Should I wetsand or not? Need opinions!

[BAMF68]

Ok, I figured this would be the best place to get the right answers when it comes to a high end build. My car is getting the interior finished up and they recommended a guy who has a high end detail shop, who frequently handles Porche, Ferrari, etc. He gave a me a quote of $1,800 to completely do a 4-5 step process to compound, polish, jewel, and do a complete ceramic coat on the car, including the wheels, and calipers. Here's were I need your opinion. The car has never been cut and buffed from when it was painted, so the clear has tightened up a little. Do you guys think doing the car his way will be enough to make it look like glass? Or do I have to have them wetsand it first?

[kush69]

i would say cut and buff .But i would say depends on how many coats were applied and how long ago it was painted some clears are tuff to get back up after sitting for a long time. i would finish with 3000 and have had good luck with 3d brand coumpound and glaze

[dhutton]

Wet sanding without knowing how much clear was applied is a bit of a gamble imho...

Don

[BAMF68]

i would say cut and buff .But i would say depends on how many coats were applied and how long ago it was painted some clears are tuff to get back up after sitting for a long time. i would finish with 3000 and have had good luck with 3d brand coumpound and glaze

3 good coats of clear around 3 years ago

[BAMF68]

Wet sanding without knowing how much clear was applied is a bit of a gamble imho...

Don

The detail shop did take clear coat depth tests, he said there's plenty of clear to work with.

[JeffT]

I was going to say, if he's any good he'll have the tools to measure your finish thickness and will do so and provide those numbers before he even puts sandpaper or polisher to it. Also, he could perform a test spot with the compound/polish to see if his chosen product delivers the desired results w/o wet sanding.

[Lonnies Performance]

I would say it depends on the color... darker colors are less forgiving & will never look as smooth as a properly wet sanded finish.
With a light color or bright red for example, you may never notice a slight paint texture that is left after compounding.

Also, sanding removes a lot of finish, so if this is a car that will see a lot of miles & subsequent paint correction, you may want to save the film thickness for future repair/correction.

[dhutton]

The detail shop did take clear coat depth tests, he said there's plenty of clear to work with.

Would like to know how they did that because I would have thought they could only measure the total thickness of the primers, fillers, basecoat and clear....

Don

[BAMF68]

I was going to say, if he's any good he'll have the tools to measure your finish thickness and will do so and provide those numbers before he even puts sandpaper or polisher to it. Also, he could perform a test spot with the compound/polish to see if his chosen product delivers the desired results w/o wet sanding.

I think that's the plan for now, he's gonna do a test spot first without wet sanding and see what the results are. I just want the car to look smooth.

[kush69]

I think that's the plan for now, he's gonna do a test spot first without wet sanding and see what the results are. I just want the car to look smooth.

I dont think the clear will get smooth with just a detail.even a light sand will change the look maybe have them start with 2000 and finish with 3000 and see how it looks and you wont be removing much material .3 coats of good clear is more than enough cheap clear maybe a diiferent story.and i agree a depth gauge goes from the metal out I always thought good luck

[shelteredchevelle]

If the spray job is good without much peel in it, cutting and flattening it should be easy without removing much material. I would cut it if it was mine. You only have to do it once and the results are so worth it.

[BAMF68]

When I asked him about wetsanding it, he said they absolutely could, but charge by the hour for it. What does it typically cost to wetsand a car?