hey srthandz
- Thread starter jlds91389
- Start date
Bad water spots can actually etch the paint, in which case they'll need to be polished out. If you are not able to remove the spots using a clay bar, distilled water/vinegar, or the CG waterspot remover it's a good chance your car needs to be polished to remove the waterspot etching.
Spend some time on Autopia.org reading the how to forums on polishing paint or find a detailer near your area by posting on Autopia. It's really not that hard, and once you learn how to polish paint its a nice way to make some extra cash on the side.
I spent lots of time on Autopia reading the how to articles, and finally bought a PC7424 and a Chicago Electric rotary along with an array of LC foam polishing pads and a few wool pads. The particular package I bought came with the PC, several foam polishing pads, a few bottles of polishing compound (fine swirl remover, moderate swirl remover, and a heavy swirl remover), and a glaze.
I'd recommend practicing your polishing skills on your DD if you have one. I polished my Grand Prix before polishing my Mustang. Learned a lot about detailing just by doing it.
Before shot of roof on my Pontiac (first car I ever polished):
Here's a couple 50/50 shots of the roof:
After shot:
When I detailed my Mustang, I didn't take any before shots but here are the afters:
Here's a couple good reflection shots:
The following pic was actually taken about 3 months after I polished the paint, and I had just polished the headlights.
Spend some time on Autopia.org reading the how to forums on polishing paint or find a detailer near your area by posting on Autopia. It's really not that hard, and once you learn how to polish paint its a nice way to make some extra cash on the side.
I spent lots of time on Autopia reading the how to articles, and finally bought a PC7424 and a Chicago Electric rotary along with an array of LC foam polishing pads and a few wool pads. The particular package I bought came with the PC, several foam polishing pads, a few bottles of polishing compound (fine swirl remover, moderate swirl remover, and a heavy swirl remover), and a glaze.
I'd recommend practicing your polishing skills on your DD if you have one. I polished my Grand Prix before polishing my Mustang. Learned a lot about detailing just by doing it.
Before shot of roof on my Pontiac (first car I ever polished):
Here's a couple 50/50 shots of the roof:
After shot:
When I detailed my Mustang, I didn't take any before shots but here are the afters:
Here's a couple good reflection shots:
The following pic was actually taken about 3 months after I polished the paint, and I had just polished the headlights.
+1 on this. I learned a TON on Autopia.
How do you like that Chicago Electric rotary? I've been considering getting one, and that one's priced right!
For $29.99 it was definitely worth every penny. I like the PC better if I'm using foam pads, but when using the wool pads the rotary is awesome. There's really nothing wrong with the chicago electric rotary, except that it's noisy and when its running it seems like there is sand in the bearings, but whatever I'm just a weekend detailer and wouldn't consider myself a pro. I'd only justify spending over $100 on a nice Makita or Dewalt rotary if I were a full time detailer running my machine for 10 - 20+ hours/week.
RedDaemon
10 Year Member
30 bucks is pretty good. but those rotary units can really fudge up your paint if you dont know what youre doing. i really want to get a PC badly!
sneaky98gt
10 Year Member
Polishing will get a lot of the imperfections out, and leave a very deep shine. I did mine this past weekend with Meguires Deep Crystal Polish (which is a very "weak" polish), and it still came out great! I don't have any good pictures yet, but here are a couple of teaser pics.
And also, you'll be more likely to get up with SRTHandz here: Shine Shop
And also, you'll be more likely to get up with SRTHandz here: Shine Shop
Agreed, that's why I suggest spending some time on Autopia reading the how to forums. Once you feel as though you have a grasp on the polishing concept, start by polishing on a DD/beater to develop a technique.
However, unless you are using a moderate/heavy compound and a heavy cut wool pad, hold the rotary in one spot while its running, or hold it on an edge it's pretty hard to damage the paint using the rotary.
Best advice, start with the least aggressive method first and work your way up.
Oh yeah, I have a PC 7424 and a boatload of pads. I've done some amazing stuff with it, but there are some deep imperfections that I just can't quite get with it. I had already been looking at buying a rotary, and $30 is perfect.
If you have some really bad spots, you may want to try wetsanding rather than using the rotary. That way you can focus on the problem areas and not thin out the paint around the imperfections that may already be in good shape.
SRT Handz
I tripped & fell down and cut myself & got blood
If you need detailing Help, Ask me on This forum..... Shine Shop
You can use Distilled Water+Vinegar to remove the water spots but honestly, I like the CG water Spot remover alot better, The way it works is more consistent and you can control where it goes.
As Far as the Wax Goes, I am still a Sucker for CG WetMirrorFinish+Jetseal109+50/50 Concours.... Makes metallic paint drip wet.
You can use Distilled Water+Vinegar to remove the water spots but honestly, I like the CG water Spot remover alot better, The way it works is more consistent and you can control where it goes.
As Far as the Wax Goes, I am still a Sucker for CG WetMirrorFinish+Jetseal109+50/50 Concours.... Makes metallic paint drip wet.
BlackStang03
New Member
SRT Handz
I tripped & fell down and cut myself & got blood
