Fitting Wet-Sanding into plan/intro

[mongoos2006]

OK first off... i'm new to this forum, ive recently become very interested in learning how to detail/repair paint and body and this site has ended up being my goto site which is why im now posting. So hello all!

For my first 2 jobs: i have a 2002 Ford Focus SVT, and a 2004 Acura RSX A-Spec Turbo that I’d like to renew the paint for. Swirls and isolated scratches on both. I don’t have pictures but I’m 95% sure the scratches can be repaired easily. I will need to wet-sand though.

From all that I’ve been reading here i think I’ve got the steps down for the compound/polish/seal. I’m using a 7424XP.

1) Wash car with dish soap to remove old waxes

2) Clay bar to remove any remaining impurities from paint.

4) Dry with leaf blower and compressed air

5) Orange Pad + Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover

6) Second pass with orange pad + Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover if
Needed (scratches still exist)

7) White Pad + Wolfgang Finishing Glaze

8) Blue Pad + Wolfgang paint sealant

9) Red Pad + Mothers California Gold Carnauba Wax

My question is: does this process look right? (Pads/product)
And where in this process should i wet-sand?

I’m not sure if i should be doing the wet sanding before the compound stage or before the glaze stage. I’ll only be doing isolated scratches. On the RSX i have what appears like large swirls. The previous owner scratched the car with a gritty sponge or something. along with some others that probably wont come out with compound.

[beric]

Hi Dude, I'm fairly new myself to the detailing business. But I can tell you, please make doubly sure of what you're gonna do. I guess that's why you are asking on the forum. Good move.
One thing for sure, you don't get into compounding until AFTER the wetsanding stage!!!! And you've got to know what grit you should start out with, 2000, 1500,? I'd say start out with 2000, then probably go to 3000 which would make the work at compounding easier in getting out the wetsanding marks.
You also mentioned making one pass at compounding and then another if necessary. You'll probably need to make a few more than that, especially if you're using PC which has no forced rotation.

[mongoos2006]

Ok, so clean, then wetsand then compound then glaze. That seemed right to me but i was thrown off when reading the description of wolfgang finishing glaze it apparently can smooth out 2500 grit. Which is exactly what i will be using. Some places claim that the swirl remover can dig too deep on top of the sanded areas

[crash93ssei]

I would really suggest not getting into wetsanding right now. Get your polishing skills refined first. See what you can remove and what you can't remove with just the polisher, pads, and polishes.

After you get that down then get a damaged fender or hood or something from a junkyard for cheap and do some wetsanding on that to practice. The last thing you want to do is to have your first wetsanding experience on a customers car when you aren't even sure if you #1 need it and #2 have the proper tools and technique to remove the sanding marks.

[mongoos2006]

Maybe your right. These cars are mine though. Maybe what ill do is compound and glaze then and attempt the wetsanding idea on a test car. Like one that i wouldnt mind ruining. Then ill know the capabilities of both products for removing sanding marks. I have a 96 chevy cavalier that may be good for that. This is great advice! Thanks

[mongoos2006]

Actually, ill do the cavalier first. See what the products are capable of then ill do my beloved RSX knowing what is needed

[crash93ssei]

I really wouldn't even do any wetsanding on the Cavalier first. You should be able to get a damaged fender or something from a junk yard for dirt cheap, let that be your test subject. The Cavalier might not be anything special, but why risk sanding through the clear coat if you don't have to?

I know everyone is different, but I detailed as a hobby for about two or three years before getting into wetsanding (which so far I have only done on my own car). It is just the most aggressive means of correction and should only be used if absolutely necessary on any car.

[mongoos2006]

That car is just already damaged. Clear coat failure in many places on the hood. I wouldnt mind another hole if i made one. I already paid a detailer to attempt to fix the "scratches" in the RSX. He did a polish n wax for $200 n told me if i wanted to fix the scratches id need wet sanding and $500. Thats not happening. I do think thats what i need though. Im confident i can learn. Im glad im not risking it

[gatoman39]

Using a DA and polishes, waxes is like dealing with a skinned knee, doesn't take much skill and there's a large margin for error. Wetsanding is like suturing an open wound. It takes a lot of skill,practice, and it's an art. I would only attempt it if you are willing to live with the consequences.

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Maybe read through this article first...

Wet-sanding - Fresh Paint vs Factory Paint


The majority of all wetsanding is done on fresh paint in a body shop environment for a reason...


Welcome to the forum...