For The Pros: How Much Correction Would You Attempt?

[Kappy]

If you're asked to do a paint correction and don't know the history of the car, or whether the paint has been corrected previously, how much correction would you attempt without a paint gauge?

I've read posts that say it's risky to compound even a second time, and other posts that say it removes a minimal amount of clear coat. How do you determine how aggressive to get? Would it depend on the type of car and your previous experience with the paint?

Thanks.

[Evan.J]

I will give you this thread that I wrote all about why PTG are very important and how you can get yourself into a jam quickly.

Why Paint Thickness Readings are Important (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/76453-why-paint-thickness-readings-important.html)

[Kappy]

I had already read the thread you posted, as well as several others about paint gauges, and that's the reason I posed the question.

I agree that using a paint gauge would eliminate a lot of guessing, but wanted to know what detailers do in a situation where a paint reading isn't available. I would think that there are some detailers who work without a gauge, and possibly have a limited amount of correction they're willing to do.

[FUNX650]

"Test Spot, Least aggressive first".

First...I would go with an AIO.
Something on the order of:
Meguiar's A12, M66, D151

Not enough satisfaction?

Then:
Something like Meguiar's M205; followed with:
Finishing Sealant/Wax

(No compounding...Why chance it!)


Bob

[davisautodetail]

I assume it's OEM paint, not custom?

It really depends on the car itself and condition of the paint. You can tell a lot there.

Like: FUNX725 said, start less aggressively first and see how it goes, maybe something like XMT360, do a lower rear quarter panel and see what you get.

Make sure you explain the risks to the customer, and get the right expectations.

[Kappy]

I assume it's OEM paint, not custom?

It really depends on the car itself and condition of the paint. You can tell a lot there.

Like: FUNX725 said, start less aggressively first and see how it goes, maybe something like XMT360, do a lower rear quarter panel and see what you get.

Make sure you explain the risks to the customer, and get the right expectations.

I don't have any plans to detail anyone's car but my own.

I asked the question because I came across some posts that discussed how much paint was removed when compounding, polishing, etc., and I started to wonder how the some of the pros who post a recap of their work determine how far to take the correction, other than the budget of the customer, or amount of time available to do the work. I very seldom ever see anyone mention a paint thickness reading, and I'm sure there's some concern, especially on older cars.

[davisautodetail]

Yeah, I hear ya. It seems that with the right techniques and materials, you get a bit of a feel for most paint.

At least on the cars I do, most of them have never been corrected at all, which is why they need it. I would venture to say that most cars that actually need it done need it because, well, it's never been done, so usually there's plenty to work with, and if you don't go crazy, you're not really taking that much material off, especially if you take the typical conservative approach.

I just did a Porsche that had a really deep scratch through the clear coat that the owner really wanted me to get out. I had to get pretty aggressive with it to get it out, and it was more of a feel thing knowing when to quit. I was able to get it 90% corrected without any damage to the paint. This was a custom paint job that was probably 10 years old, but the clear was thick and hard.

Should all detailers have a $1000 paint thickness gauge? Probably, it'll help, but there's still an element of knowledge, experience, and understanding, even with those data points.

I'd love to hear what Mike Phillips has to say on the subject. He's the one that taught me how to correct paint. ;->

[swanicyouth]

I got my PTG for under a hundred bucks. Is it the best one made? Probably not. But it seems to be fairly accurate based on what I would expect and the history of various panels.

I'd definitely be looking into a PTG. Maybe just a cheap one. It will pay for itself a few times over if it saves you from one "incident". Without it, if your working on cars with unknown history - you really have no idea.

Another point is: enough is enough. If it's not a show car, your not trying to get it perfect. So, your trying to save as much paint as possible while doing reasonable correction to make the car look good. Everyone needs to decide what is reasonable and what looks good for themselves.

[PrismDetailing]

Over time you know what can and cannot be taken out of paint. Be honest with the customer/client and ensure their level of expectation is realistic. PTG give some insight into the paint history but not all. Experience allows pro's to know when its time to back off, people with lack of experience and worst of all people who have something to prove will chase and chase and chase and burn through. I have seen it many many times before.

[wdmaccord]

I'm no pro by any means, just a weekend warrior who details for friends and family. Just sharing a thought here, but I have wetsanded factory clear coat with 2000 grit followed by 3000 grit followed by PF2500 on an orange ccs pad and came out just fine. That series of steps has to be worth what...maybe at least 5 compounding sessions? Again, just sharing an experience and by no means advocating not using a paint gauge. This was also on my own vehicle so worst case I would only be hurting myself. Plus it was one of those fixes that if I didn't do it the bumper would have needed repainted. If I screwed up the sanding job, it would need to be repainted. If it worked, I saved myself $600. I guess I beat the odds with 2/3 chance it was going to need repainted. :xyxthumbs:

My thought is, if you compound/correct once, hopefully you, or your customer, is going to take better care of it so it only needs a good polishing once or twice per year. In a perfect world right.