When do you put down the polisher and pick up the sander?

[Matt@Revive]

Please answer so I can help you, I have been at this very same place 1000 times…I hope this doesn’t sound derogatory in any way.
What is the customer paying? Or what results is the customer expecting to see? What level of exterior detail did you sell him/her? What is your skill level of sanding? Do you have m100 and a cutting pad? What polisher are you using?

customer is not paying enough, this is my first vehicle with this customer, they are a sales and service center with a very large following in my area. (just having the car in my shop i've already gotten 3 calls from their customers)

sanding skills are beginner/moderate, i've done a lot of studying and playing, just haven't had a chance to put it to use on a full vehicle.

i'm using a Rupes 15 for compounding and polishing

i do not have M100, i do have M105/205 and Menz fg400 as well as the full line of Rupes foam pads and Meguiars MF pads.

[conman1395]

I suppose you don't want to wait to order new products if this is a customer car, but M100 can be found locally a few places where I live. Hopefully the same is true for you.
Not to be an ass or anything, but if I had a car that bad, I wouldn't have done the roof and hood, I'd have done test spots until I had what I wanted. Too much time is wasted to do those large panels and then wonder what to do. Again, not being critical; I've seen your other work and know you have more experience than me.

[TundraPower]

I rarely use extremely aggressive pads or polishes. 3M Trizact 1500-5000 has pretty much made severe defect removal quick, easy, and safe. Harsh pads and polishes will heat up the surface no matter what polisher you are using, and clearcoats do not like heat. Also, correcting the paint should be the easiest part of your work, polishing it should be the most difficult and time consuming. If this isn't the case you need to review your process.

[Matt@Revive]

I suppose you don't want to wait to order new products if this is a customer car, but M100 can be found locally a few places where I live. Hopefully the same is true for you.
Not to be an ass or anything, but if I had a car that bad, I wouldn't have done the roof and hood, I'd have done test spots until I had what I wanted. Too much time is wasted to do those large panels and then wonder what to do. Again, not being critical; I've seen your other work and know you have more experience than me.

thanks for the input. i'm trying to get M100 sent over by tomorrow. the reason i did my test spots and inicial work on the hood anr roof is because those were the most damaged areas. yes, i used up a lot of time doing those areas, but i like to start with the worst and know i can easy up on the damaged areas.

with my given deadline i can only keep hammering like i have been, try to machine sand with 3000 on the heavy scratches, or wait untill i get M100 tomorrow afternoon and hope that is saves time.

[Mike Phillips]

I'm all for you learning to wetsand, heck I teach this in my detailing boot camp classes and at Mobile Tech.

Just be careful and like any other paint polishing procedure...

Do a TEST SPOT

That is, sand in a small area and see if you can buff out your sanding marks and if you can... how hard or how easy it is.


One more comment from experience....

No amount of words can describe the heart sinking feeling that overcomes you when you turn your buffing pad over only to see the color of the basecoat now on your buffing pad...

[HUMP DIESEL]

customer is not paying enough, this is my first vehicle with this customer, they are a sales and service center with a very large following in my area. (just having the car in my shop i've already gotten 3 calls from their customers)

sanding skills are beginner/moderate, i've done a lot of studying and playing, just haven't had a chance to put it to use on a full vehicle.

i'm using a Rupes 15 for compounding and polishing

i do not have M100, i do have M105/205 and Menz fg400 as well as the full line of Rupes foam pads and Meguiars MF pads.

This quote should answer all the questions that you have asked. If the customer wants to pay for a full dampsand and polish, then by all means, I agree 100% with Tundrapower, sanding and polishing those marks out is the best way to go, but I also agree with Mike, in that you don't want to sand thru all the clear. I would use the M105/M205 you have and not do the multiple section passes that you have been doing. Get the car looking good but don't work yourself to death on a customer who may not appreciate it.

If this car has been ran thru the tunnel of swirls in the past, it will probably get done that way again.

You've basically hit the show panels more, so do the sides with the combo I was stating, show it to the customer and mention that some of what is left cannot be removed without sanding and that is not in the price we agreed upon.

HUMP

[Mike Phillips]

If this car has been ran thru the tunnel of swirls in the past, it will probably get done that way again.

Whenever I detail a car I think to myself,

How did the paint get into the current condition.

Often times the answer is owner neglect or even owner abuse.

When that is the case I then ask myself,

What's changed?

That is, what has changed in this persons life so that if I polish their car back to like new or show car quality, what has changed that NOW they'll take care of it?

If the answer is nothing, I won't do a multiple step but instead will offer a one-step cleaner/wax.

If the answer is something has happened in their life where now they are educated and appreciate a nice finish, (don't laugh it happens), then I'll consider doing more work.

In some cases, the person in question does care but they bought the car used and the current condition is out of their control. That would be the case of the recent 1978 Trans Am I buffed out. The paint was trashed when the current owner purchased the car.

So think things through... don't try to create a show car finish out of every car you work on. You'll kill yourself trying and probably not make any profit.

One of my favorite articles....


A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business
Match your services to your customer


It's also the most viewd article in the forum group,

How to make money detailing cars

[TundraPower]

I forgot to mention, never sand where you cannot polish. This sounds dumb but it's very easy to do...

[Matt@Revive]

No amount of words can describe the heart sinking feeling that overcomes you when you turn your buffing pad over only to see the color of the basecoat now on your buffing pad...

i know this feeling all too well. when i was learning i found my way to base coat on a few occations. luckily is was on my own car that i already planned on painting. still to this day i hold my breath when i list the pad off the paint after doing heay correction.

How this car got the bad? it is a 2013 Penske Hertz Mustang GT #143 of 150. it spent its first year of life as a rental car, getting beaten on and run through who knows how many auto car washes. it is now owned by a Mustang enthusiast who is adding it to his collection. hopefully no more auto car washes, but still the occational burn out.

[allenk4]

I forgot to mention, never sand where you cannot polish. This sounds dumb but it's very easy to do...

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