Protecting Your Paint Goes Deeper Than The Shine
18 JUL 2024 - Jeff Willis
In the automotive industry, one of the more popular and quickly successful biproducts in the landscape of all the great upgrades you can do to your car, is detailing and paint correction. During the mid-2000s, paint correction started making waves as enthusiasts learned the techniques, and tooling became more advanced and available. As YouTube started getting more internet traction, professional detailers began sharing their own techniques which inspired and motivated inquiring minds to invest in these available tools as well.
Rewinding back, getting that deep gloss shine on your vehicle has always been around, but it was mainly performed by paint shops. As a car gets painted, it is natural for the paint finish to have visible “orange peel”. This is where the settling paint looks and feels like the skin of an orange. This is normal, but paint shops would wait until the clear coat was dried and cured before performing a cut and buff. The term, “cut” refers to wet sanding. Depending on how bad the orange peel was, or even if you had runs in the clear coat, experienced body men would use 1500-3000 grit sandpaper and use an orbital sander, or a sanding block to smooth out the clear coat. The clear coat would then be polished using a rotary buffer, a heavy-cutting compound polish with an aggressive polishing pad. This would really bring out that candy shine in new paint finishes. Moving forward, owners of newly painted vehicles would just maintain their paint jobs with a hand-applied coat of turtle wax and call it a day.
For those who wanted that shine back, you had to go back to an experienced body shop where they would use the rotary buffer and waxing compounds to try to achieve that newly painted gloss again. Now this process took a micro-layer of clear coat off your finish, but this method, along with mindful paint maintenance from the owner was the only way to hold the shine. This also meant that those with classics or exotics never drove their vehicles in the rain and kept them stored in the winters.
Now fast-forward into the early 2000s, companies such as Porter Cable or, DeWalt who are known for making home improvement and industrial tools, developed an oscillating buffer that produced very promising results. We will touch back on this type of buffer when compared to a rotary setup, but this buffer when compared to a rotary buffer was safe to use because unlike a rotary buffer, dual-action polishers would not burn through paint. When in action, these buffers move back and forth very quickly in almost a vibration-like motion to help remove swirls, and surface scratches. When combined with a heavy-cutting pad and a heavy-cutting compound, these polishers could be used by the average enthusiast.
HOLD ON, IT’S NOT CAKE. THERE IS A REASON WHY PAINT CORRECTION IS EXPENSIVE
Although you can learn to use a dual-action polisher, this does not mean that everyone should. There is a reason why experienced detailers charge a significant amount of money to get the job done right. They take the time to properly wash your vehicle, decontaminate the paint using a clay bar and an iron cleaner, then they will correct the pain in a clean dust-free environment. Sounds like white glove service, right? Truth is, doing it right is pretty labor-intensive, and the cost of materials can add up. Experienced detailers will have special lights used to highlight your swirl marks. They can touch-up rock chips and wet sand them before the work starts. Tape is used to cover all the body seams, rubber seals, and emblems from polishes, and polish pad dust. Sometimes they can remove headlights and taillights to make this process more efficient. And they use a multi-step polishing process that begins with a heavy-cutting pad and compound, a medium cutting pad and a polishing compound, followed by a sealant. It’s a labor of love for the detailer, but for your car, this means that your paint will be free of contamination and oxidation so it looks the best it can be.
But the reason why paying for an experienced and reputable detailer can cost well into the thousands, is because they have the right tools in terms of paint thickness meters, a combination of polishers and compounds, they have insurance under their business, and more importantly an experienced detailer will be the most careful. Yes, YouTube has shown many of us how to detail, but the tools in the wrong and careless hands can cause significant damage to your vehicle. Can you imagine the horror of using a rotary buffer at high speed on an all-original painted classic and you burn through the paint on a fender? Not only are you responsible for the damage, but in some cases, owners have gone as far as filing a lawsuit for effected adjusted value loss on their vehicles after a repaint is needed. So just because you had success with your own vehicle performing paint correction does not mean you should embark on a side hustle charging people hundreds of dollars for a detail when it’s really the carefulness and situational awareness that really comes with the experience.
