How to get that ultra gloss professional finish?

[ZR36]

Hi guys

Im in need of some general detailing/ correct washing method advice

I recently bought a black car, which is an R36 passat so quite hard paint.

When i bought it was shady so i couldnt see any swirl marks, but it seems as though every time i was it very fine "cobwebs" (not swirls) become more an more prominent. Im not talking buffing swirls, and i wipe in long straight lines so i dont know how it's happening. They are more like if cob webbs were to fall on the car rather than swirls. In the shade its looking immaculate but in the sun you can see it pretty easily.

Since i bought this car i moved from your standard amoral products to top of the line or should i say expensive generally available Maguiars products. Premium shampoo and sponges etc. Always with a foam pre rinse prior to washing as well. But again i dont know if im making it worse or im just noticing the swirls more.

I did alot of research into Maguiars swirlx then i went to buy it, i found its not generally available in Australia. Only scratchx is, which i think will be too abrasive. Not wanting to wait i end up buying Maguiars ultra polish for dark cars and their ultimate liquid wax. Prior to applying these i clay bared. I could not see alot of difference after using the polish, only after applying the wax could i see a difference, and this was minimal, i think i removed only about 30% of what i wanted. I done this all by hand which im happy to do. I have a orbital polisher but wasn't willing to risk any more damage.

Other then the light cobwebs , i have one chemical stain from bird p' / tree sap. Same as before i only managed to get a little bit of this out

Im happy to pay for premium products and DA polishers etc, but only if they work. Can anyone recommend anything that will help my situation to get the paint to that ultra shine professional finish?

[ZR36]

Im trying to upload an image, but its never worked for me, below is a link to my google drive.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9olSNV5xMV5blhMNXlWV3ZaWUU/view?usp=drivesdk

if it worked you can see when its in the shade, its like glass, but when its in the sun its a different story

you can just make it out if you look above the front door handle.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9olSNV5xMV5TjE0YUdKcnN1d00/view?usp=drivesdk

[Horace01]

Buy yourself a DA polisher. The Rockwell available from Supercheap is exactly that - Supercheap but will do the job way better than polishing by hand. If you get one on sale they are only $80.00.

Or get a more expensive unit if you want. Either way machine polishing will make a world of difference.

Both Ultimate polish and wax will work well and although not the best products available, now that you have them you may as well use them.

Don't forget you will need pads too. The pad that comes with the Rockwell is ok for spreading wax but rubbish for polishing.

Waxit, Zas, Carecarproducts and the chemical Guys all have online stores and can sell you anything you need.

If using the Rockwell I would buy a 5 inch backing plate and use 5.5inch Lake Country CCS pads. That's the combination I use on my Caddy.

Check out Car Detailing Forum & Community Australia - Detail Paradise for a wealth of information.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

[JustCruisn]

Is this the recommended tool from SCA ?

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/Product/Rockwell-ShopSeries-Car-Polisher-180mm-1200-Watt/135285

[Horace01]

No that's a rotary and not really recommend for a novice.

This is the Dual Action polisher I was referring to
Rockwell ShopSeries Car Polisher - Multi-Function, 180mm, 600 Watt - Supercheap Auto

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

[CraigR]

It sounds like the car had a glaze on it when you purchased it, the more you wash the car, the more the fillers are getting washed out. Pretty standard practice when selling a car.

If you are wanting to correct your paint properly, you can start out with DAS6 (or similar). This kit will get the finish you are after and it 100% safe. You won't leave buffer trails or burn any edges...

Car Care Products /
Car Care Products /
Car Accessories /
Buffing Machines

/ RO Polisher DAS6 Kit Plus

Only this method will remove the defects you describe. Buying off the shelf products/polishes will "mask" defects instead of removing them. They are full of fillers.

Wash the car thoroughly, with all purpose cleaner or dish soap (pre-correction only)
Decontaminate the paint (clay bar)
Use the DA polisher to remove defects - you will use a lot of the cutting compound to remove the defects. The next stages are enhancing the finish
Finish with a good sealant or wax (or glass coating if you are feeling game)

[Lucas_R]

How to get that ultra gloss professional finish?

^ i second what CraigR is saying. Each time you wash it the fillers (which help smooth out the paint and hide swirls) from its last coat of polish/wax are being washed off and therefore the swirls are becoming more and more prominent. Its highly likely that the previous owner polished / waxed the car prior to selling it to make it look better.

I live in Newcastle and have detailed many many cars in my life (i used to be a detailer) and it sounds like your car needs a good multi stage buff to remove the swirls (needs a good quality polish to cut back that hard VW paint) and then a few layers of sealant to make that paintwork shine. I use Menzerna polishes and the DAS 6 Pro polisher which i buy from Car Care Products.

I would be happy to detail the exterior for you if you want and get it looking its absolute best, but you would need to leave the car with me for a full day and of course we would need to work out a price for my labour and products used.

