Vehicle polishing or as it’s known in the industry, paint correction is an art form that very few
truly master and requires a deep understanding of the chemistry of abrasive polishes, buffing pad technology,
all the different polishing machine types that are available including random orbital, forced rotation,
axial drum and rotary polishers plus the biggest factor of all that gives the most variables for a detailer to deal with – the paint itself.
The main reason that paint correction polishing is not something that can be done in a few hours or even one day in the case of two and three stage services is that the preparation work required to get paint ready for
polishing can take a few hours or more in some cases plus the sheer amount of paint surface area on a vehicle that is to be polished plus the time it takes to work out which polishes and pads are going to work the best
on that car.
Preparation
Getting the paint ready for polishing requires a number of products and two to several processes.
An iron fallout removal chemical step, tar and sap removers when needed, removal of any insect/bugs,
a claying process to remove bonded contaminants from the vehicle so it is totally smooth and a purification
process to leave the paint totally pure.
This makes polishes and pads perform more effectively, efficiently, better results and allows the abrasive
in the polish to do it’s job much better.
What we are doing when we are machine polishing is abrasively removing a few microns of paint.
The entire thickness of the paint on the car is often only as thick as a post it note or 80 gsm printer paper.
Also as the machine, pad and liquid is working the surface, we are trying keep the heat down to prevent the paint from swelling (thermal expansion) and absorbing the solvents, oils and other liquids in the polish formula which is basically the same effect that botox gives on women's lips, it swells the paint up which makes it look amazing but days or a week later the swirls return.
Polishing is a frictional process not solely a chemical process.
There are chemicals in the polishes to carry the abrasives and create a lubricating film on the surface
to prevent overheating of the paint and give the polish formula it’s working time.
However it is the abrasives being suspended in the liquids as part of the formula and the pads that are creating friction, warming the paint substrate which then softens the paint somewhat without damaging it to thereby remove an ultra thin layer of paint which the swirl marks, scratches, scuffs and fine wash marring are embedded into to then reveal a flawless fresh layer of paint from underneath the damaged layer.
To remove defects a detailer must remove the layer of paint that the defects are etched or embedded into.
Once this is done, the swirl marks that were present on the paint are now permanently removed, they
will not return again. Some people ask detailers the question of when will the swirl marks come back.
The answer is – never. However new swirl marks can be created by washing the vehicle incorrectly,
using a car wash shampoo that lacks the lubrication and suspension characteristics necessary to prevent
dist and grime from inflicting marring in the paint (ultra fine scratches that eventually build up to become swirls, poor washing technique, using sponges to wash the car (abrasive and hangs on to dirt in it’s foam material)
or using the same wash mitt to clean the whole car without rinsing it once or replacing it but also by washing
the car in a circular motion.
Why polishing isn’t cheap and can’t be done quickly
This is due to the fact that paint correction polishing is the most intense process and involves so much
more than just applying a non abrasive polish, wax or glaze onto a car.
It requires a huge amount of the swirl marks in the paint to be removed to therefore enhance the appearance of the paintwork with a super high gloss, wet looking paint, clarity, depth and reflections to finish the job.
Also vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, there is a lot of surface area to remove the defects from each car’s paint is different, some are easy to remove the defects from as the paint is soft, some are a little bit
harder to do and a select number have really hard paint and can take much longer to fully remove the defects from the paint and finish.
Anywhere between six and eight hours for a one step paint correction, fifteen to twenty four hours
for a two step and between fourty and one hundred hours for a show car paint perfection service..
The detailer is applying a pad to the polisher, a certain amount of compound or polish to the pad, he or she
may be spritzing the pad with a liquid for extra lubrication or to ensure the pad is primed, then polishes the vehicle using a certain technique and may need to use three or more combinations of pad and product
before working out what is going to deliver the paint correction results required.
Pads also need to be changed after every panel or every half panel with large vehicle hoods and trunks.
And there is a wipedown and LED light inspection that needs to be done after every section of a panel is
polished to see what the results are and do it again if needs be before moving to the next section
Once that is performed, the detailer will continue to do the rest of the panel and the car once the combination of liquid and pad for the best results is found.
With between twelve and sixteen panels on any vehicle, this equals a very
large amount of paint to be polished.