WARNING LABEL – ROTARY VS DUAL ACTION
So how can damage occur when detailing? Now there is trial and error here. But damage comes when you dive right into it not paying attention to the finite details. Do you have enough polish on your pad? Is your pad smaller than the attachment disc on your polisher? Did you grind off a chunk of paint trying to shove a polisher in a tight area? These things all need to be considered. Now the most significant damage would come from a rotary polisher. And what are the key differences? A rotary polisher spins much like an angle grinder or any cutting tool. Except, you have multiple RPM speeds on reputable tools from well-established brands such as FLEX pic below:
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Rotary polishers will be twice as efficient when compared to a dual-action polisher, - meaning that they will cut your time in half. A dual action polisher as mentioned earlier, moves back and forth very quickly and no matter how much pressure that you apply against your paint, you more than likely will not damage the painted surface. With a rotary polisher, it spins at a certain RPM, and the more you focus on one area of the paint, the hotter the paint will become. If you’re not paying attention, rotary polishers will heat the paint enough to where it can take it off to the bare metal or fiberglass. But in experienced hands, rotary polishers work faster to either remove surface scratches and swirl marks, and they are perfect for enhancing the shine on a newly painted and wet-sanded car that just got out of the paint booth.
With that being said, rotary polishers should only be used or trusted by those with the experience. And when you’re ready to try a rotary polisher, practice first on your daily beater. If you don’t have a daily beater, find a friend that has one. Now disclaimer, this is not to discourage you from every buying a rotary polisher, you just need to be extra careful, get the hang of it, and don’t burn the paint.
NOW THAT YOU’RE SCARED, READY TO DETAIL?
This article is not to discourage you from ever trying to detail your car. You need to be aware of what it takes to do paint correction, and how to properly use the right tools because if you don’t know what you’re doing, you will damage your paint. But if you want to get that concours shine back on your BRZ, FR-S, or 86, these are the steps that need to be taken.
PROPERLY WASH YOUR CAR
This is the fun part where you get to use a foam cannon and get those satisfying thick soapy suds on your car that smells like a tropical dance club.
We carry foam cannons for those of you who don’t have a pressure washer, and we have cannons for those of you who do have one. Chemical Guys makes both options, and the purpose of using a foam cannon is to allow the soapy solution to rest on the paint for a moment to help dissolve any embedded dirt and bugs on the surface of your vehicle.
Chemical Guys Foam Blaster 6 Foam Wash Gun (Hose Connection)
Chemical Guys Torq Professional Foam Cannon Max Foam 8 (Pressure Washer Connection)
NEVER USE DISH SOAP
Dish soap is designed to get the grease from your mother’s lasagna off the plate, and it’s designed to clean oil off your hands. This means that it will also strip any polishes on your paint which will take away any slickness and protection after it got detailed. Leaving the paint finish more vulnerable to scratches, chips, and especially swirl marks. Always use an appropriate soap.
Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam Auto Wash Cleanser
MAKE SURE YOUR WASH MITT, AND BUCKET ARE FREE OF ANY DIRT
Chemical Guys Extra Thick Multi-Fiber Microfiber Wash Mitt
What’s the fastest way to get swirl marks on your painted finish? Take your car to the local car wash and use the community broom brush that has trapped dirt and rocks from the countless muddy trucks and cars that were used before. As you are scrubbing your vehicle, those pebbles are scratching your clear coat. Now with washing your car in the driveway, NEVER RE-USE A WASH MITT OR MICROFIBER THAT HAS BEEN DROPPED ON THE GROUND. Wash mitts and microfiber towels especially, will collect dirt. If you try to wash or dry your vehicle after dropping a mitt or a microfiber, you will scratch your car. Put them in the washing machine instead or use them as shop rags.
