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Hey Bluey!

Yeah I actually do use two buckets exactly as you describe :). I saw this youtube video about a new bucket that holds all the grit at the bottom, cant remember what it's called. I wonder if you can get that in aus? I think it was called a grit guard ?

Btw someone told me there is a laser car wash in Chatswood, I wonder how that works. Anyone been there?

Yeah, grit guard is simply a mesh like platform at the bottom of the bucket so you can rub the wash mitt against it to get the grit off, but also makes sure the grit doesn't swirl back up onto the mitt as it stays below the guard. I haven't used one, but looks like good extra level of security against marring from grit on your wash mitt.

I think the laser wash is simply a "touch free" or high pressure wash. Not bad for a quick rinse but not as kind on your wax or as thorough as your wash mitt.

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Guys, surely i'm right when i say the metallic "pearl" finish allows for easier washing away of dirt and grimes than the normal metallic finish type. Those that have posted and have the metallic pearl finish and does the paint protection etc can easily comment on the effect of it, but can anyone with the non pearl finish say the same?

Metallic pearl (or so i think what it is).

http://www.cobracountry.com/cobra4salefold...-la-closeup.jpg

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I have tried Megauirs NXT gen tech wax and the clay kit before, they did give the car a deeper shine, but they dont last long as dust tend to stick to the waxed area more easily. and the wax kinda wear off after a few washes. also they do little to the swirl marks or the scratches.

I've used the NXT without any problems on my silver one. Sure dust settles on the flat surface of the rear, but it definitely doesn't stick to it. Sounds like you've applied it too thick or haven't buffed it off correctly. It makes my car real glossy!

some photos for comparison

uad, I assume this isn't your car - the car in the photos has had it's badge taped ready for paint correction.

Waxes can give a little covereage but are not designed for this purpose, for a better result at eliminating these you will need to use products and processes that are designed for that purpose.

Following up on this, I'm about to try some products like Duragloss which is sealant, and is likely to give many months of protection (unlike waxes). As far as others' comments regarding swirls in the paintwork - they have to be removed prior to applying polish and wax, else they might actually be enhanced once the paint work has been made glossy. You'll either have to have it done professionally or us a product designed to remove/fill/disguise the swirls.

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Hey Last1

I think your might be right, when i applied the wax i let it sit for 3 hrs and wiped off with an old cotton T-shirt. It was very hard to get it off as the wax was pretty thick.

that was not my car, i got it from some guy who does a cut & buff and tries to sell his service to me. It looked pretty good though.

Is it worthwhile to get it cut & buffed by this guy and paint protected by 'paintprotectiondirect.com.au' guys??

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uad,

I'd recommend you do get the car done professionally if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself or the defects in the paintwork include excessive swirls, scratches or stains.

The website linked by Naz looks interesting. There are a number of products/sealants on the market now which should do similar work, but just keep in mind that none of them last forever! Naz never mentioned if he ever re-applies the product or not - it is certainly not scratch resistant either. Be interesting to know.

Keep in mind that most professionals that 'cut and polish' now refer to their work as 'paint correction', where the idea is to bring the paintwork back to as close to it's origional condition as possible and then further enhanced. The trick is to use the right products/methods to remove as little of the marred paintwork (clear coat on our cars) as possible when doing it - hence why getting it done professionally is a wize choice. Bare in mind - there are plenty of butchers out there who claim to have been doing it for years.

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Keep in mind that most professionals that 'cut and polish' now refer to their work as 'paint correction', where the idea is to bring the paintwork back to as close to it's origional condition as possible and then further enhanced. The trick is to use the right products/methods to remove as little of the marred paintwork (clear coat on our cars) as possible when doing it - hence why getting it done professionally is a wize choice. Bare in mind - there are plenty of butchers out there who claim to have been doing it for years.

Oh dear... Guys! Our cars are less than 4 years old!! Unless you have kept the car in some rough place with a high exposure to elements, you shouldn't have to use cut and polish, or whatever other fancy name you want to use for it, ie. paint correction. Ever seen an Excel driving around, mostly red ones with paint that looks like it's faded and about to fall off? Thats what cut and polish is for. Not a near new luxury car. If your paint is truly buggered, see if warranty can cover it. Otherwise a simple detail (not cut and polish) should do the job. Rubbing off the clearcoat is the last thing I would do to a near new IS... Same goes for a respray. For a buyer, it will scream out DODGY! Personally I woudln't buy a resprayed car, unless it's 20+ years old or something...

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We are just wanting to maintain the car. It has not come to a stage where it looks like a 20 y.o car lol

Like i said, the pearl metallic finish is more desired than the base metallic.

My other car a Camry (a 97 model) which i leave to rust so to speak, has the deep spec finish (not sure if it's pearl but it is deep spec'd) which still shines. I'm thinking if i have left if for dead and it still shine than the paint must have been a super paint. Again i ask, why didn't our silver colour Is250s come with metallic pearl finish as standard :(

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Danslex,

Any visible defect on my paintwork (even if you can only see it in the right light), I deem a defect. If it is imbedded in the paintwork - eg a swirl/light scratch or etch, I want it gone! Nearly every polish on the market is abrasive in some way - and therefore cuts into the clearcoat. There is no other way to remove a swirl (light scratch usually caused by the normal process of washing the car) other than removing the surrounding paint to the same level as the deepest point of the scratch (or to the point where it is no longer visible).

