DetailedByPrecision:Paint Correction Ceramic Paint Coating SanFrancisco AutoDetailing

2016 Subaru Sti New Car Prep & 3" scratch removal success







This job was a referral of the white tacoma truck I did beforehand. The customer is a coworker of the tacoma owner and commented on how clean his truck looked parked at work. They had a conversation and my contact information was given to get in touch with me. Had a couple brief text messages and set up an inspection to go over the car and talk about the customers concerns and goals for his new to him car. He stopped by and he wanted the same job done as his co workers truck, but on top of that also polish out the right fender and hood for scratches. But, his main concern was a 3 inch scratch on his rear bumper which he did not know how it got there. I went over the options with him and explained my process clearly and thoroughly so we are both on the same page and no miscommunication. I advised him to buy a bottle of touch up from the dealer just in case I needed to use it on the scratch. We set up a drop off day for me to work on the car and his anticipation to see the end outcome of the 3" scratch was exciting.




Worked on the exhaust tips first




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Started the wash, decontamination process with foaming the car, Iron X, Claybar




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Applied Carpro Hydro onto the wheels for protection




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Post claying, a lot of defects showed up on various panels. I'm pretty sure the dealer slapped on some glaze to prepare the car for sale and the claybar removed it and the original defects resurfaced at this point. Some glue residue on the windows and some bird poop shape stains on the hood with some scratches.




Used FG400 and Menz203




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Onto the film residue. Used Menz203 by hand




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Couple 50/50's from polishing the hood and driver fender




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Now the fun part and most pressure to perform.... the 3" scratch. I assessed it under LED lighting and using my finger nail to see if it catches or not before I dialed in my process. It barely caught my finger nail so there was hope of not having to use the touch up.




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I hit the scratch with M101 w/ MF pad first to see if there is an improvement or not. Not as obvious anymore...




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Was not satisfied with the result. I decided to use 2000 grit block and wetsanded the area.




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Polished out using same combo listed above




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After polishing it out, the damage minimized a lot at this point. I took a look at it and decided I can push it a little more to get that last percent of correction.




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Success! You cannot see it in day time unless you have LED lights blasting at it and looking at it within inches like this....




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Sealed the paint afterwards with Blackfire wet diamond paint sealant




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Finished pics of the car




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Took some shots of the interior to appreciate the mods done to it. I did not work on the interior.




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Total time: 8 hr 18 mins

What I learned from this job:

You can't tell the paint's real condition until you wash and clay it. Not just a wash alone.

The paint was easy to correct and did not have micro marring occur upon wiping off polish residue. Easy to work with.

Never get too confident with sanding isolated deep scratches. I need to focus on task 110% of the time. One slip up is a repaint.




Thanks for viewing for those who made it this far. Appreciate comments and questions are welcomed. I had a lot of fun working on this car. I accepted a challenge and I prevailed. The customer was extremely happy I did not have to resort to touching it up.

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

Really nice work man, that customer should be pretty happy I would think.

So you sanded that one last scratch a lot, how do you restore the gloss to the paint there, and replace the clearcoat that was sanded away? Is that what that Blackfire paint sealant was for?

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

I agree with RR, nice work.

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

Thx Chris and Kevin. The gloss will stay the same except I removed some clear from that area. Once I sanded the area the only way to "replace" the clearcoat is to respray a layer of clearcoat. That is why if it gets scratched again in the same area, I cannot do the same procedure. There is not enough clearcoat left safely for me to do the procedure without causing the paint to fail prematurely. The Blackfire paint sealant is a sacrificial barrier for the paint against contamination for 4-6 months. The sealant will deteriorate on a daily basis by itself just like how wax would.

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

On that rear fender scratch...

what do you think the result would have been if touch up paint had been applied first and then you worked on it some to "blend" it? (yeah, I use that term blend loosely)?

I would have asked that question to you in order to see if wet sanding the clearcoat could have been avoided. But, I'm guessing if you went that route it would probably look like a$$? lol

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

Dude this is awesome. How much would a full details like that run? My paint needs help lol I tried detailing myself but didn't turn out as clean as I thought it would....

Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

Very nice work indeed. Love seeing the transformation.

How long have you been detailing? I see you have a lot of detailing supplies! You definitely have more supplies on that shelf than I do.

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

Michael, before using touch up, a proper assessment is required to achieve the best outcome to make it look as factory as possible with the paint. If I noticed the scratch was all the way down to the plastic then no amount of wet sanding will change anything because there is no more paint to wetsand.

To answer your question.. If I were to fill it then my process would be sand it a little bit to smoothen the edges then fill it slightly higher than the original paint. Let it dry and cure for 24 hrs then sand it down and carefully polish it out without introducing too much heat from the machine or else you might pull the touch up paint off.

If interested, I can offer you some hands on training on a weekend in the future to work on your car together. I'm willing to give a forum member discount and set you up with the right products and techniques so you can maintain it yourself.

Thanks bro! Slava, been a while since I saw you make a post....I have been into the craft since 18 and still learning everyday. Offered my services for about 1 year now. If I recall, don't you do detailing as well???

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

Yes, I used to have my own business while I was in school, since I graduated and got a job, I don't do detailing much. Only to friends.

I was bored at work and decided to check on the forums. It seems a bit slow here compare to 6-7 years ago.

So you detail full time now or you do it as your side job?
I've looked at some other work you did, and you do very good job, I am amazed by some of the transformations! Keep up the good work!

 

Re: DetailedByPrecision: High End Detailing, Paint Correction& Paint Coating. SF Bay

Wow you did a awsome job man. Great work definitely a pro at what u do...