Truth is, we can’t stop all of the dirt from getting on our wash mitts and drying towels, however, there is always a defense against it. The Chemical Guys Wash bucket is perfect to handle all of your soapy suds:
Chemical Guys Heavy Duty Ultra Clear Detailing Bucket 4.5 Gallon
Possibly one of the best buckets to have in life in general. Especially if you’re a car enthusiast. The reason why these particular buckets are so great, not only do they hold your water, soap, and mitts, but when you get a lid, they make for the best garage seats. When you are changing brakes, working on wheels, or detailing lower sections of your vehicle, these are super sturdy, and every enthusiast should have at least two of these in the garage.
Chemical Guys Bucket Lid Cap Red
This is the lid that attaches to the Chemical Guys Bucket. Creates a great seal around the bucket for your mitts and sponges when you’re not washing your vehicle, and it makes for the perfect seat when you need to perform said maintenance on your vehicle.
Chemical Guys Cyclone Dirt Trap Car Wash Bucket Insert
When discussing how you need to be more mindful of dirt getting trapped in your wash mitt, this is a great addition to your Chemical Guys Bucket. Professional detailers use these in their soap setup. They usually have two buckets, one filled with water to squeeze out any dirt and debris and the other is filled with soap. Also known as grit guards, these discs will sit at the bottom of your bucket to trap any dirt or micro pebbles so reduce the chances of further swirls and surface scratches when washing your vehicle.
ALL OF THESE PRODUCTS JUST TO WASH YOUR CAR ARE A LOT TO DIGEST
Yes, it is. When correcting your paint, the prep work needs to be done. Just like before painting anything for example, the devil in the details is the prep work. You need to make sure that the area that you’re working on is 100% clean and done right to the best of your ability for the best results. Which segways us into the next step.
DECONTAMINATION
This is where you would use a clay bar. And during your wash, some will use an iron detail solution and spray it all over the exterior of your vehicle to remove salt, and other harmful road impediments. But using a clay bar with clay bar lube spray has been designed to remove any embedded debris, chemicals, or other foreign objects in your paint such as tree sap, bugs, grains of dirt stuck in your clear coat, and especially diesel smoke. As you use a clay bar and rub it back and forth on your paint, you can look at the flat side of the clay bar to see how much debris you have removed as you can typically see tar, and your clay bar will usually turn dark in color because of the dirt. Once you have performed a proper clay bar job, your paint surface should feel like glass to the touch. Now you’re ready for paint correction.
LET’S GET BUFF
Chemical Guys TORQX Random Orbital Polisher
This is where the fun begins. You’ve properly washed your vehicle, then used a clay bar. Now at this point you can use painter’s tape to cover rubber seals, body gaps, and emblems to avoid polish from getting into those hard to remove spaces. Pad dust is also normal to develop as you move along. But depending on how your paint finish is, start with a heavy cutting pad and a cutting polish as the first stage of really removing heavy scratches and swirl marks. Always go in sections such as 2’ by 2’. Anything larger than that, you can lose your focus, or you’re not providing an equal amount of correcting distribution to your paint. So, one area could get corrected while another area can still have scratches and swirl marks. Make sure that you always have enough polishing compound on your pad, and always make sure that your pad is never dry. Always practice on low speeds and apply a little pressure to the polisher. Just make sure you are using the correct polishing pad, and make sure you are using an actual cutting compound and not the wax you have on the shelf that you bought 3 years ago.
Chemical Guys Black Optics Microfiber Polishing Pad 5.5”
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Chemical Guys C4 Clear Cut Correction Compound
WATCH HOW YOU MICROFIBER
Now in terms of wiping your car down when drying or wiping off polish, never use a bathroom towel or a terry cloth. These are too abrasive and will scratch your paint. Us older folks who were born in the 80’s and washed cars in the 90s this is what we had other than the occasional leather chamois towel that only got crustier every time it dried. Today, microfiber is the standard, and the majority of microfiber will be safe to use on your car, and they are washable. However, if you are trying to maintain that show-like gloss on your painted finish especially if you’ve taken a weekend to perform the washing, clay bar, invested in a good polisher, pads, and all the compounds, never use a microfiber on your paint that you dropped on the ground. Unless you throw it in the washing machine, microfiber will grab all of the grain off the ground, and it will scratch your paint if you reuse it. The great thing about microfiber is that you can buy them cheaply in large packs, or you can get nicer examples that are thicker, or larger in size to make the job easier, and safer for your paint.
