What is filling in "paint correction"...

TransAxle

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As of recently there has been so much bad advice thrown around and products that are not considered anything more than OTC Autozone/Advance/Napa/O'Rileys grade products. I know many people have said that products "fill" and I am starting to think that either that information falls on blind eyes or people do not understand what we are referring too. I actually keep a set of pictures of a good before and after of exactly what crappy products with lots of fillers in them do.

Here is a customers black car that was nice and swirled up was before...

UltrafinaTestSpotBefore-1.jpg


Now using 3M 3000 Step #3 Ultrafina with the LC Black Pad and a Griots DA at Speed 4...basically there should be ZERO cut with this process. After working the area for 2-3 passes...here are the afters.

UltrafinaTestSpotAfter2-1.jpg


Very noticeable difference. Nothing was corrected just filled in. If I was too follow this up with an Alcohol, Mineral Spirits or Eraser Oil Cleaner wipe down...it would look like this...

UltrafinaTestSpotBefore-1.jpg


Basically nothing happened. Most "professionals" and I use that term loosely will do things like this then seal and wax the paint with more filling style Sealants and Waxes to help lock in the polish fillers to keep the car looking fake good for a little while. Over the course of a few washes the scratches are back.

Now in some cases this is a common technique from hack detailers with uninformed customers and will keep the customers coming back to waste more money with the detailer. Be it either the detailer has no idea what they are doing or they are intentionally doing it and convincing the customer otherwise.

So for those who wonder what we mean by "filling" this is it. For those who plan to go to professionals too have their vehicles done, its great to ask question. Get an idea of what products, pads and techniques the detailer uses and double check on the internet. Base prices against others. If someone can do a "full correction" in 3-5 hours...run...run far away. If you get quoted at $50-150 for a "full correction" .... run...run far away. Using the correction products, techniques, pads and buffers by someone who knows exactly what they are doing...will run you a lot more.

I get people blown away by my prices all the time. Someone will want FULL correction and their vehicle sealed and waxed. They are shocked when I tell them between $500-1000 in a blind quote. I will sometimes get responses as above that such and such will do it for $100. There is a reason i offer what I do and they offer what they do. My price justifies upwards of 15-30 hours of work...versus the ladder doing it in 3-5 hours, such as dealership detailers.
 
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Seer

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Agreed, 100%. Had a guy the other day, come to me and ask a quote, I gave him a 4 digit quote, and he balked, said so and so would do it for $150.

I told him, goto that guy as I don't detail for a living, I do it on the side for extra money and fun. I also told him, that if he gets his car detailed by the other detailer, bring it to me immediately. I said, I will do an alcohol rub down on a few random spots on the car, and if the swirls do not magically appear, I'll pay for his detail that he got from the other guy.

Wouldn't you know it, he took me up on it, came back to my location, I did a few spots, and damn there were the swirls.

He immediately booked a session with me.
 

T0RCH3D

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Great info, will definitely help members on here paying good money for details and to check the results as well as being aware of such products etc.
 

DevilDog81

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What about deep scratches? My 01 Paint is in great shape but it has 3 deep scratches, I tried Dr color chip but the chips are too obvious. Can a detailer fix them or does it have to go to a body shop? Thanks

And who is the best detailer in MD/Northern VA
 

luke1333

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I agree 100% man. I've worked in dealerships and see it all the time. Doing something to make it look good and get it off the lot and don't care what happens after that.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
 

Beerdog80

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What about deep scratches? My 01 Paint is in great shape but it has 3 deep scratches, I tried Dr color chip but the chips are too obvious. Can a detailer fix them or does it have to go to a body shop? Thanks

And who is the best detailer in MD/Northern VA

Depends on how deep it is. Generally speaking, if you can run your finger nail across it and it catches, it can't be fixed via paint correction. Post a picture (NOT from a cell phone) though and let some experts here judge.
 

erod

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good post i also agree that a good detailing name gets foiled alot by fly by day "cover up guys" i work at a ford dealer running the detail dept. and its hard esp in that setting to really get people to get the difference bc they want it fast cheap and now, they dont understadn that the correct way is the opposite. plus many "bulk" chem suppliers to dealers products are loaded with oils,fillers, misc.
 

SCMOKN

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I was at my local Ford dealer the yesterday for some warranty work. While waiting I was looking at the cars on the lot. One in particular got my attention as I would love to have it and drive by it everyday. It was a 2012 Grabber Blue GT500. The paint on it looked horrible! They would have to knock a grand off the price just so the paint could be corrected.

After I left I was reading the paperwork and they include a complimentary wash. Fortunately they had to order parts and did not do the wash. I have to remind myself when it goes back to tell them not to touch it.
 

myblackgt

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Agreed, 100%. Had a guy the other day, come to me and ask a quote, I gave him a 4 digit quote, and he balked, said so and so would do it for $150.

I told him, goto that guy as I don't detail for a living, I do it on the side for extra money and fun. I also told him, that if he gets his car detailed by the other detailer, bring it to me immediately. I said, I will do an alcohol rub down on a few random spots on the car, and if the swirls do not magically appear, I'll pay for his detail that he got from the other guy.

Wouldn't you know it, he took me up on it, came back to my location, I did a few spots, and damn there were the swirls.

He immediately booked a session with me.
thats a great idea! may have to steal that from you.
 

Beerdog80

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And despite the shitty Iphone pictures...no, they are WAY beyond paint correction. Time to take it to a reputable painter.
 
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TransAxle

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To add too what Beer probably does not know....your pictures are a perfect example for information. As Beer said, general rule of thumb is that if you can catch your finger nail on a scratch that odds are its past paint correction. Now some detailers are skilled enough to do a clear blend repair if the scratch has not fully penetrated the color coat into the base coat. Now for your car, since its black, the base coat *what is under the clear and color coat* is white. When you have a scratch on a black vehicle and its white, then you have penetrated both the clear and color coat and getting into color repairs are required.
 

Beerdog80

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To add too what Beer probably does not know....your pictures are a perfect example for information. As Beer said, general rule of thumb is that if you can catch your finger nail on a scratch that odds are its past paint correction. Now some detailers are skilled enough to do a clear blend repair if the scratch has not fully penetrated the color coat into the base coat. Now for your car, since its black, the base coat *what is under the clear and color coat* is white. When you have a scratch on a black vehicle and its white, then you have penetrated both the clear and color coat and getting into color repairs are required.

:nonono::nonono:
 

gamatt

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For those chips in the paint I'd do the standard paint chip repair and call it a day. Build it up to the level of the surface, little by little with a 00 hobby shop brush, wet sand with 2000 grit, compound, polish, LSP done. For the little rusty spot I've got a little 3M fiberglass pencil thing that I got at a body shop supply place, it sands away the rust and then you could dab a little primer in there before building up the color coat.
 
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AdamR@Gotham

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I hate when people come in for touch up work like that. I tell them it will always be noticeable no matter how much wet sanding and buffing I do. I had a customer beg me to try and fix his GTR after someone keyed the driver side from the door to the rear tire. I spent a day messing with it,m He ended up getting it painted.
 

Chewy

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Excellent article Mike! 3M is notorious for filling. Especially when you don't follow their 3 step system exactly how they advise.

This documents the diffence between detailing and paint correction. What you see is what you get. No filling. Way too many products out there are garbage.
 

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