Is it worth the investment?

[MRRNY]

I have one car I would like to detail and then Opti-Coat and forget it. It is covered in swirl marks and has a couple spots of light scratches and a small spot of transferred paint that the dealer said "was too much for his guys to get rid of without going too deep" I'm sure it can be fixed, but I don't blame him for refusing to put $200 of extra work into a car that was not going to net much profit.

Anyway; I have no buffer, no pads, no abrasives. My fiance's car wouldn't benefit a whole lot from being babied like this, and I don't know anyone else who would want to use all of that stuff after me. While I'm handy, I've never done this sort of work before.

Is it worth it to buy all that I would need in order to remove the scratches and swirls, buff, polish, etc. (going the Harbor Freight route), or would I be better off paying someone to do the work for me since I will put on Opti-Coat afterwards?

Thank you,

[ken tuep]

I believe its better to pay for the tools and materials up front, the experience will come. If you're like most of us, once you do it, you're hooked.

Plus, paying someone only works one time, owning the tools, and possessing the skills are invaluable. Your vehicle will usually need at least a gentle polish once a year if you like to keep it looking great.

I'd read up on here for tips and techniques, as well as what works for a good majority of others, then duplicate the process.

Mike Phillips has photos of teenagers, women, and retired folk polishing on vehicles. Its so easy, pretty much anyone can do it with enough practice and patients.

Good luck to you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using AG Online

[Flash Gordon]

I have one car I would like to detail and then Opti-Coat and forget it. It is covered in swirl marks and has a couple spots of light scratches and a small spot of transferred paint that the dealer said "was too much for his guys to get rid of without going too deep" I'm sure it can be fixed, but I don't blame him for refusing to put $200 of extra work into a car that was not going to net much profit.

Anyway; I have no buffer, no pads, no abrasives. My fiance's car wouldn't benefit a whole lot from being babied like this, and I don't know anyone else who would want to use all of that stuff after me. While I'm handy, I've never done this sort of work before.

Is it worth it to buy all that I would need in order to remove the scratches and swirls, buff, polish, etc. (going the Harbor Freight route), or would I be better off paying someone to do the work for me since I will put on Opti-Coat afterwards?

Thank you,

I would hire someone (mobile) to do the polishing unless you plan on doing this more often

Your surface must be 'squeaky clean' for the coating to bond to it

[CarolinasFinestDetailing]

Where in western NY are you?

[trekkeruss]

Is it worth it to buy all that I would need in order to remove the scratches and swirls, buff, polish, etc. (going the Harbor Freight route), or would I be better off paying someone to do the work for me since I will put on Opti-Coat afterwards?

That is completely up to you. Do you just want the shiny car, or do you want to DIY? Doing it yourself has a lot of self-satisfaction (which is why most everyone is here on AGO), but some people just can't be bothered. Which is why there are so many professional detailers making money.

Bear in mind that even if you get your vehicle's paint polished and coated, you still have to wash. The wheels in particular get dirty very quickly. I don't care how good the paint looks, if the wheels are dirty, the whole car looks bad!

[tuscarora dave]

I'd say it's worth the investment if you're handy and don't mind doing the work.

Let's say you hire a local detailer to do the work for you and he (like many shops do) hack your car up with a rotary and wool pad as he only thinks he's a great detailer...Then you take it somewhere else, because let's face it....if he didn't know what to do the first time, he certainly won't have magically gained the knowledge to fix it the second time, right?

I've seen this scenario play out more times than I can count, just to see the victim of it buy his/her own tools in the end and learn to do it themselves. Only in the end, their car's clearcoat is much thinner because of the failed attempts that the so called professional detailers did.

Tho old adage, "If you want something done right, do it yourself" is at the front of my mind here.

Truth be told, probably 80% or more of the detail shops of the world aren't given the time and or resources to do stellar work, which is what you'll want before applying your coating.

When I do the type of work recommended for a car being coated with Opti-Coat, I charge $50 per hour and depending on the car and the condition of it could have anywhere from maybe 6 hours to 15 hours or more in the paint work alone. If you're being quoted anything less than $400 by a professional detailer to do a thorough paint correction, or are being sold an in and out, fairly quick process, you're probably dealing with one of the 80%ers.

[MattPersman]

Depends on how bad it is and what kind of car and paint it has. Do you want to spend at least an entire weekend correcting it?

[Mike Phillips]

Mike Phillips has photos of teenagers, women, and retired folk polishing on vehicles.

Its so easy, pretty much anyone can do it with enough practice and patients.

I wrote this article just for this purpose and that's to show people new to the idea of becoming their own detailer that it's not that hard. In fact, that's the title of the article.

And the people below are started out at the same place everyone here started out including me and that's knowing nothing.



It's not that hard...


Note these people are not just "learning" on daily drivers aka new cars, they're learning on someone's "toys" or Special Interest Vehicles. More risk for me, more fun for them...



In the below live broadcast I show a 15 year old boy how to machine polish

Live Broadcast Video - 1965 Plymouth Valiant - Extreme Makeover






And in this one I show a 21 year old girl how to machine polish

Video & Pictures: 1965 Fastback Mustang - Gtechniq EXO Show Car Makeover!

Trista working with the rest of the team to machine polish this 1965 Mustang Fastback 2+2



Trista removing swirls on a show car...




And in this one I show a 80 year old man and a young lady and here boyfriend how to machine polish for their first time...

Video and Pictures - Two 1967 Camaro's - Show Car Makeovers!







PLUS you have everyone on this forum to help you along the way...


__________________

[Gokite]

I'm sure you'll own new cars or trade a vehicle in, family have cars? Etc. I just ponied up for some tools and pads. Haven't done it yet but I figure I'll use em for years. And because waxing was such a pain by hand, I hope the dual action ROP I got (griot garage) will make it more effortless and I'll want to spend a nice afternoon outside doing it during the summers. If you don't have a garage, or anywhere to keep tools, park a car with electrical access, etc (such as an apartment), I'd pay someone. If you have a dad/brother/etc with a garage that you can use and hang out with a couple beers with family, its worth it.

[FUNX650]

The final worth the investment decision is yours, of course...
But I'm afraid the below (wishful thinking) ain't gonna happen:

I have one car I would like to detail and then Opti-Coat and forget it.

And, if I may interject...
WHAT!!!
My Baby's "baby", is always babied...FIRST!!!

My fiance's car wouldn't benefit a whole lot from being babied like this,

Bob