How do People with Black Paint Jobs keep them looking so good?

Personally, I'm not a fan of full paint correction on a brand new car. There are a finite number of times you can correct a car, and with how thin today's paint/clearcoat are, plus the low VOC products they use, leave it alone as much as you can, even if there are factory blemishes (not damage). It's not worth removing blemishesif it means you're making a bare spot in the clearcoat. The guys who will color sand a brand new car to remove "orange peel" absolutely flabbergast me.

New car: just decontaminate it, light polish only areas with swirls or spots (finish pad, no cut) and apply your favorite wax. For the next application, it's decontaminate, then clay (if needed), then I mark which panels need swirl removal (if any) and only hit those with more aggressive polish.

I've always just used the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions paste wax. You can spend more, but I personally don't see the point. Lasts about a year with monthly re-sprays of the same product (spray form) when drying. I generally only physically dry the car when I spray wax, otherwise it's just air dry via my DI setup:

Rockwood

Thread 'Rockwood's Spotless Wash System'

A year or 2 ago I bought this feller:

https://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-Deionized-Spot-Free-Rinse/dp/B07H8MQTMD/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1FSAK96SSACN7&keywords=deionized+water+filter&qid=1692295106&sprefix=deionized+water+filter%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

For spotless rinsing.  Works great, full flow, but I was eating resin like candy with our 350ppm swamp water, so I stopped using it.

A couple of months ago, I put an inline filter for it in the vain attempt of extending resin life.  It helped, a little, but not enough to...
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Ceramics are good for maaaaybe 2 years if you're super diligent about how you wash it, and if the water stops sheeting off it's time for a reapplication. I've watched a friend spend 6 hours ceramic coating his car. Looked the same when done, but his sheeted water for about 2 years and it took me maybe 30 minutes to apply the cheap ass Turtle Wax. Swirl protection seemed about the same.
 
Rockwood said:
Personally, I'm not a fan of full paint correction on a brand new car. There are a finite number of times you can correct a car, and with how thin today's paint/clearcoat are, plus the low VOC products they use, leave it alone as much as you can, even if there are factory blemishes (not damage). It's not worth removing imperfections if it means you're making a bare spot in the clearcoat. The guys who will color sand a brand new car to remove "orange peel" absolutely flabbergast me.

New car: just decontaminate it, light polish only areas with swirls or spots (finish pad, no cut) and apply your favorite wax. For the next application, it's decontaminate, then clay (if needed), then I mark which panels need swirl removal (if any) and only hit those with more aggressive polish.

I've always just used the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions paste wax. Lasts about a year with monthly re-sprays of the same product (spray form) when drying. I generally only physically dry the car when I spray wax, otherwise it's just air dry via my DI setup:

Rockwood

Thread 'Rockwood's Spotless Wash System'

A year or 2 ago I bought this feller:

https://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-Deionized-Spot-Free-Rinse/dp/B07H8MQTMD/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1FSAK96SSACN7&keywords=deionized+water+filter&qid=1692295106&sprefix=deionized+water+filter%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

For spotless rinsing.  Works great, full flow, but I was eating resin like candy with our 350ppm swamp water, so I stopped using it.

A couple of months ago, I put an inline filter for it in the vain attempt of extending resin life.  It helped, a little, but not enough to...
  • Like
  • Thanks

Ceramics are good for maaaaybe 2 years (I've never personally seen this, but some people swear it's true) if you're super diligent about how you wash it, and if the water stops sheeting off it's time for a reapplication.
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Orange peel is definitely there for a reason. For some reason, that concept is VERY hard for a lot of males to absorb.

Most Ceramic Coatings also need a "Maintenance" product that revitalizes it's properties. A lot of folks aren't aware of this and think CC's are the end all to any attention needing paid to the paint. This is why I push lower cost SIO2 products more because you have to come back and work on it some way, some how... anyway.

I'd rather make someone's vehicle look great twice a year with fresh applications of... anything... than seeing that same car once every two years or more. The multiple trips would be financed into smaller costs, due to less work done. A lot of people cannot absorb this concept, however.
 
Toy Collector said:
Orange peel is definitely there for a reason. For some reason, that concept is VERY hard for a lot of males to absorb.

Most Ceramic Coatings also need a "Maintenance" product that revitalizes it's properties. A lot of folks aren't aware of this and think CC's are the end all to any attention needing paid to the paint. This is why I push lower cost SIO2 products more because you have to come back and work on it some way, some how... anyway.

I'd rather make someone's vehicle look great twice a year with fresh applications of... anything... than seeing that same car once every two years or more. The multiple trips would be financed into smaller costs, due to less work done. A lot of people cannot absorb this concept, however.
Click to expand...
Yep. The "3 year" products are so ridiculous to apply, I just don't see the point. It's a microscopic layer of chemical anyway, there's no way it's protecting from much of anything other than the lightest of light swirls.