The several hours it takes to complete a single stage paint correction means
that the price for this service is never going to cost less than $300 dollars and
in some countries it may be double that price even. This is why car detailers
and the art of detailing is well above that of car washing and paint correction
cannot be at the prices of car washes of $150 or less.
truly master and requires a deep understanding of the chemistry of abrasive polishes, buffing pad technology,
all the different polishing machine types that are available including random orbital, forced rotation,
axial drum and rotary polishers plus the biggest factor of all that gives the most variables for a detailer to deal with – the paint itself.
The main reason that paint correction polishing is not something that can be done in a few hours or even one day in the case of two and three stage services is that the preparation work required to get paint ready for
polishing can take a few hours or more in some cases plus the sheer amount of paint surface area on a vehicle that is to be polished plus the time it takes to work out which polishes and pads are going to work the best
on that car.
Preparation
Getting the paint ready for polishing requires a number of products and two to several processes.
An iron fallout removal chemical step, tar and sap removers when needed, removal of any insect/bugs,
a claying process to remove bonded contaminants from the vehicle so it is totally smooth and a purification
process to leave the paint totally pure.
This makes polishes and pads perform more effectively, efficiently, better results and allows the abrasive
in the polish to do it’s job much better.
What we are doing when we are machine polishing is abrasively removing a few microns of paint.
The entire thickness of the paint on the car is often only as thick as a post it note or 80 gsm printer paper.
Also as the machine, pad and liquid is working the surface, we are trying keep the heat down to prevent the paint from swelling (thermal expansion) and absorbing the solvents, oils and other liquids in the polish formula which is basically the same effect that botox gives on women's lips, it swells the paint up which makes it look amazing but days or a week later the swirls return.
Polishing is a frictional process not solely a chemical process.
There are chemicals in the polishes to carry the abrasives and create a lubricating film on the surface
to prevent overheating of the paint and give the polish formula it’s working time.
However it is the abrasives being suspended in the liquids as part of the formula and the pads that are creating friction, warming the paint substrate which then softens the paint somewhat without damaging it to thereby remove an ultra thin layer of paint which the swirl marks, scratches, scuffs and fine wash marring are embedded into to then reveal a flawless fresh layer of paint from underneath the damaged layer.
To remove defects a detailer must remove the layer of paint that the defects are etched or embedded into.
Once this is done, the swirl marks that were present on the paint are now permanently removed, they
will not return again. Some people ask detailers the question of when will the swirl marks come back.
The answer is – never. However new swirl marks can be created by washing the vehicle incorrectly,
using a car wash shampoo that lacks the lubrication and suspension characteristics necessary to prevent
dist and grime from inflicting marring in the paint (ultra fine scratches that eventually build up to become swirls, poor washing technique, using sponges to wash the car (abrasive and hangs on to dirt in it’s foam material)
or using the same wash mitt to clean the whole car without rinsing it once or replacing it but also by washing
the car in a circular motion.
Why polishing isn’t cheap and can’t be done quickly
This is due to the fact that paint correction polishing is the most intense process and involves so much
more than just applying a non abrasive polish, wax or glaze onto a car.
It requires a huge amount of the swirl marks in the paint to be removed to therefore enhance the appearance of the paintwork with a super high gloss, wet looking paint, clarity, depth and reflections to finish the job.
Also vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, there is a lot of surface area to remove the defects from each car’s paint is different, some are easy to remove the defects from as the paint is soft, some are a little bit
harder to do and a select number have really hard paint and can take much longer to fully remove the defects from the paint and finish.
Anywhere between six and eight hours for a one step paint correction, fifteen to twenty four hours
for a two step and between fourty and one hundred hours for a show car paint perfection service..
The detailer is applying a pad to the polisher, a certain amount of compound or polish to the pad, he or she
may be spritzing the pad with a liquid for extra lubrication or to ensure the pad is primed, then polishes the vehicle using a certain technique and may need to use three or more combinations of pad and product
before working out what is going to deliver the paint correction results required.
Pads also need to be changed after every panel or every half panel with large vehicle hoods and trunks.
And there is a wipedown and LED light inspection that needs to be done after every section of a panel is
polished to see what the results are and do it again if needs be before moving to the next section
Once that is performed, the detailer will continue to do the rest of the panel and the car once the combination of liquid and pad for the best results is found.
With between twelve and sixteen panels on any vehicle, this equals a very
large amount of paint to be polished.
The several hours it takes to complete a single stage paint correction means
that the price for this service is never going to cost less than $300 dollars and
in some countries it may be double that price even. This is why car detailers
and the art of detailing is well above that of car washing and paint correction
cannot be at the prices of car washes of $150 or less.
RSS Feed