I conceed that I may be pedantic at times - my illness I'm afraid. :D

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Yes, all sorts of polishes are abrasive to a various degree. Cut & polish is the most abrasive one, which isn't suitable on new cars like ours. What I'm trying to say is that it's overkill, there's no point bringing a cannon to a knife fight :o

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Danslex,

Any visible defect on my paintwork (even if you can only see it in the right light), I deem a defect. If it is imbedded in the paintwork - eg a swirl/light scratch or etch, I want it gone! Nearly every polish on the market is abrasive in some way - and therefore cuts into the clearcoat. There is no other way to remove a swirl (light scratch usually caused by the normal process of washing the car) other than removing the surrounding paint to the same level as the deepest point of the scratch (or to the point where it is no longer visible).

I conceed that I may be pedantic at times - my illness I'm afraid. :D

I'm with you Last1

Any defect will need correction, and the defect is in the eye of the beholder.

I had a nasty mark on my drivers door after a car park incident. I had a guy do a touch up job which looked fine when he completed it. Once I got home and the late afternnon sun shone on it I had a huge mass of swirls all over the driver and rear passenger door where he had blended the paint out with a rotary buffer.

I decided to try and correct this myself, and was amazed at the results I got with the right tools and products. Here's a couple of pictures.

BEFORE

post-1882-1242808550_thumb.jpg

AFTER

post-1882-1242808531_thumb.jpg

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Danslex,

Any visible defect on my paintwork (even if you can only see it in the right light), I deem a defect. If it is imbedded in the paintwork - eg a swirl/light scratch or etch, I want it gone! Nearly every polish on the market is abrasive in some way - and therefore cuts into the clearcoat. There is no other way to remove a swirl (light scratch usually caused by the normal process of washing the car) other than removing the surrounding paint to the same level as the deepest point of the scratch (or to the point where it is no longer visible).

I conceed that I may be pedantic at times - my illness I'm afraid. :D

I'm with you Last1

Any defect will need correction, and the defect is in the eye of the beholder.

I had a nasty mark on my drivers door after a car park incident. I had a guy do a touch up job which looked fine when he completed it. Once I got home and the late afternnon sun shone on it I had a huge mass of swirls all over the driver and rear passenger door where he had blended the paint out with a rotary buffer.

I decided to try and correct this myself, and was amazed at the results I got with the right tools and products. Here's a couple of pictures.

BEFORE

post-1882-1242808550_thumb.jpg

AFTER

post-1882-1242808531_thumb.jpg

Wow...impressive. What did you use to do that?

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Top job Bluey.

And to think most people will have their touch up repairs done and put up with the poor finish :( . It reminds me of a stunning black 350Z I see parked near work every day (I hate the fact that his car has a better gloss than mine) - until the sun drops low enough to side-light the body and expose every single rotation the rotary traveled over his body work. :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Top job Bluey.

And to think most people will have their touch up repairs done and put up with the poor finish :( . It reminds me of a stunning black 350Z I see parked near work every day (I hate the fact that his car has a better gloss than mine) - until the sun drops low enough to side-light the body and expose every single rotation the rotary traveled over his body work. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yep

Still looks clean though. And thats what most people are happy with.

It's actually quite easy to do but does take some time to cover the entire car. That is why I'd rather be careful with my cleaning and drying methods to try and minimise the number of times I will need to be doing this over the life of the car. And the waxing adds an extra layer of protection during the wash process, as well as making the finish look so much better. :P

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  • 3 years later...

Oh and don't forget TLC

Sorry to bump up an old thread guys.

Bluey, that is quite impressive. Could you tell me what TLC is?

My IS is starting to develop heaps of scratches all over. I admit that I've been really rough on it. Many places, the paint job is excellent, so I don't really wanna take it anywhere with the risk of developing additional swirl marks as some have indicated.

However, I have had a few nasty scratches involving the clear coat being scraped off, and a lot of stone chipping on the font bumper which is showing white underneath my graphite paint (if I'm not mistaken, that 'white' layer is known as the primer, right?).

Can anyone please give me a brief explanation on how I can restore that clear coat that was scratched off, and also the services available to restore the paint on the front bumper (there's like a million chippings there).

I'm willing to pay up to $800 since my service schedule wasn't too bad this year.

Thanks guys!!

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I had my IS250 properly polished which had removed all of the buffing marks, light scratches all over the car and as well as opti-coated (paint protection).

While the cost wasnt cheap ($700), it was worth it considering how long Justin was at my house for (12 hours). I've uploaded some of the photo's on his facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/PlatinumPaintProtection?ref=ts&fref=ts

Yes I am in VIC but there are a few guys in NSW - http://www.optimumcarcare.com.au/product/14/approved_opti-coat_dealers.html

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  • 9 years later...

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