Can My Car Sparkle Like This?

[clonedaccnt]

Is this photoshopped or what? I want my car to sparkle like this one:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5035350238_54dbcf324b.jpg

My car paint is like this:

http://dv0pyon1tdlvh.cloudfront.net/InventoryImages/2013/11/18/2003_474490_66753729_4371618372013.jpg

I don't know if the first picture was a brand new GTO or what but I highly doubt it.

[vr4tune]

Yes it can search for some detail threads.

[green-lantern]

Is this photoshopped or what? I want my car to sparkle like this one:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5035350238_54dbcf324b.jpg

My car paint is like this:

http://dv0pyon1tdlvh.cloudfront.net/InventoryImages/2013/11/18/2003_474490_66753729_4371618372013.jpg

I don't know if the first picture was a brand new GTO or what but I highly doubt it.

I'll help you out with the pics :)

It depends on the condition of your paint but yeah with some good elbow grease and know how you can do a lot. I know a guy that's real good at making paint look good I can steer him this way.

Edit: also that 2nd pic just isn't a very good one.

[stealthee]

Look at the pictures I took of what I did to clean up my Grand Prix last summer.



She was a dirty Gert

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Pre-Wash2-re_zps04f8e3e9.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Pre-Wash2-re_zps04f8e3e9.jpg.html)

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Pre-Wash1-re_zpsc147e6fb.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Pre-Wash1-re_zpsc147e6fb.jpg.html)

This was the result of just a wash

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Post-Wash1-re_zps0bc9fced.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Post-Wash1-re_zps0bc9fced.jpg.html)

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/PostWash2-re_zps9d9e1f63.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/PostWash2-re_zps9d9e1f63.jpg.html)

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Post-Washhood-re_zps83fd52c2.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Post-Washhood-re_zps83fd52c2.jpg.html)

I found this nice scuff once it was clean, grr.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Post-WashScuff-re_zps0d163c1b.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Post-WashScuff-re_zps0d163c1b.jpg.html)

I bought Turtle Wax Black Box and figured I'd give it a shot.

This is the result after just using the pre wax cleaner

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Pre-Wax2-re_zps7e9f1495.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Pre-Wax2-re_zps7e9f1495.jpg.html)

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Pre-Wax1-re_zps840c6551.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Pre-Wax1-re_zps840c6551.jpg.html)

And this is the result after wax.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Post-Wax2-re_zps88a519df.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Post-Wax2-re_zps88a519df.jpg.html)

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Post-Wax1-re_zpsaac9c3c2.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Post-Wax1-re_zpsaac9c3c2.jpg.html)

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Post-WaxHood-re_zps264bfdf3.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Post-WaxHood-re_zps264bfdf3.jpg.html)

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Reflection-re_zps9636f7e7.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Reflection-re_zps9636f7e7.jpg.html)

And this is the scuff

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/stealthee3k/Grand%20Prix/Post-WaxScuff-re_zps92ca0063.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/stealthee3k/media/Grand%20Prix/Post-WaxScuff-re_zps92ca0063.jpg.html)

I did this all by hand. No buffer.

[stealthee]

Also as was pointed out there are detailing threads here and all over the internet. People on the Grand Prix Forums love there Porter Cable dual action buffers and different people go with different systems. With a Porter Cable and some time I could make my Grand Prix look like the GTO in the first picture you posted, and my car has 168k miles on it.

[Macky]

OP - yes. you can get your car to "sparkle" like the first one.

It will take a lot of work depending on the condition of your car's paint, but its doable. Here is an example of a 99 VR4 that I detailed a while back.

This VR4 had extremely dry paint. Dry paint will suck the moisture from whatever polish or compound that you use. The term dry doesn't mean in the literal sense. Rather, the oils that are part of the paint are simple gone due to neglect and washed with the wrong soap.

Now, when I detailed this car in the showroom, I had to go over the entire car twice with a cutting compound and then once over with a polish just to restore some luster and shine to the paint. besides restoring the paint, I also tried to restore the black trim on the car as much as I can.

Here are the pics.

First, the stuff I used -

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/01_zps82a76739.jpg


Then the car before -

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/02_zps0c556b3f.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/03_zps73e2d690.jpg

YUCK

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/04_zps6a0286ae.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/05_zpsce8d6f41.jpg

swirl city

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/06_zps270f762f.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/07_zps1abb2786.jpg

all taped up

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/08_zps4c7cb767.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/09_zps957171be.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/010_zpsc0eb0a4f.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/011_zps7bb3f1ee.jpg

[Macky]

Correction stage: 50/50 first pass -

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/012_zps01a0f948.jpg

Uncorrected side close up -

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/013_zpsab53acd7.jpg

Corrected side close up -

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/014_zpsf0482ce2.jpg


After 5 hours -

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/015_zps36973102.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/016_zpsa5e385ce.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/017_zps935853cb.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/018_zpsac8a0f3d.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/019_zps57025d76.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/020_zps69d21a2f.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/022_zps379da42e.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/024_zpsb3047b3e.jpg

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/025_zps4450119b.jpg




from this :

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/011_zps7bb3f1ee.jpg

to THIS :

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t676/machonephoto/99VR4Detail/023_zpsb8bffa28.jpg


pics don't do the car justice. but hell that paint was horrible to work with. I went through a full bottle of cutting compound and half of the polish just to get it to where it is. There are still lots of random deep scratches that I just could not remove, but they've been reduced to hairline scratches that you can barely see.

Without looking/seeing the condition of your car, there is no real way to tell how bad it is or how much you need to do to it. But at the very least you probably would need a dual action polisher to start. Unless you are experienced, a rotary polisher is a BAD IDEA.

[green-lantern]

^ the man I was talking about :D ^

[clonedaccnt]

I believe now that it is possible. Thumbs up for you guys. :applause:

[vr4tune]

Good luck, shoot us some before and after pictures.

[HilbillyHomeboy]

Unless you are experienced, a rotary polisher is a BAD IDEA.

That's what I was going to add, and can't be emphasized enough. Thank you for stating that.

Jeremy

[Macky]

I got my training from Meguiars to properly use a rotary. It was a 3 month course. I can tell you, you can literally stand on the rotary and it will still spin. all that torque can burn through paint in a blink of an eye. our instructor demonstrated it. a DA is much more forgiving. you put too much pressure - it stops spinning.

you put too much pressure on a rotary - you need a new paint job.

[Bloodlust182]

A while back i picked up a Flex dual action orbital polisher through work, and I love it. Cleaned up my original paint on my 93 with a good cutting compound (was super oxidized). I need to buy some more pads and some better polish to make the paint really shine.