To help folks better understand what clear bra masks I made this article.http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...asking-effect/

 

The pickiest paint correction folks I have read from, say the car comes with flaws and scratches
in the paint, and the typical dealer prep and detail adds more, so they prefer the car be as untouched
as possible before it gets to the pro, so as to minimize the correction work needed. Once the paint has
been corrected and all impurities and contaminants removed, the wrap should be done right there and
then.

 

Very good article, and the video says it all.

 

We advise all our clients to bring the car in for protection as soon as they are able. The goal of these technologies is to 1) Provide real and lasting protection for your car and 2) Give you incredible piece of mind. Ideally it is best to protect a virgin and undamaged surface, rock chips and road debris damage is a matter of if not when unfortunately.

 

To underline that I had a couple of minor chips on the air intakes within the first 100 miles. Even if you drive carefully with respect to other traffic these sticky tires kick up a lot of stones of their own.

 

TimAD can chime in on this more, now that he's done both my white GT4 and another member's white GT4 (and various GT3s too).

Most of my experience comes from pre-ceramic Mercedes, BMWs, and Lotus. All have either soft to medium paint, such that a finishing polish from Menzerna will provide some level of correction. Maybe you break out IP2000 (aggressive polish that falls short of a compound) on this paint, but for decently well cared for paint, a compound is not necessary unless you are chasing 100% correction.

Take it with a grain of salt given that I only use a Porter Cable and not a more powerful machine, but the Menzerna finishing polish did very little on my GT4. It wasn't until I went to medium polishes that I started to see minor swirls come out, and even then, it was hard to keep the pad spinning. I still finished with P085RD and light pressure for highest gloss. Now that I know what I'm up against, I could do a better job next time around.

Even though I can get pretty good results doing correction on my own, this is really where you see the difference between pros and hobbyists.

 

To quote ***** Wonka, "Strike that, reverse it."

 

Thanks for the replies guys! I guess Im gonna need at least a day or two before its parked in my garage? How long does a complete detail and paint protection job take? Is it something I can watch and wait for? Im also gonna have to decide if I drive it there myself or have it trucked.....

Vantage....didnt you purchase your car at dtla? Did you have it delivered to Tim in Carlsbad? Thats not close!

Thanks again guys. Ive never done ppf on any of my cars so your replies are very helpful.

 

That's really interesting. I had good results on my GT4 spoiler using Menzerna FF, but I was using a Meguiar's microfiber pad, which for me yields much better cutting than the same polish with a foam pad. Maybe that was the difference?

Also, I find with that setup good correction is possible, but it takes much more time than a more aggressive combo would. I didn't mind that though as I felt is was a safer approach on a new car that only needed spot correction. The nice thing about Menzerna though is that it has a decent work time, so you don't need to keep adding more polish.

 

It takes at least a day, more if you are doing a coating too. Plan on leaving the car overnight.

Yes, Tim is not close to me at all. But I have family down there, so it was somewhat convenient for me to drop it off and return the next day to pick it up over the Xmas holidays. Some of his clients do have it trucked to him, but that's out of my league.

That's probably it for sure. I only went as aggressive as a 4" polishing pad. P085RD is the least aggressive polish they make, but there is another finishing polish with the same abrasives, but twice the amount. So same finishing, but slightly more cut. Can't remember the name (Menzerna seems to change the names every year).

 

I'm with you... hard to keep on top of what they offer, and some of their products overlap in function. Confusing!

 

Had mine done by the dealership, who used a third party.

 

I had my GT4 transported from the dealership to the detailer. It was weird paying for the car and doing all the paperwork and not having the car to take home. I just drove it around the block to say I drove and and handed the keys back to the salesman and went home. I paid for my car at a time the detailer wasn't open so the dealership drove my car up to the detailer (about 20 minutes away) and I live an hour and a half from the dealership.

 

You did a great job given the tools and polishes you had on hand. I think given the hardness of the paint you definitely could have benefited from a slightly more aggressive compound/pad choice to back off on the pressure a bit and yield slightly better finishing down results as well.

We use the Rupes 21 Bigfoot polisher exclusively, which enables us quite a bit more cutting power and control. But really it comes down to what the paint surface is telling you, I own just about every pad/polish/compound that is on the market and use every one fairly often. Each car is different and it really comes down to the skilled eye of the technician to determine the best steps for the paint finish. Theres no one size fits all combination that is magic on all paint, some paint is hard some is soft, some acts like both.

I know you were surprised at the paint hardness of the Porsche. Next time you are considering polishing the GT4 LMK and I can put together a nice combination for you to use.

Alot of this depends on the color of the car, metallic paint tends to be a bit easier to correct than non metallic. Blacks are softer than whites etc. etc. But the Microfiber Cutting disc is about the most aggressive pad you can use on a Dual Action polisher. This can be modulated based on what polish you use in conjunction. Great work!

Its a weird feeling handing the keys over to a stranger without ever driving or taking real ownership of the vehicle you've been waiting months for. This is oftentimes my clients hardest decision and can feel the angst to say goodbye after just taking delivery. But, this is for a good cause that will pay dividends EVERY time you drive your car. No different that taking your car into its break in service to check torque specs and change fluids, the PPF and Nano Coating process should be looked as a crucial part of the early ownership process. Because without it, its not a matter of IF but when normal driving damage will occur.

 

The shop doing my car asked that I leave it for at least 2 days in order for them to allow the wrap to adhere and settle on the surfaces so that they can check it and make adjustments as needed. This shop typically wraps at dealerships but after a discussion with the shop owner I decided to trailer my car to the shop as he can do a better paint inspection there and has all his resources available if he finds anything that needs correction.