How to use The Baggie Test to inspect the paint on your car

[Mike Phillips]

How to use The Baggie Test to inspect the paint on your car


Detailing 101 - Technique Tip

Here's a real simple way anyone can inspect their car's paint for contamination like,

1. Overspray paint
2. Airborne pollution
3. Industrial fallout
4. Tree sap mist

Step 1 - Make sure your car is clean first. Either wash and dry your car the traditional method or use a waterless wash or a rinseless wash to remove all loose dirt. This step is important because you don't want any loose dirt on the paint when you feel it with the baggie.

Step 2 - Place your hand in a sandwich baggie and lightly draw your fingertips over a horizontal panel like the hood or trunk lid.



Here's Tommy inspecting the paint on a Mercedes-Benz






That's it!

This is the same technique savvy detailers use to inspect their customers cars to determine if the paint is contaminated.



Results from your inspection?

If when feeling the paint through the thin layer of plastic you feel little bumps on the paint this is sign your car has some form of contamination on your car's paint. Since you previously washed your car to remove any loose dirt this means whatever the bumps are left behind on the paint have formed a strong enough bond to the paint that they didn't wash off.



How to remove the bumps or the contamination

To remove the contamination off the paint you need to use detailing clay or some other tool used for the purpose of removing contamination.

A great detailing clay that is ultra safe to use is the Pinnacle Ultra Poly Fine Grade Detailing clay with the Pinnacle Clay Lube.

Pinnacle Ultra Poly Fine Grade Detailing clay

Pinnacle Clay Lube



Follow up steps

After using detailing clay to clay your car it's a good idea to apply a fresh coat of wax to restore the shine and leave the paint protected.

[AZpolisher15]

Something I've always wondered... Why not just use bare fingers? What advantage is there to adding a Baggie?

[Crispy]

Try both and you will see. Your fingers might say no contamination but the baggy magnifies the sensation and feels bumpy. Put the clay to it and you will feel what I mean. I do this at least 4 times a year and am still surprised how much difference from fingers to baggy test.

[RPM_BR]

Something I've always wondered... Why not just use bare fingers? What advantage is there to adding a Baggie?

A noticeable increase in touch sensitiveness; it works like an amplifier

[57BORNTORUN]

I always go over the car again after claying with the baggie to ensure that the paint is smooth and hit areas I may have missed or not happy with.

[richy]

I told a lady that I could inspect her car with a baggie and she stormed off...maybe she thought I was going to put it over her head?!?

[Mike Phillips]

Something I've always wondered...

Why not just use bare fingers?

What advantage is there to adding a Baggie?

Great question and like others have said, the thin film of plastic increases your sensitivity to feel things on the surface of your car's paint that you simply cannot feel with your bare hand or bare fingertips.


In my classes, I teach a lot of topics on the business side of making money for those that attend my classes for business reasons. Lots of people attend our classes simply because they want to learn how to detail their own cars or car collections and a lot of people attend our classes because they either already have a detailing business or they are going to start a detailing business. And one of the things I teach the folks that want to detail cars for money is to always have a number of marketing tools with them wherever they go. One of these marketing tools is a simple box of sandwich baggies. And the reason why is to inspect a potential customer's paint for contamination so they know what the car will need if they detail it BUT ALSO to teach the potential customer how to inspect their paint. Not only does this show the potential customer that their car's paint is contaminated but it ALSO shows them that you know something they didn't know. It start you down the path of building credibility with a potential customer and instilling confidence in them that if they hire you they're hiring someone that knows what they are doing.


Make sense?

I take sandwich baggies wherever I do. I took them to London for my detailing class in London.

Pictures from Autogeek's Competition Ready Roadshow Detailing Class at Waxstock in England!


Try it sometime. Just make sure the paint you're going to inspect is clean and free from any loose dirt first and use a LIGHT TOUCH.

Also keep in mind, if you feel bumps or a texture on the paint... whatever the contamination is it's going to be all over the car, glass, plastic, chrome, etc. Think about it... airborne contaminants don't just land on the paint. The good news is you can clay any smooth surface.


Thanks for asking the question!

[wkndwarrior89]

Just did the baggie test to my car for the first time and let's just say it's needs clayed and waxed BADLY glad I found this forum would have never known how messed up my paint is thanks Mike