2004 STi (Wheen water sanding is needed for deep scratches)

[3.0 Rider]

This is a 2004 STi. Initially the client contact me to correct orange peel since the car was repainted. As you can see, it's not too bad, some parts could be corrected but overall the car was looking good. I've seen worst orange peeling from original factory paint.

Flex
SIP
PO106
Green pad
3M 1500 grit
3M 2000 grit
and lots of patience



Some weird scratches on the rear quarter pannel. Client think it's caused by some rotary machine.. it's quite possible.





Looking from a different angle.







Deep cratch on the hood, just below the scoop.






paint oxydation on mirrors




And bigger pics after the job done.


















Thanks again for watching

[SpecC]

wow that is one hell of a restoration! i'm working on one too but i can't get the grime off the wheels so i kinda gave up lol

you did one hell of a job though

[A4_cabrio]

Talking about wet sanding - I took my black Z4 to the detailer and it had some pretty bad scratches in the clear coat
When I picked up the car - it looked wonderful - nice and shiny - later in the day I could start seeing the scratches in the clear coat from the wet sanding. It was almost like the compound he used melted away or something
I am still pissed since I had paid him a lot of money for that job.
I took the car back to him and he admitted he needed to do it again.
He said this time he would use 3000 grit paper but to be honest, I am afraid he would only make it worse.

any advice? Black cars are so hard to keep shiny

[ChronicTeutonic]

Sounds like they used a glaze instead of a polish. Glazes have a filler where as polishing removes paint to remove scratches.

[3.0 Rider]

A4 Cabrio: like ChronicTeutonic said, sounds like he used a glaze to hide imperfections. THe other possibility is that the detailer did not leveled the imperfections properly. He needs to have good lighting to achieve this. I usually carry a flash light and look at it from different angles.

good luck on finding a solution to the problem. If he wants to keep his business with you he will look to fix the problem for you ;)

[A4_cabrio]

I figured there was something fishy. I'll go back and ask him to fix it proper.

[3.0 Rider]

^^^ let us know how it turned out!

[audinoobs4]

Talking about wet sanding - I took my black Z4 to the detailer and it had some pretty bad scratches in the clear coat
When I picked up the car - it looked wonderful - nice and shiny - later in the day I could start seeing the scratches in the clear coat from the wet sanding. It was almost like the compound he used melted away or something
I am still pissed since I had paid him a lot of money for that job.
I took the car back to him and he admitted he needed to do it again.
He said this time he would use 3000 grit paper but to be honest, I am afraid he would only make it worse.

any advice? Black cars are so hard to keep shiny

I believe turtle wax makes a black wax compound which ive used on my 240sx before. Looks real good as long as your scratches are not that bad. but yeah i would make him do it again if he admits its not good.