Below is a pic of my Lexus which i just purchased about a month ago. Paintwork was pretty horrible on this when i got it (full of swirls and lots of scratches etc). After about 15hrs of polishing it now looks like this:

[Tuan]

That looks great .. detailing is not for the faint hearted and that's 15 hours of hard labour. IS F looking good !

The burnouts aren't bad either

[CraigR]

Detailing just requires patience and good technique. If you have neither, I'd pay someone to do it for you. All you have to do is wash the car correctly, using 2 or 3 buckets and a good quality wash mitt. Drying the car is where a lot of the damage is done, so a microfibre drying towel and a spray wax would be a good way to start.

He is a ute I detailed for summernats earlier on in the year. Years of car wash cafe's, but all corrected with a dual action polisher, albeit with rupes bigfoot polishers and HD compounds, but the DAS6 will definitely get the job done.

[Lucas_R]

That looks great .. detailing is not for the faint hearted and that's 15 hours of hard labour. IS F looking good !

The burnouts aren't bad either

Thanks Tuan. Yes lots of time was spent getting the paint looking like that (crappy iphone pics sorry). The car looks fantastic in the sun now.

Detailing just requires patience and good technique. If you have neither, I'd pay someone to do it for you. All you have to do is wash the car correctly, using 2 or 3 buckets and a good quality wash mitt. Drying the car is where a lot of the damage is done, so a microfibre drying towel and a spray wax would be a good way to start.

He is a ute I detailed for summernats earlier on in the year. Years of car wash cafe's, but all corrected with a dual action polisher, albeit with rupes bigfoot polishers and HD compounds, but the DAS6 will definitely get the job done.

Excellent result on that ute - paint looks amazing. I always take the "after" shots but always forget to take the "before" shots.

[ZR36]

I would be happy to detail the exterior for you if you want and get it looking its absolute best, but you would need to leave the car with me for a full day and of course we would need to work out a price for my labour and products used.

Hey lucas, what happened to your golf?

Thanks for the off do you want to PM me about what your thinking on price? I end up buying a DA cus i really want to learn to do it myself.

I had a go with the DA but it appears i made it worse.

So i just took some photos and vids to show you what im on about. Note these are not before and after these are both after.

So this is what im trying to get out (after my go with the DA)



I would like to note particular direction the scratches, which are going from top of the screen to the bottom. Nothing going from side to side. Right.

Now this video is on the same area and i have not moved from the position i took the photo. And This is what the DA did.....
Holograms? How do i remove these type of scratchs - YouTube
This is the exact same area of the photo above i have just changed my angle to be directly above) And i pan back an forth a few times to show the difference
So the top is my attempt with the DA (note the direction of the new holograms... They are going from left to right.... And when i pan to the bottom part remains which untouched by the DA you cant see anything.

So now my whole boot has scathes going across it when you look at it from the side (which was what i was originally trying to get out).
And ALSO scratchs going from front to back induced by the DA when you look at it from above.

It really depends on which direction the light hits depends on what you see.

[Lucas_R]

I would suggest buying a few panels from a wrecker or panel beater if you want to learn how to buff. I wouldn't recommend learning how to buff on a nice black car. Black paint is very unforgiving if you make a mistake or burn the paint.

Although the DA polisher makes the buffing process easier, there is still alot of technique that is acquired over many years and many different cars in order to get the best possible result. What works on one car (eg a Asian car with soft paint) may not be applicable on a European car (with hard paint). Different polish products for different cars etc. Different pads. Different techniques etc.

If you want to pop around to my place on Sunday i could show you the basics and have a look at what you are trying to use (products etc). You may need to purchase some new/different products to get the best result.

[gerhard]

Bit of a thread dig here.

My 2008 GTI is going to get a full detail to get it looking it's best again. It's not bad, but has not been polished/waxed/leather cleaned since new. (Never had the time ....)

I don't wish to do it myself but am looking for a recommendation for someone in Melbourne that knows how to treat a GTI properly, which rules out the shopping centre "detailers".

[Kachingg]

Bit of a thread dig here.

My 2008 GTI is going to get a full detail to get it looking it's best again. It's not bad, but has not been polished/waxed/leather cleaned since new. (Never had the time ....)

I don't wish to do it myself but am looking for a recommendation for someone in Melbourne that knows how to treat a GTI properly, which rules out the shopping centre "detailers".

Check out professional detailing shops online not the car repairers tho lol

I got my car paint corrected from mitch at divine detailing he did a good job based in south east but he comes to you depending on what you need may have to take the car to his shop

There is dans garage and lots of others just ring them up and ask what they can do for you (and how much lol)

It will leave you amazed after your paint is done just don't expect it to be cheap with a 9 year old car which has never been corrected before but your paint will look like new with all the small scratchs and swirls gone

good luck make sure you post some before and after shots