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Ask a Professional Detailer

3K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  josh6025 
#1 ·
Hi guys. We (TLC Auto Detail) were recently pointed to this forum by one of our customers who has a 2013 Tangerine Scream ST Focus. We noticed that the detailing section has some great info, but could always use more. We will be adding some technical write ups soon, but for now we wanted to introduce ourselves.

Anyway, we wanted to make this thread (with the approval of the Admins) to answer any questions about detailing that you guys may have. We have been doing this professionally for over 10 years, and are located in Northern, VA. Please feel free to ask any detailing questions here, and we will answer them every afternoon. Thanks, and we look forward to getting to know everyone! [cheers]

-Dave
 
#5 ·
I asked this in the st thread you had, but here may be a better place.. what is the best way to remove swirls/scuffs all over my car? they are terrible, and I would love for them to atleast be half of what they are now. I'm looking to tackle this project this summer, whenever I get a 2 day stretch to basically sit outside and do alot of work to make her shine pretty again. it's a 2000 and i'm almost positive it's never been waxed properly, ever
 
#6 ·
No problem. If you plan to do it by hand I would pick up Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Meguiars Ultimate Polish from your local auto parts store. Also grab a few hand applicators and quality microfiber towels to remove the polish. It will take a good bit of time to do by hand, but you can make major improvements on a car with a little bit of elbow grease.
 
#8 ·
Sorry, yes, you would work the compound, wipe off the residue, work the polish with a new applicator, then wipe off the residue from it. Then you would want to apply a good wax or sealant to the paint to protect it from the elements. You're not going to get perfect results when working by hand, but you can make a dramatic improvement! Good luck!
 
#9 ·
So I was at a dealership last Saturday, and I couldn't help but notice the surprising amount of orange peel on the paint of several brand new cars, including a Dodge Dart (example included below) and a Focus ST. Is it normal for new cars to have so-so paint jobs? I would have expected a near-mirror finish from the factory, but perhaps I'm optimistic.

I'm curious, what can be done to improve the paint on a brand new car, especially in terms of orange peel?

 
#12 ·
Only way you'll get orange peel repair is with a full wetsand job which will cost many American dollars at a cost of a lot of your clear coat thickness as well...I wouldn't touch it, just live with it...even Ferraris have orange peel...no cars are wetsanded from the factory any longer...not even fancy pants cars.
 
#13 ·
I agree with the other members. Orange peel is an issue with 95% of cars, only the highest priced cars get wet sanded from the factory (Nissan GTR has a $3000 wet sanding option available). I've wetsanded a few factory paint jobs, but due to the thinner clear coats these days, it's near impossible to get a 100% orange peel free finish without compromising the integrity of the clear coat.
 
#16 ·
I have a 2004 Focus SVT and it's Pitch Black, it has definitely been neglected by the previous owner, although it was never winter driven, and now that spring is here I was wondering what I could do to really make the exterior shine.

A friend of mine recommended getting my car clay barred but I've never done it myself so would it better to get a pro to do it or is it easy enough to do if I've got the time?

Also on the windshield the previous owner did something, not sure what it was, but the windshield was not cleaned prior so at certain angles and with the correct light even if I've just used glass cleaner you can still see all the dirt from where the wipers stop to the edge of the glass, is there anything that I can do to clean that off?
 
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