Polishing/Waxing question

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by R8 Pilot

First get a professional full detail including clay bar and paint correction.

Then get them to apply a 'minimum' of 3 coats of Nano Ceramic Coating.

This is good advice. However it really doesn't require a professional detailer to tackle paint correction if you use an orbital polisher like the Flex, Porter Cable or the small one that Griots Garage sell. It's very difficult to harm the paint with these. It takes all of 10 minutes to get the basic movement down (many DIY videos on YouTube). From there its just a matter of spending a couple of quality hours with your car. An LED light or cheap halogen lamp from Sears that you can shine onto the paint while youre working will let you know right away if you're missing any spots. You can get most of the swirls out yourself and the professional detailer who will likely charge you by the hour, and not on the cheap if he's more than just a guy at the car wash with a buffer, can concentrate on the tougher swirls only. Then you can do your old lady's car. Or you can do your buddies cars and charge half the $500-$600 that an experienced pro is going to bill you. You'll need some advil or a creeper chair at least. LoL.
The trick to paint correction is to move very slowly in overlapping L shape patterns and to be conservative on the amount of polish you dab onto the pad. If you're too liberal with amount of polish the pad will not bite as it spins and will just leave a hazy mess.

[R8 Pilot]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

This is good advice. However it really doesn't require a professional detailer to tackle paint correction if you use an orbital polisher like the Flex, Porter Cable or the small one that Griots Garage sell. It's very difficult to harm the paint with these. It takes all of 10 minutes to get the basic movement down (many DIY videos on YouTube). From there its just a matter of spending a couple of quality hours with your car. An LED light or cheap halogen lamp from Sears that you can shine onto the paint while youre working will let you know right away if you're missing any spots. You can get most of the swirls out yourself and the professional detailer who will likely charge you by the hour, and not on the cheap if he's more than just a guy at the car wash with a buffer, can concentrate on the tougher swirls only. Then you can do your old lady's car. Or you can do your buddies cars and charge half the $500-$600 that an experienced pro is going to bill you. You'll need some advil or a creeper chair at least. LoL.
The trick to paint correction is to move very slowly in overlapping L shape patterns and to be conservative on the amount of polish you dab onto the pad. If you're too liberal with amount of polish the pad will not bite as it spins and will just leave a hazy mess.

Could not agree more but I personally never trusted myself to try.

I bought all the right gear and it has sat in the cupboard for 4 years.

Without trying to sound like a here I am(sorry)..all my weekend cars have been Lambo,R8's and R35..so I was to scared to put any polisher near the paint and I feel the same about my 986 as the paint work is pretty much immaculate

I will just get my pro detailer in and know that I will not damage anything and will be $700 lighter but gleaming and protected.

I will post some pics of the Nano ceramic when it is done in a few weeks.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by R8 Pilot

Could not agree more but I personally never trusted myself to try.

I bought all the right gear and it has sat in the cupboard for 4 years.

Without trying to sound like a here I am(sorry)..all my weekend cars have been Lambo,R8's and R35..so I was to scared to put any polisher near the paint and I feel the same about my 986 as the paint work is pretty much immaculate

I will just get my pro detailer in and know that I will not damage anything and will be $700 lighter but gleaming and protected.

I will post some pics of the Nano ceramic when it is done in a few weeks.

I'd leave it to a pro too with those types of cars. But why didn't you go for total body clear film? Seems like you kill two birds with one stone. Protection from paint chips as well as swirls.