Well, this thread just convinced me to hire the detailer that I mentioned earlier...

$275, inside and out, claybar, 2-stage polish, 9mo sealer, conditioner/stainguard interior...wheel/tire dress, etc...

Maybe it's a bit pricy, maybe not. For $275, if she looks as good as she should have the day I bought her, then it will be worth it.

Hmm... be careful - that's awefully cheap... make sure they aren't using a glaze that fills the scratches in - after a few washes it will look like you put swirl marks back into your car but you just washe out the glaze. I also suspect the 9 month sealer is good if you never wash your car but once you start washing almost any sealer will start to come off. That's fine - just make sure you seal your car with a good wax - carnuba or synthetic (I think most would agree on a synthetic for a daily driver - carnuba for a constantly detailed vehicle).

Oh and just because someone works on really expensive cars doesn't mean the care about the longevity of their work - see the glaze info above...

Maybe...

But, this is the guy's site:

Auto Haven Mobile Detail, LLC

Check his photo gallery.


So...$275 is cheap?

Buffing does not cause swirl marks. Its the dirt and dust that gets cought in the buffer do to lack of attention of where you put the pads, that causes the swirl marks.

Same thing if you are wet sanding with a bucket of water. A piece of dirt or something gets int he water, on the sand paper, and your wet sanding. As you move the paper that dirt is stuck between and is being pushed around the paint.

Professionals never put their buffers on the ground. GOOD professionals I mean.
:icon14:

Yes, very wise grasshopper.

I looked at all of the photo's and none of them show his work. There are no sun shots or 50/50 pics like the one's above. Dark photos and photo's with out direct sun really show nothing. I'm not saying he isn't doing fantastic work, I'm just saying you should see for your self before you commit. $275 in and out is a very good deal if he knows what he is doing. Keep in mind that an exterior detail takes 6 - 8 hours to perform properly, plus another hour or more for the interior on a Z. So if he is going to do all this in a handful of hours I would be very concerned.

I have a hard time believing that someone would "intentionally" polish your car so it would have swirls after :icon08:. No, it's because they have no f@#$ing idea what they are doing. Most if not all high volume shops really don't perform a quality detail. The reason isn't always because of lack of knowledge, it's because you can't charge a reasonable price and spend all day properly detailing a car. It's not profitable, you would go broke. If it's a small operation with little to no overhead, it's doable. You have to charge serious amounts of money to run a big business like that. Just something to keep in mind. You should never let someone detail your car until you have seen their work first hand. It's a very good idea to use someone that someone you know has used and is very happy with.

That is not correct. Now I'm not saying that dirt doesn't cause swirling in paint from a pad that has dirt on it, because it will, but 99.99% of the time it's from incorrect pad and polish and or compound combination with poor technique that is the cause. If, for example, you are using diminishing abrasives and you don't brake them down properly you will never get a swirl free finish. There are so many variables involved in getting a perfect finish. That is why it takes patience, knowledge and experience to achieve a perfect finish. Most detailers will not spend the time and research needed to perfect the art of polishing. They do it for the wrong reasons, all they see is $$$.

Hmm, that's exactly, what I assume he and his partner, are doing. If they are attacking it with 2 people that'd cut down on the labor time, so that knocks it to 3-4 hours given your timeframe listed, and he said it takes a couple hours - so maybe 3 hours isn't that far off.

I imagine with the high-dollar vehicles that he's worked on, probably aren't daily drivers (mine is also not), and were in good condition when he started (which mine is), so if it looked horrible when it was done, I'm sure he and his partner would be out of work.

I'll see if I can find out more about the products he's using, to see if there's a scratch filler to it or something.

I sent them an email - wonder if I'll get a reply? :)

My apologies for asking this after we’ve already scheduled an appointment…


Could you give me some contact info for references of your work?

If it’s possible, can I see your work first-hand?

I know I’ve spoken a bit about the products you use (not Zaino, some Griot’s Garage), could you be specific about them?


This is the first detail for my 370z – this car is my “Porsche”, my “Lamborghini”, my “Corvette”…I want this to be the foundation for the life of the car. The paint is noted by many 370z owners as being soft and fairly fragile, and I don’t want to take any chances on it getting screwed up and having to have it repaired…again

Kannibul, asking for a reference is a wise move. You could also go over there and have a look at a vehicle that they have just finished detailing as well. I noticed that they used random orbit polishers in the pics. Thats reassuring, as this cuts down on the chances of swirling the paint and burning edges.

True, random orbit polisher cuts down the chance to swirl.
There's a new model Porter Cable out now.

They replied back...since you seem to know a LOT more about it, I'll PM the info they sent to see if any of it makes sense to you :)

Thanks for the info...

Thanks for mentioning this....... maybe its time for me to upgrade mine.

Have a look at Flex. They make a really nice machine.

PM me if you need more info about it.

Just go to Autogeek.net. They have the Porter Cable as well as the Flex polishers.

Thanks, I'll check them out!
:tiphat:

Autopoia is a excellent website for detailing, lots of product reviews from around the world, this is where the best detailers in the world discuss methods on how to do it right. I spend hours on end there, it's where I first learned about zano.

Yea I just figured it out all by myself :P

Another thing that impressed me about the job NXTAZEE did on my friend's G35 was his concern for the longevity of the paint. Its easy to take the clear down but it takes skill and patients to take the optimal amount off to allow for multiple future compoundings. NXTAZEE takes measurements of the thickness of the paint to maximize the life of the paint and prevent clear coat failure. Something else to be aware of when shoping for a detailer....

I totally recommend it too. I still have the old one which isn't half bad, but my buddy let me use his new one for a while and it was so much lighter and easier to control it's hard to justify not upgrading. Your arms don't feel numb at the end of the day either. :tup:

I went and met the guys yesterday at someone's house, where they were working on a Ferrari. It looked amazing though it was hard not to just stare at the car and forget they were detailing it ;)

Granted, I don't think it gets driven a lot, but they didn't do any harm to it and they said that Ferrari is notorious for having very thin paint...and, I spent some time talking to them, and really, I got the vibe that they do know what they are doing and do care about delivery of a quality detail.

So, tomorrow I'll find out ;)

That sounds great. Don't forget we want pics ;).

Yes it is. I have been a member for years, and recommend Autopia highly.

What are the chances of he Dealer doing it via their body shop? I have already complained to the dealer about this, so the door is open. Thoughts?

Given my experience, they opted to have a 3rd party do the work...

I started out with paint chips in the hood. Body shop (not dealer) did touch up, dealer not happy, body shop shot car with clear over repaired chips, came back horribly buffed/polished - tons of swirls and halo/holograming. Took to dealer again, was told to wait a few more weeks for the paint to completely cure, took it again to them after that, and they had the body shop buff it out.

It looks pretty good now, there's about a 1" wide area near the edge of the hood near the A pillar on the drivers side that I can still see some issues, which when I showed the detailer, neither of us could find it in that light...


If I had to do it over again, I would have done it the same way, as the paint chips weren't anything of my fault. I do wish they got it right from the beginnnig, instead of having to make 4 trips. (initial inspection, 1st appointment, 2nd inspection, 2nd appointment) - but it didn't cost me anything in terms of money out of pocket, so, I guess it balances out. Better than I expected...

A job well done! pics coming soon ;)

Congrats :tup:.