Swirl mark issue, Houston

[rdancd816]

I just had my Boxster transported to Houston from Denver. When I cleaned it up I found significant swirl marks all over the hood and tops of the front fenders. I'm looking for a good detailer or body shop that can take them out. It appears someone may have tried to wipe off the front of the car with a dirty cloth. It's driving me nuts!

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by rdancd816

I just had my Boxster transported to Houston from Denver. When I cleaned it up I found significant swirl marks all over the hood and tops of the front fenders. I'm looking for a good detailer or body shop that can take them out. It appears someone may have tried to wipe off the front of the car with a dirty cloth. It's driving me nuts!

I use Meguiar's Scratch-X to remove any and all minor scratches. Gone in minutes and no need for any body shop. A good detailer will cost from $100-$300 (around here) and a bottle of Scratch-X is less than $10. Your money, your call.

[l3m]

Call or email Jason at mobileinq.com. Good thing no oil dripped on your top while on the transport carrier.

[Flavor 987S]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

I use Meguiar's Scratch-X to remove any and all minor scratches. Gone in minutes and no need for any body shop. A good detailer will cost from $100-$300 (around here) and a bottle of Scratch-X is less than $10. Your money, your call.

That's $550 here in Chicago area. Mine goes in next Tuesday, pick up Thursday after work. First time for a professional exterior only detail in my 6 driving seasons. I've just not profected the Porter Cable, so I'll pay to have it done. My car has very-very minimal swirls from normal washing.

Then the Turbo goes in 2 weeks later.

The Boxster gets hibernated by mid Oct. The Turbo goes till Thanksgiving weekend.

[Perfectlap]

Totally a DIY. A detail shop, that knows what they're doing, understands that doing this job properly could take up to three hours. There's lots of prep like washing the car thoroughly, wiping down with a claybar, and spot removal for tar and other crap. Wash again. The detailer is not going to be as careful as you since he's got other cars to do and he's going to charge you big time. And of course they keep the tools that you could have bought yourself and used many times again. Now a true expert detail shop could use a rotary buffer (dangerous in the wrong hands) and get the job done in two snaps but they're not cheap either since it has to be done with skilled labor and not some guy they trained in five minutes working minimum wage.

Reminds me of the saying about giving a guy a free lunch vs teaching him to fish.
Detail shop rates are steep

You can get a Menzerna kit about $250 with a Porter Cable orbital buffer or the higher end Flex buffer kit for $500. Comes with everything, pads, polish, etc. And maybe an inexpensive Craftsman halogen lamp. I saw a guy with a LED light attached to his head like a miner -- pretty clever. There are a ton of YouTube videos that show you the proper orbital buffer method. the key is to use the swirl remover sparingly and take your time moving slowly covering an inch or two per second.

this video shows the proper "L" movement.
Menzerna SIP + Meguiars 7006 Test panel - YouTube

kits
http://autogeek.commerce-search.net/search?keywords=menzerna+kit

[Flavor 987S]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Totally a DIY. A detail shop, that knows what they're doing, understands that doing this job properly could take up to three hours.

There is no way possible, to get a quality professional exterior detail done on a Porsche in 3 hours. Impossible. Wash, clay, wash, polish, and wax/sealant. Some hack maybe could. The guys you see (Phil for example) on Rennlist that do high end details, interior & exterior, invest 30-40 hours. Those are north of $1K.

You get what you pay for.

I'll detail my interiors prior to winter hibernation. This take me more than 20 hours, working a few hours each day after work. The final step will be a fresh coat of RejeX, then covered.

[Perfectlap]

^ I agree. Although I don't think most people are as demanding on final results to devote 20 hours. For most cars driven year round the bar is much lower. Eitehr way you'll be paying out the ears for a professional. Though it takes longer with an orbital vs. a rotary, you can figure out how to do this entirely on your own with the help YouTube and the internet forums.
Unless of course you're too busy a man to devote a full day to your car which I suspect is the sort of customer a pro detailer caters to. Anyone else is doing it for convenience rather than lacking the requisite skills. The same type who pays $150 to change an air filter at the dealer.

[WhipE350]

Originally Posted by Flavor 987S

There is no way possible, to get a quality professional exterior detail done on a Porsche in 3 hours. Impossible. Wash, clay, wash, polish, and wax/sealant. Some hack maybe could. The guys you see (Phil for example) on Rennlist that do high end details, interior & exterior, invest 30-40 hours. Those are north of $1K.

You get what you pay for.

I'll detail my interiors prior to winter hibernation. This take me more than 20 hours, working a few hours each day after work. The final step will be a fresh coat of RejeX, then covered.

Totally agree...at least not the job I do. Maybe there are guys with high speed orbitals that are skilled enough and can then cut the time way down and have multiple other guys helping with the washing and prep work. I use a high quality 6 speed random orbital so takes much longer.

The thought of hibernation would make me sad, gotta love those Chicago winters!