door. I’m not overly keen on that. The ford black is notoriously hard to match and I don’t want to have a new truck that a respray fades to a slightly different shade in a few years. I understand what the shops are doing: they want the payday and they don’t want to put out work that doesn’t look perfect. A respray is the quickest way to both those objectives.
I talk to a detail shop the tire shop owner wanted me to go to and he starts talking about taking off about half the clear layer and putting some product on it to build up the layer again and the buff it. Sounds like that acrylic “diamond coat” crap we used to sell at a dealership I worked at when I was young. Then he shows me a couple cars in his showroom (used car dealer also) they’ve used it on. Shiny? Yup. Defects everywhere? Yup. No thank you, I walk out the door and don’t look back.
So, where to go from here?
Well, I used to work at an autobody place (part time) when I was a pup. I did minor stuff, some of it buffing. I know I can fix the scratch in the clear and the rims myself, but I don’t have any of those tools anymore. All I’ve got is one of those retail wax applicator “buffers”, the type with the elastic bonnets. Useless for this job.
I strike a deal with the tire shop guy: buy a new oem tire sensor and give me 300 bucks to buy tools and products and I’ll fix the scratches myself. I know I will take more care on my own stuff than anyone else will.
He jumps at it and we’re done. He was going to replace the tire sensor and swap out the bang on wheel weights for adhesive ones (yes, they used bang on weights on painted rims), but I decided I wasn’t comfortable with giving my truck back to those techs (I’m sure they got a talking to), so I said I’d handle it myself.
Well, first I need a buffer. After lots of reading I settle on the Dewalt DWP849X. Yes, I get the rotary vs orbital arguement for “beginners”, but the Dewalt rotary will fit more of my needs in addition to just the truck. Sure, there will be a learning curve, but I’m always up for learning a new automotive related skill. $250 makes a new one mine. Then I grab a yellow and a black 7/9” pad from SM Arnold. “Cool it” Speedy Pads they’re called. Then I pick up a 6” Velcro backing pad and one black and one yellow pad from “Farecla”, g-mop is the pad name. Keep in mind I’m not in a place where I have a lot of options for this stuff, so it’s more a “take what you can get and be glad you got anything” type of situation.
Now I need product. Meguiars gets pretty good reviews and I can pick it up nearly anywhere. So one bottle of Ultimate compound, one bottle of Ultimate polish and one bottle of Ultimate liquid wax. I have clay bars, but I grab a new box of Mothers, mostly because it was on sale half price and my clay bars are pretty well used up.
Microfibre clothes/towels I already have, along with proper wash mits and car soap.
Now I’m about 200 bucks in over the 300, but thats OK because there are other spots on the truck I would like to touch up as well as being able to use it on the wifes car, my bikes, the boat, my hot rod, etc.
Just hammering the rotary to the truck wasn’t going to happen. I need to get back my “feel for it”.
So I toss the 9” yellow on the Dewalt and go at my old red garden tractor. It’s scratched, missing paint in places and just overall beat up. It’s a single stage red (probably from a rattle can) so it’s pretty faded and chalky too. On goes the compound and I keep it at 600 rpm until I get a feel for the buffer. After a few passes, looks pretty good! I up it to 1400 and keep on. Clean it off and the paint (whats left of it) looks good. No signs of buffer marks or burn through on edges. So I toss on the black pad and the polish. Start at 600 again and pop up to 1400 after a few passes. Paint looks even better and no obvious problems from the rotary. I can actually see my reflection in the paint! I clean the pads and call it done for the day, happy with the progress so far.
Next up I’ll roll out the Mustang and practice on that. The Mustang has a base clear paint on it, but it’s in the middle of a rebuild and bodywork is part of that. So the paint is in various states of distress. Some places are bare metal, some places are in good shape and most of it is scratched or damaged in some way. Lots of places to practice on. The car will need a full respray anyways.
So, long intro. Thanks for sticking with me if you're still reading.
