Detailing Background/Info

[HealthyCivic]

Hey guys:

I'm going to be doing a 2-3minute informative speech for my speech class. I'd like to do it on detailing. I'm still up in the air on the main points of the speech but I'm thinking something like: A) Washing B) Swirls C) Protection or something like that.

Do you guys know of any good webpages on the history of detailing or other interesting facts/topics? Thanks.

[Meghan]

Go with something like this for your outline, heck print it out and you will maybe get a few extra points for a visual display!

[eddie6th]

that's quite a cool print!

[HealthyCivic]

Yeah thanks Meghan. My teacher likes visual aids.

[HealthyCivic]

By the way, does anyone know/remember the comparison between the average car's paint thickness and a piece of paper? I remember hearing it a while back but I can't recall the exact comparison. Thanks.

[Mister B]

By the way, does anyone know/remember the comparison between the average car's paint thickness and a piece of paper? I remember hearing it a while back but I can't recall the exact comparison. Thanks.

I’ve read that OEM (Factory) paint is about 5-6 mils thick. 1.5 – 2.0 mils of that total thickness is the clear coat layer. Correct me if I am wrong.

An average sheet of paper (20lb stock) is about .0038” (3.8 mils) thick. So the total paint thickness (Basecoat and Clearcoat) would be a little less than 2 sheets of paper, however the actual clear coat layer (the layer you polish on) would be about half the thickness of a normal sheet of paper.

[Mike Phillips]

I guess if I were in your shoes but knowing what I know, I would try to share something that was interesting and would help them down the road because chances are very good they already drive a car and will purchase and drive more cars in the future.

That said, there's a common misconception among the population in general and non-car people more specifically that a the clear layer of paint isn't paint. The paint is the colored part under the clear part.

I'm not sure where people get this idea but it is a common misconception. A basecoat/clearcoat finish is a paint finish. The basecoat layer, also called the color coat layer is in fact paint and is the layer with the pigment or the colorant in it. It is a type of resin, (paint is resin at it's core), with the pigment mixed into it. The basecoat doesn't normally have any gloss or shine and is in fact flat or matte.

If you've ever seen a car painted this is very apparent and if you've ever burned or rubbed through the clear layer and exposed the basecoat this will also be very apparent. It's not glossy, or deep or shiny because it doesn't have to be, it's gets those characteristics from the clear layer.

The clear layer is sprayed over the top of the pigmented layer and it provides dense protection for the basecoat as well as creates the depth, gloss and shine characteristics we all love in a nice paint job.

Because the clear layer is actually a type of paint and contrary to wishful thinking and bad information from generally cars sales people, it is not an invisible force field impervious to any form of attack and in order to maintain it's beauty and 'health' if I may use that term in the context of good or bad overall condition, it must be maintained just like any other type of paint or it will degrade and eventually fail before it's expected service life.

At a minimum, a car owner should wash their car frequently to remove airborne contaminants, dirt, dust and road grime, and wax the paint around 2-4 times a year. When making washing and waxing recommendations to people that look at their car as a means of transportation and not an extension of their personality, they tend to want to do the least amount of maintenance possible to protect their investment, not the most they can do because they're car crazy. (Like most of the people that have read this far into my reply )

So to help them out, tell them to wash with a quality, non-detergent car wash soap, dry the paint carefully and try to apply a quality cleaner/wax 2-4 times a year and avoid getting any wax, especially a cleaner/wax on any kind of rubber or plastic trim as it will stain it and look unsightly the duration they own their car.

IF they do get the detailing bug at some point in their life, then recommend they seek out a detailing discussion forum like this one and spend some time reading the varies groups of information and then register and ask any specific questions they may have and they will likely find a overwhelmingly friendly group of people ready to help them reach their car care goals.


You might also include to avoid car washes as these are a major contributor to the swirls in their paint unless they find a car wash that actually does professional quality work and if they find such a business be sure to tip someone well.

And if they want to hire a detailer then do some research on the Internet and make sure the detailer has a good reputation on at least one forum if not multiple forums. (Niche forums and Detailing forums).

And if they ever purchase a new car, insist that after the vehicle is delivered to the dealership that no on touch it just to avoid DISO

DISO = Dealer Installed Swirl Option


Does that help? Or would you like to go a different direction?

[HealthyCivic]

Thanks Mike. Definitely some good ideas in there! Mister B, thanks for the paint thickness information.

By the way, do you guys know where I can find a good paint "layer" diagram (showing clear, pigment, base, etc...)? I found a couple on Google Images but they look a little messy. I could always draw this myself on the board but I wanted something to compare it to to make sure it's correctly proportioned.

[acc1079]

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ear-coats.html

Contains some pretty good diagrams of the paint "layers" as well as picks of different imperfections in the paint. Not sure if thats what your looking for or not though.

[Jimmie]

The charts in the link below might help too.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ms-dialog.html