Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

[Auxo]

Just wondering whether anyone could recommend a detailer in Vancouver, BC? I've got a late '60s Chevelle that needs some professional detailing. I don't think I'm experienced enough yet to fix its swirls, but it'd be great to find someone who is!

[Nappers]

Re: Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

Practice gives you experience

I was in the same boat as you and thought I would never get my cars in shape, now I think I do pretty good, had my first job detailing an Excursion (big big car, what a pain) and this week, I'm detailing a Ford Explorer, can't wait.

A lot of people use practice parts such as a hood from an auto wrecker. It's not as hard as you may think. I got some swirls out by hand using the Deep Crystal Series/ScratchX combo. The deeper stuff may need the help of a PC.

That is if you can't find a detailer

Aaron

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Re: Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

A google search lead me here: http://www.softouchdetailing.com/

I don't know if they are any good or not but you should at least poke around their shop. Make certain they are familiar with the use of the rotary buffer as Zymol does not teach paint correction.

[Auxo]

Re: Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

Thanks! I hadn't thought of practicing on an old hood, but that's a good idea.

Yes, SofTouch was one of the detailers I was thinking of going to see. Thanks for the heads up about Zymol. Because I've been reading around this forum for the past while, though, I've been hoping to find someone who uses Maguiar's products!

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Re: Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

Although products can make a difference, the most important thing is skill and dedication. If you find that, you'll never go wrong.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

Just wondering whether anyone could recommend a detailer in Vancouver, BC? I've got a late '60s Chevelle that needs some professional detailing. I don't think I'm experienced enough yet to fix its swirls, but it'd be great to find someone who is!

Does your late 60's Chevelle have the original paint?

If so, do take the time to check out any potential detailers you're going to hire. If that car has the original paint then compared to modern clear coats that paint is going to be soft and if others have worked on it over the decades then it's likely thin, especially on the horizontal surfaces and any high points like body lines.

Choice of products and process will be very important as too aggressive of a product can burn right through an original single stage paint that's over 30 years old.

It's not that hard to learn how to use a DA Polisher and one of our cleaner/polishes like the M80 Speed Glaze, then you can just tackle one panel a day until you go around the entire car.

No one will ever give your car's paint the care you will give it, that means no one will ever be as careful to your car as you will be, so for the price of a great quality detail job, specifically the "Paint Polishing Step", you can get a polisher, the pads and the chemicals to do the job yourself.

If you want to let someone else do this work for you and the paint is original, then ask them what they're going to use and how they are going to apply it.

Off hand, using a wool cutting pad with a compound on original paint like this is a recipe for buffer swirls and burn-throughs.

Just ask them some questions... look around the shop, look by the garbage cans, look to see what they using.

Do you see worn out wool pads on every buffer? Or do you see foam buffing pads? Do you see any Meguiar's bottles in the shop? If not what do you see?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

Although products can make a difference, the most important thing is skill and dedication. If you find that, you'll never go wrong.

While that's generally true, when it comes to original paint, as in original single stage paints... from my experience it's pretty hard to beat Meguiar's polishes for correction and end-results.

Everyone can choose and use what they like and more power to them but in my detailing career I've always used Meguiar's' and I've never paid for a paint job and never had to do a job twice.

Skill and experience are vitally important as are the human elements of care and passion... dedication to the craft is also key...

This article kind of sums up what's important...

The Mindset of a Professional Detailer

[Auxo]

Re: Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

Thanks very much for the advice! The Chevelle was a frame-off restoration project, so it has been newly painted. I'm definitely willing to learn how to use a DA Polisher. Of course I'd ideally like to watch someone with one first or get some hands-on instruction. I'm just worried that even with the best intentions I'll end up doing more harm than good!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Looking for a detailer in Vancouver, British Columbia

Thanks very much for the advice! The Chevelle was a frame-off restoration project, so it has been newly painted.

New paint is great as paint technology is a lot further along than it was in the 60's 70's and 80's

It's almost a sure thing you have a basecoat/clearcoat paint system and instead of worrying about thin paint now you get to be aware of how easy it is to scratch a clear coat finish, how easy the scratches show up to your eyes and how difficult it is in most cases, (as compared to working on softer single stage paints), to remove them.

Thus it is vitally important that you learn how not to instill scratches in the first place and don't let anyone else work on your car's paint unless they can demonstrate to you by word and deed they know what they're doing. Having knowledge of a forum like ours and even being a regular poster would be a first good sign they know 'something' about the right way to work on clear coat paints.

I'm definitely willing to learn how to use a DA Polisher. Of course I'd ideally like to watch someone with one first or get some hands-on instruction.

I'm just worried that even with the best intentions I'll end up doing more harm than good!

Hands-on training is the best way to learn but because the tool is very safe to start with it's just a matter of starting.