InTheAir

I have an order in on a new Ruby Red 997 C4S. I will be picking up the car about 200 miles from home and intend to have a full clear bra installed (full hood, full fenders, full bumper, plus little pieces here and there) prior to my pickup.

I really don't want to get stone chips on the way home from the dealer (and I will at that time of year in these neck of the woods if driving "naked"), but I also don't want a clear bra installed over any noticeable swirls caused by the dealer.

So, if the dealer does cause swirls, will they be noticeable under the Ventureshield clear bra?

Should I have the car professionally prepped prior to clear bra install? (which means I will not see the car nor be able to check the work prior to bra install.)

Any advice?

Similar car:

Marine Blue

Jeff,

I know this is probably a silly thought but if it were me I would request photos in the correct lighting conditions to show if any swirls or scratches exist before they put the clear bra on. The other option is to purchase the temporary bra as sold by Griots and others which you can remove after the 200 mile trip and then have the paint properly prepped before having the bra installed.

Good luck either way and nice color!

Anthony Orosco

This all depends on the condition of the paint but with that said it has to be pretty bad scratches to be seen through the paint film. It's always a good idea to have the paint polished before doing an install but an orbital polisher should work just fine, no need for a rotary.

I do a great number of Porsche's and I would say that at least 85% of them (new arrivals) can be corrected with an orbital.

Congrats on the beautiful new Porsche,

Anthony

InTheAir

Anthony/Afshin -

Thanks for the input. It was very helpful.

InTheAir

Can anyone provide a recommendation/referral for a GOOD clear bra installer in the Cleveland area? Preferably they would be using Ventureshield film.

Thanks for any help.

Premier

minor swirls, the film would hide...holographic swirls, then it will show right through the film.

detailjohn

You will however need a rotary buffer to properly remove the swirls. A orbital tends to fill in the swirl with silicone which will have to be cleaned off prior to installing the film anyways.

Blackness

How does an orbital fill in swirls with silicone if you use a polish that doesn't contain silicone?

Premier

It seems you are getting the two confused - an orbital is a machine while silicone / silica is used in certain chemical products. As blake already said, an orbital has nothing to do with silicone....it only provides a certain type of buffing capability vs. a rotary and / or high-speed buffers.

cab&coupe

Hey Jeff, congrats on the new ride... beautiful

InTheAir

Thanks, Craig.

Anthony Orosco

Just a side note here......buffer "swirls" are far different from "halo-scratches". Buffer swirls do NOT need a rotary to remove them as it depends on how severe they are. While most "halo scratches" need a rotary to level the paint down.

Halo scratches are caused from washing, drying and just general marring collected over a period of time. They appear as circular scratches but in reality they are just a bunch of numerous random scratches that take on a circular appearance as their raised edges reflect light back. These can be troublesome to remove as they tend to vary in depth and width.

Swirl marks though caused by buffers are usually less of a headache. Buffer swirls take on a 3d appearance and look like a ribbon flowing through your paint. These are micro scratches caused from the detailer not fully completing his or her finishing work. In other words they stopped buffing while using too high of a polish grit and/or aggressive pad.

Anthony

gmblack3

Here is a very good example of buffer trails or holograms:

Anthony Orosco

Yeah that's a good example of trails left in the paint....kinda upsets the stomach looking at that shoddy work

As horrible as those look though if the detailer had just went to a finer pad and polish (depending on what type of polish used in the first place, usually it's the poor pad choice that makes these trails) he or she could of reduced those trails by 50 or 60%. Then perhaps used an orbital to finish the polish work off it's just possible that the paint would be swirl free.

Of course it's all subjective as the owner of this particular vehicle may not be bothered by those swirls

Nice example gmblack.

Anthony

detailjohn

True, but it will take a lot of work to properly remove those swirls with a random orbital. At my shop, we have a couple of Cyclo machines, and a Porter Cable, both of which just sit on the shelf. If you really want a top quality finish use the rotary buffer, take your time and go through the steps properly. Swirls are easy to take out if you know what you're doing. That's what my detail shop specializes in.


John