Ask A Professional Detailer

[Holden_Caulfield04]

As a new member of the Toronto Subaru Club, I would like to give you a full introduction and brief summary of my qualifications. In short, I have a passion for detailing like others do for fine wine, woodworking, or music. This is what I live and breathe. It stands to reason, then, I might know what I am talking about.

My business, Apollo Detailing, has been around for nearly two full seasons now. For the most part, we concentrate on paint correction. Paint correction, briefly, is the process by which defects, swirls, and scratches are removed from the paint.

This is an example of a panel that has received paint correction. Note the vast difference between the corrected and the uncorrected sides.






Here are a few examples of my work:

Picus & Holden_C04 - Polishing Perfection - Autopia.org

Apollo Detailing: 2007 Porsche Cayman S (35+ Photos) - Autopia.org

2006 Volkswagen GTI (56k = :hairpull) - Autopia.org

Apollo Detailing: Full Correction Imola Red '05 BMW 330ci ZHP - Autopia.org

Apollo Detailing: 14hr Correction! Black 2001 BMW 540i - Autopia.org



I hope to be a helpful contributor to this forum. Now, feel free to ask any question you like. I have yet to be stumped.

[lh0628]

How do you get from uncorrected to corrected? Can you get good results without having to use a porter cable?

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Originally Posted by lh0628

How do you get from uncorrected to corrected? Can you get good results without having to use a porter cable?

Paint correction is a fancy way of saying polishing. There are two types of polishing, machine polishing and hand polishing.

Hand Polishing

This is the way most people start off. It's back-breaking work but it can be done and you can get serious results if you are extremely patient.

This is basically what is possible with hand polishing:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/detaili...oval-hand.html

Keep in mind, that is several passes over a single area. With this method, you may be able to perform a complete correction over 2-3 days.

This is a guide on how to perform hand polishing:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7011

Machine Polishing

This is the most effective and time efficient manner of polishing paint. There are two forms of machine polishing, D/A polishing and rotary polishing.

D/A Polishing

This is common among detailing enthusiasts because of its extra, built-in safety margin. Unlike a rotary polisher, a D/A buffer such as the Porter Cable will oscillate under pressure. This dramatically reduces the possibility of burning the paint or achieving a strike-through (removing the paint through to the primer).

The downside of this method of polishing, is its limited abilities. It is unable to burnish paint to achieve the highest gloss, and it has a much smaller motor. The smaller motor means it has difficulty cutting through hard paint, and repairing deeply marred surfaces.

Nevertheless, I recommend this method of polishing for beginners. Here is a great guide to read up on.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=63859

Rotary Polishing

This machine has a much more powerful motor and needs to be treated with a tremendous amount of respect. It is recommended for professional use.

This machine is capable of leveling paint in seconds, and burnishing paint to a high gloss. Its' abilities are without equal. However, it is a much heavier machine and can be difficult to use on side panels. It also does not have the safety measures of the D/A polisher.

Here's a great rotary polishing guide:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=66024

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

[mulletproof]

Ahh nevermind.

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Originally Posted by mulletproof

Ahh nevermind.

I am here to help.

[mulletproof]

Might want to PM a moderator before pimping your company / skills. Unless you already did and are becoming a vendor, then ... nevermind.

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Originally Posted by mulletproof

Might want to PM a moderator before pimping your company / skills. Unless you already did and are becoming a vendor, then ... nevermind.

If your moderating staff have an issue with offering professional detailing how-to's with no-strings-attached, well...they can feel free to delete this thread.

Until that time, let's get back to detailing!

[mulletproof]

Don't get me wrong, no skin off my nose. Ppl have been banned round these parts for less though. Good on you for offering up advice... and your company name...

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Originally Posted by mulletproof

Good on you for offering up advice... and your company name...

Thing is, if you don't know who I am, you won't know if you are being given quality advice.

[evilWagon]

How often do you detail with Kevin?

Nice to see someone else passionate about detailing, not to mention a fellow autopian.