Pro- detailing paint correction - worth the money ??

Hi

My golfs paintwork is very good and apart from the bodykit which is going to get painted, the panels are original paint, I think, so I am going to get the side skirts and mirrors painted as there are a few flaws and the mirrors have faded a wee bit.

I dont care about the dozens of stone chips as its 20 years old and if I wanted it mint I would get it resprayed but I was thinking about using a Detailing company next spring to carry out a Paint Correction procedure, which is basically a posh machine polish etc but as it costs around £200, I was wondering if anyone has had one done or knows anyone that has and if its worth it ??

Cheers Chris

If your cars red, like in the picture, then yes a machine polish will help. Red is a pigment and fades over time in the sun but like everything else 'wears' to a stage where it can't come back. £200 sounds quite expensive, I would have expected half that. Remember the only way to keep it that way is regular polishing with a quality polish.

Cero said

If your cars red, like in the picture, then yes a machine polish will help. Red is a pigment and fades over time in the sun but like everything else 'wears' to a stage where it can't come back. £200 sounds quite expensive, I would have expected half that. Remember the only way to keep it that way is regular polishing with a quality polish.

Cheers Cero

The paint is still bright as it has always been garaged but I was wanting all the small scratches and swirls removed, The company is based your way and I think they are more for top end motors, I will put the link in.

£200 is a good price mate.

Paint correction to do correctly can take 8 hours plus (cabby will be less as no roof)

If someone is touching my car with a rotery which can cut through paint in no time and they charge less then they must be a cowboy.

Its not as simple as picking up a machine and doing it in no time.

A pro will examine every panel with a paint depth gauge so he knows how much paint hes got to play with (the car will have multiple readings)

Dont forget to check if they are insured, like I said a rotery machine can cut through paint in seconds if its in the wrong hands.

I had my old mk4 done and couldnt beleive the results.

Took 1st place in show & shine at volksfest wales aswell.

Cheers Ceri

Delighted that you were delighted with your results and they measure the paint thickness etc and your spot on, I am not damaging my car with either cheap dodgy lads or even worse, me  :redfaced:

Its a days work as you say and I think depending what you get done it can cost upto £400 but I will be about half of that.

I would get it done at the start of the spring and also a full seat and carpet shampoo and interior valet, if I have the cash as Shona is going a wee bit daft as I have spent over £1k in the last 4 weeks and still got the gearbox to refurb to fit and hopefully the £300 paint job first.

Thanks Chris

Chris im on my way home from work now ill drop you a pm later.

BigNormRivage said

Chris im on my way home from work now ill drop you a pm later.

Ok, I was working today too, pays for the new wheels  :wink:

Hi lads

I have had the paint correction completed on my mk1 last April. I had a lot of the paint swirl marks on the bonnet and all over the car - from repeated washing and the like.

Its a real skill in itself - patience and detail. It took a full day to complete. It was a three stage process from what I remember - paint detox and neutralise, correction, seal and wax.

The colour contrast between the red and black roof was amazing. I was about to head for a show in Belfast - Dubshed. The comments and feedback was great. Even got some pics in Golf+  :wink:

Cheers Hugh

Between Ceri and yourself I have been convinced to get it done.

I think that I will get the skirts and mirrors painted and the wee dents out hopefully over the winter, then money dependent around spring time get the correction done on time for the Scottish sunshine?

Also found a localish Vw specialist who does Bosch injection service for £35, so going to get that done later!

Cheers chris

£200 is certainly a good price - me and my Dad run a small service which is usually about £150-£200 + petrol and even with the two of us, it takes all day!

Companies like halfords can charge over £350 - and proper companies like superior shine go dangerously close to £1,000!!

X said

£200 is certainly a good price - me and my Dad run a small service which is usually about £150-£200 + petrol and even with the two of us, it takes all day!

Companies like halfords can charge over £350 - and proper companies like superior shine go dangerously close to £1,000!!

Thanks X

It might be as much as £300 but as long as the results are worth it, which by the sound of it, I will get it done next Spring.

I would use you and your dad, your price is great but the petrol money to Scotland would nearly be as much  :wink:

Cheers Chris

agree would be money well spent, look forward to the before and after pics :-)

Have you thought about getting a kit and doing it yourself?  I bought a DA polisher, pads, compounds, clays etc etc for about that price.  
Takes a lot of practice but is hard to get it completely wrong and end up damaging the paintwork!  I polish my mk4 GTi and girlfriends clio and the results look great.  The water just sheets off and the paint looks wet and glossy when dry.  Also the satisfaction you get when you finish and it looks stunning, can't be beat 8)

DUBnutter said

Have you thought about getting a kit and doing it yourself?  I bought a DA polisher, pads, compounds, clays etc etc for about that price.  
Takes a lot of practice but is hard to get it completely wrong and end up damaging the paintwork!  I polish my mk4 GTi and girlfriends clio and the results look great.  The water just sheets off and the paint looks wet and glossy when dry.  Also the satisfaction you get when you finish and it looks stunning, can't be beat 8)

I clay bar and hand polish and wax and have every product to do every part of all my cars and I will happily spend all day at the weekend cleaning and pampering them but machine polishing I am not so sure about ??

Machine polishing is a skill (in my opinion) too heavy on one side of the machine or over a crease and there goes all your paint! Oops... Bare metal... Oops.

I've been thinking about the exact same, even considered doing it myself. But I to am nervous about using a polisher.

Who was you thinking of using?

The best thing to do is have a read up of some of the techniques on detailing world.  The first time you use a machine polisher is quite daunting but is really not bad at all.  As long as you dont put too much pressure in one place for too long, you wont damage the paintwork unless it is already damaged or has no laquer.

On my mk4 the paint is really hard, so takes a medium to hard cut compound to get rid of the swirls, and usually a full day for a complete detail.  It is a good feeling when you can end up with the same results as a professional detailer at a fraction of the price!  Plus with your own kit you can do mates/girlfriends/wifes/mistress cars as well

Shughy said

Machine polishing is a skill (in my opinion) too heavy on one side of the machine or over a crease and there goes all your paint! Oops… Bare metal… Oops.

That would only be really possible if you were using sandpaper instead of polishing compound

To get a strike-through (where you cut through the laquer and into the paint), you are using too heavy a compound or the laquer/paint is very thin.

I had this on one of my wingmirrors.  It had no laquer at all and I was trying to get it shiny-ended up with a silver pad!  Even though this was quite bad, it would of taken ages to cut down to the plastic, and it still looked fine!

DUBnutter said

The best thing to do is have a read up of some of the techniques on detailing world.  The first time you use a machine polisher is quite daunting but is really not bad at all.  As long as you dont put too much pressure in one place for too long, you wont damage the paintwork unless it is already damaged or has no laquer.

On my mk4 the paint is really hard, so takes a medium to hard cut compound to get rid of the swirls, and usually a full day for a complete detail.  It is a good feeling when you can end up with the same results as a professional detailer at a fraction of the price!  Plus with your own kit you can do mates/girlfriends/wifes/mistress cars as well

Thanks for that I had a brief look before on detailing world and over the winter when the car is hibernating, I will read up more and consider getting all the gear as I look after my BMW daily properly as well and clay etc  that as well, so it may be the way to go  :dontknow:

As you said after the original outlay you have the gear forever  :mrgreen:

Cheers Chris

Being honest - I have never attempted it with a machine polisher myself - but I have seen some of the horror stuff people have done in their back yard. And as you rightly pointout using a polishing compound is prob a lot more difficult to cut through the lacquer and paint.

I left mine to a professional who knew his stuff.