Clear coat question

Agreed - its really really hard to burn paint with a DA but it is doable with a firm pad, aggressive product & as mentioned staying in one spot for too long.

Just to add to the DA vs. Orbital ....... I agree a DA should never introduce issues into the paint by itself (the machine that is), but depending on the condition of your pad(s) and the method you're using the DA, it could possibly introduce issues like "Pig tails" but again just to be very clear, that's not the machine doing and rather its the pad/method you've used.

Also, swirls unfortunately can happen as well from wash methods and in particular when using the "one bucket" wash method. When using one bucket of soap and one wash mit to do the entire truck, you will more or less just move dirt around on your paint which can result in minor scratches and swirls if you wipe your mit in a circular motion. We could go on for pages and pages on the "proper wash method" but below is a good rule of thumb to follow if you want to prevent damage when hand washing your truck.

1.) Use two buckets to wash (one with fresh water & one with soap)

- Always dip your wash mit after each panel back into your fresh bucket of water. Ring it out to remove dirt and debris BEFORE you dip the wash mit back in your soap bucket.

2.) Before you start - take a second to inspect your wash mit and make sure its free of debris and is clean.

3.) Start washing your truck from top - down.

-Most of the nasty grit and dirt collect on the lower panels of the truck so to prevent moving that dirt upwards onto your doors and bed, start at the top and work your way down. Personally I will wash the top half of the doors and bed first, then I'll rinse my wash mit in fresh water and then do the bottom half of the doors and bed.

4.) Keep a good product on your paint (aka LSP - Last Step Protection) at all times. This will help to keep the surface not only protected but give it a good slick property which can help to prevent dirt/grime from collecting on the paint.

- I personally use sealants over traditional wax when it comes to client's looking to protect their paint for months of protection. Wax burns off in the heat in just a matter of days especially here in Texas so for folks and their daily driver's we'll use Sealant. You can pick up sealants now at your local parts stores but I'd recommend doing some research and buying one from a vendor online; they typically last longer than the over the counter stuff.

I love detailing!!!! Can you tell?!

 

Nope. Can't tell at all! Hahaha

 

I disagree. Swirls can come from washing a vehicle. I never put swirls in a vehicle from polishing. I have put them in previously from poor washing habits.

 

Looks like PO might have had a clear bra or 3M protective film there, then removed it.

 

I agree with this.

Part of repairing the paint is heating it up a little. When your working polish by hand you simply won't get the heat needed to repair some damage ESPECIALLY if you wet sand at all. Swirls galore on a black truck.

Your arm will also fall if you attempt the whole truck by hand. It's a fuck load of work doing it by machine too but doing it by hand is 100x worse.


I would get a DA and go very slow and use a swirl remover and see how it looks. You might not even need to use a cut polish. DA's are pretty idiot proof compared to a rotary polisher. I've never actually burnt through a panel with just the rotary polisher at work. Every time I did it was always after wet sanding something or scraping off a run.