I do like how well SI02 products repel everything. Only bummer is large bird shit makes a huge mess as it'll slide down the car to a low spot (or off of it), leaving a trail... :ROFLMAO:
 
So I just got my truck back from Blossom Valley Detail getting a full inside & out detail & CC. I had a paint correction done, and asked what does that actually mean? He said the paint correction is a two step polishing process. It’s not about removing orange peel, major scratches and possibly removing any clear coat. It’s about removing micro swirls, removing haze and increasing the paints shine. First they wash the vehicle, then he measures the paint thickness to know what he’s working with. Then they inspect the car for swirl marks in the finish and tests the paint gloss & haze. He has a Rhopoint optical meter he uses on the finish before & after to see the numbers & improvement. Then he text you pictures of the meter results. For example a test spot on the hood, my gloss was a 70.3 and went to 77.2, and haze went from 13 down to 1.3. He said these are not huge changes, as my truck was in very good shape, but he was still able to improve it. He does not guarantee to get all swirls out as he will not risk removing or damaging the clear coat to get them off. Once the polish is completed they then apply the CCI ceramic. Because my truck was in very good condition and not that old he was able to also CC all the non painted plastics like bed rails, bumper trim etc. On some brands he said the ceramic does not take well to the unpainted plastics or if it’s already got weather damage. Then he just uses a restorer to make them look nicer.

I also have a set of glass black wheels to go on the truck and I have yet to get tires mounted up. He said to bring them and he would CC them. He does not guarantee the life if the CC on the wheels but said it will help and later on I can use a spray to touch up.

The product used is by CCI and is a 3-5 year protection, but CCI does not give an actual warranty. But BVD does if you bring the vehicle back in 6 months for a basic exterior wash & inspection. At that time if he finds any issues or imperfections in the CC he will fix at that time. Then he asks that you bring it back once a year for the same basic exterior wash & inspection. Again if he sees a spot or issue he will re-CC that panel on the vehicle at no charge. He has a calendar on his computer that text’s you a reminder when its time for your 6 month or 1 year wash & inspection.

This was not cheap but I’m happy with the results, and hope it reduces future swirls and makes my paint look and last longer. It took two people 6 hours to complete the detail & CC. Only real issue is I’m afraid to use this truck like a truck. My old truck looked good for its age, but I would load a 1/2 bucket of rock in the bed. Now it’s a big hell no! 😂


Blossom Valley Detail
View attachment IMG_1812.mov


Im also planning on putting this Spot Free Finish DI tank in my garage for washing cars. It says it will create around 4000 gal DI water. Anyone use this company or model DI system?

IMG_4690.jpeg
 
NIKAL said:
So I just got my truck back from Blossom Valley Detail getting a full inside & out detail & CC. I had a paint correction done, and asked what does that actually mean? He said the paint correction is a two step polishing process. It’s not about removing orange peel, major scratches and possibly removing any clear coat. It’s about removing micro swirls, removing haze and increasing the paints shine. First they wash the vehicle, then he measures the paint thickness to know what he’s working with. Then they inspect the car for swirl marks in the finish and tests the paint gloss & haze. He has a Rhopoint optical meter he uses on the finish before & after to see the numbers & improvement. Then he text you pictures of the meter results. For example a test spot on the hood, my gloss was a 70.3 and went to 77.2, and haze went from 13 down to 1.3. He said these are not huge changes, as my truck was in very good shape, but he was still able to improve it. He does not guarantee to get all swirls out as he will not risk removing or damaging the clear coat to get them off. Once the polish is completed they then apply the CCI ceramic. Because my truck was in very good condition and not that old he was able to also CC all the non painted plastics like bed rails, bumper trim etc. On some brands he said the ceramic does not take well to the unpainted plastics or if it’s already got weather damage. Then he just uses a restorer to make them look nicer.

I also have a set of glass black wheels to go on the truck and I have yet to get tires mounted up. He said to bring them and he would CC them. He does not guarantee the life if the CC on the wheels but said it will help and later on I can use a spray to touch up.

The product used is by CCI and is a 3-5 year protection, but CCI does not give an actual warranty. But BVD does if you bring the vehicle back in 6 months for a basic exterior wash & inspection. At that time if he finds any issues or imperfections in the CC he will fix at that time. Then he asks that you bring it back once a year for the same basic exterior wash & inspection. Again if he sees a spot or issue he will re-CC that panel on the vehicle at no charge. He has a calendar on his computer that text’s you a reminder when its time for your 6 month or 1 year wash & inspection.

This was not cheap but I’m happy with the results, and hope it reduces future swirls and makes my paint look and last longer. It took two people 6 hours to complete the detail & CC. Only real issue is I’m afraid to use this truck like a truck. My old truck looked good for its age, but I would load a 1/2 bucket of rock in the bed. Now it’s a big hell no! 😂


Blossom Valley Detail
View attachment 151981


Im also planning on putting this Spot Free Finish DI tank in my garage for washing cars. It says it will create around 4000 gal DI water. Anyone use this company or model DI system?

View attachment 151982
Click to expand...
I’m impressed. Michael at BVD is one of the best in San Diego County. His Detailing classes are also amazing and great for the industry.
 
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