Chemical Guys Workhorse Green Professional-Grade Microfiber Towels
WE’RE SEEING LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
The first step of paint correction is using an aggressive pad with a good cutting compound. The next step is using a medium cutting pad, that is used with a good polish that will remove any abrasions left from heavy cutting. Those abrasions are any marks or marring left from heavy cutting and these are tropically leftover polish. A medium cutting pad and a glaze will really enhance the shine just before you move onto your wax. Which is not the final step quite yet.
The final wax really enhances the shine on your paint correction, and can be applied by hand, but an orbital polisher with a soft pad really quickens the process, while spreading the product evenly across your painted surface. Always use a detail spray to wipe off any excess waxes or polishes:
CERAMIC COATING
By far, one of the most advanced paint protection coatings to be released in the last decade. When ceramic coating first hit the market a little over a decade ago, you had to be licensed to use it, and examples such as CQuartz would cure to a glass-like film over your paint, and would last 7+ years providing your paint with a deep gloss even in the hands of the most neglectful owners who daily their cars with a wash every now and then. Ceramic coating is the ultimate defense against water spots, bird droppings, diesel smoke, and it can be applied to more than just paint as it can be used on wheels, and on rubber trim on your vehicle.
Ceramic coating should only be used by trusted hands only, and you should only use a reputable product. Because ceramic coating is so popular, there are many cheaper and inferior products that you can get online, and there are several side hustles out there who claim they can ceramic coat your car for $2-300 dollars.
This article only paints a basic picture of what it takes to paint correct your car, the techniques, and what tools are used. What isn’t mentioned is that professional detailers invest tens of thousands of dollars into their polishers, what polishing products they use. Some use deionized water machines and will park your car on a clean tarp-like pad while your vehicle is covered if they are mobile, otherwise a good detailer will have a clean dust-free environment to perform the paint correction.
A decent paint correction with ceramic coating will start at $500 and go into the thousands depending on how much work is needed. The average cost for a decent paint correction from a mobile detailer who knows what they’re doing will run you about $800.
Run from anyone who tries to apply ceramic coating to your paint without doing a paint correction first, otherwise, they are locking in those swirls and heavy scratches in your paint. There are so many people on social media marketplaces that charge $300 for mobile ceramic coating but they will show up at your home. Hand wash, use some sort of chemical to make your car look shiny, before applying a cheap bought-in-bulk to save costs “ceramic” coating.
BUT IF PAINT CORRECTION IS SO EXPENSIVE, WHY NOT JUST WRAP OR REPAINT YOUR CAR?
Because whether you are a collector, or want to maintain the original paint, having the original paint on your vehicle maintains a higher value. If your original paint is oxidized, sun-damaged, or is faded from age, paint correction can certainly bring back life to your finish as long as you still have clear coat on your paint. And some people don’t prefer wrapping and want to get paint correction done just before getting clear film installed.
Point being, is to provide you with an idea of what process and steps are taken to perform a proper paint correction. It is labor intensive, but patience is key, taking your time to make sure you are doing things right to the best of your ability is key. The results are rewarding, and you will know how to perform this task in the future.
THE RESULTS GO DEEPER THAN THE SHINE
Just like doing anything else to your BRZ, FR-S, or 86 whether it be a cat-back exhaust, or you changed your own oil, you get a better understanding and appreciation of what it takes to properly protect your paint finish. This is especially beneficial for those of you who experience extreme heat, extreme winters, and even the four seasons. A good paint correction will make your paint slicker so that it can help repel harmful elements of the road, while also reducing the chances of oxidation for those of you who simply don’t wash your car often because you’re too busy.
Additionally, every time you do wash your car whether in the driveway or at a touchless station, any dirt, bugs, droppings, and other road debris will come off easier, leaving your exterior with that maintained shine.
Because of these reasons, paint correction and ceramic coating are much more beneficial than just looking good at your local car meet. You are doing your exterior a service by keeping it protected so that the clear coat can produce a higher shine quality for years to come.