2018 Ford Mustang GT - A Miracle Detailing - CQuartz Professional

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My94GT

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Merlinii said:
I usually have 2-4 hours minimum on wheels, engine bay, pre-wash foam, decontamination and 2 bucket wash preparing for the polishing part.
I can have 20-30 hours on compounding to remove imperfections (swirl marks etc.) and and polishing to enhance the gloss and clarity.
It's a lot more work than most folks think when they say "I want to get my car detailed".

Lighting is the key. There is a big difference between lighting up a shop (general bright lighting) and lighting designed to find and highlight swirl marks. Even then the noon sun makes a great light.

I can seen things with my lights that can make a career out of paint correction. There's a big difference between shop lighting and swirls finder lighting. A good place to start is a Scangrip.
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I’m currently looking to build an additional garage for home based work mostly detail related and minor personal car repairs. I’ll be sure to ask opinions on lighting when it hits that stage as I always am curious what you guys utilize.

Like you said even the lighting in the body shop isn’t great for detail work. Now the paint booth, that’s a different story.
 
Merlinii

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musclecarresort said:
I gotta ask/know....what does a correction like this cost the client?
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It depends on the condition of the paint.
I always need to see each vehicle before I quote.
Currently, my hourly rate for paint correction is $65.
I like this quote. "I don't do $100 details. I fix $100 details."
 
Merlinii

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My94GT said:
Like you said even the lighting in the body shop isn’t great for detail work.

Now the paint booth, that’s a different story.
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I like the ScanGrip MultiMatch with their tripod stand.
There is a big difference between floodlight and spotlight.

True, but you would not want compound dust in the booth.
 
Weather Man

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musclecarresort said:
I gotta ask/know....what does a correction like this cost the client?
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My correction and coating on a new car with a 1,000 miles was $600 without the detailer seeing the car + whatever to touch up paint chips + $200 for coating glass and wheels.

I bet to fix a car as bad this one was cost in the $2,500 -$3,000 range. That was a LOT of hours to fix that paint. I would imagine the OP picked the worst spot to do his test and see if it could be brought back.
 
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Excellent job!!

How in the holy hell did the owner mess the paint up that bad in that short of time?
 
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Zemedici said:
Previous owner put 40,000 miles on it
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My jet-black Volvo had 130k on the clock when I decided to try paint correction and it didn't even look that bad.

I can understand some level of swirls and scratches due to use, but it looks like Michael J Fox covered himself in brillo pads and tried sumo-wrestling the poor thing. Just more props to OP for the awesome results.
 
Merlinii

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CV355 said:
Excellent job!!

How in the holy hell did the owner mess the paint up that bad in that short of time?
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Actually, the owner purchased the 1-year-old car with 30k on the ODO.

I have no idea how the previous owner messed it up that bad in 1 year.
My guess is he took a black car and ran it through a gas station car wash every day!
 
Merlinii

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CV355 said:
My jet-black Volvo had 130k on the clock when I decided to try paint correction and it didn't even look that bad.

I can understand some level of swirls and scratches due to use, but it looks like Michael J Fox covered himself in brillo pads and tried sumo-wrestling the poor thing. Just more props to OP for the awesome results.
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Thank you for your kind words.
Some folks just do not understand the higher maintenance on a black car.

Blueline said:
I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.
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Merlinii said:
Actually, the owner purchased the 1-year-old car with 30k on the ODO.

I have no idea how the previous owner messed it up that bad in 1 year.
My guess is he took a black car and ran it through a gas station car wash every day!
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Dirt-covered "Soft touch" car washes would do that for sure. Didn't think of that.

Sheesh. Yeah, black paint is definitely the hardest to maintain, but the awe factor when it is polished and sealed is beyond comparison.

Again, excellent job!!
 
CobraBob

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Thanks for answering my questions on the phone this morning. It was nice talking to you. Going back through your thread, I'm again so amazed at how well you brought that black paint back. It's "A Miracle". ;) But seriously, bringing back paint in that condition takes a lot of work. I'm sure you have a lot of very satisfied customers, sir. Well done!
 
Weather Man

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Guy on another forum bought and then traded a black mustang, it triggered his OCD :confused:
 
Merlinii

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CobraBob said:
Thanks for answering my questions on the phone this morning. It was nice talking to you.

Going back through your thread, I'm again so amazed at how well you brought that black paint back.
It's "A Miracle". ;) But seriously, bringing back paint in that condition takes a lot of work.

I'm sure you have a lot of very satisfied customers, sir. Well done!
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It was my pleasure. If you have any questions on products or process please feel free to contact me.

Most swirls marks are not too deep in the clear coat. Each car's paint needs to be measured.
defects2.png

Removal can be tricky. I use the least aggressive method. The clear coat is precious and irreplaceable.
Paint correction is the most labor intensive part of the job. I try to do the best I can on each vehicle.

I'd like to think so. They all seem to be happily surprised. I try to underpromise and overdeliver.
 

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