Getting your car refreshed for CNY: paint / polish / ceramic

[therock]

Firstly, I don't work for any of these folks, but I think I had a good time with them, so I'm giving them a shoutout.

As some of you know, I've had a baby, yeah!

However in my haste to run about preparing, I managed to scratch my bumper against a post whilst shopping for my wife and baby - boo!

I also had a deep scratch that some terrible person keyed onto my bonnet within a week of my getting the car.. that has been an eyesore because it occured so soon after I got my car.

I have tried polishing it off, but it was too deep for that. Thankfully, my bonnet was made from aluminium, so my agent said it's ok and it did not breach the base coat.

I did ask around about doing that but the downtime was something I didn't want to incur so I have lived with the scratch for a while. However when I scratched my bumper and a bit of the side of the car, I decided I will get it fixed together.

As it would be, my baby come and everything else had to put on the back burner. 

I also changed my battery, but the man came over to do it, and it was fast and smooth, I recommend Clement and the battery company:  8166 4455

 

I then asked him for a shop that could fix my scratches. He gave me a contact: Sprayboxx 

https://www.facebook.com/sprayboxxsg/ 

9888 9707, Douglas is the boss.

He is an interesting guy, having opened this shop during the Covid times. He was previously a corporate person, and now he has his own shop, doing paint, dents and not only for cars, but he does bicycles and even boats!

 

 

So when you get a dent / scratch, some things you want to take note of:

- take pictures, especially if you want to file any claims later

do it from different angles and make sure the pictures are clear, well lit and do close ups as well as wide angle shots

show how deep it is, where it is, and give a reference, like a ruler or put your hand in the shot too

- the depth is key, if it breaches the base layer then you need to get it fixed soon as there is a real risk of rust.

Every car has the same four layers, some do more repetitions but essentially they are:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-of-a-typical-four-layer-automotive-coating-system_fig1_281575817

 

https://autodometer.com/blog/5 layers of car paint

 

Many vandals don't breach the base layer, so you can wait if someone keys your car. However if it's a dent and the base layer is involved, you may want to get it done asap.

 

- think of the down time you need and try not to rush it. 

You have the kind of paint job where 2nd hand car dealers will simply spray on a thin coat to make the car look nice. There's no sanding or preparation of the car. It's fast and cheap but doesn't last and is not as good as the original paint.

If you bought a decent car, the original paintwork is always best. Douglas recommended retaining it if the scratches are not that deep and can be polished off. 

- paint / polish or more

So if your car is well maintained, free of stains from bird poop or other chemicals that ruin the original paintwork, you may wish to retain the original paintwork, opting for a polish or a ceramic coat instead. However a polish will not work it is too deep as mentioned. Douglas was willing to try but as predicted, it was too deep.

- doing a good paint job requires removal of the parts, eg doors, bonnet etc but that takes time

So in my car, I opted for a combination: repair the scratch on the side, paint that and the bonnet, then polish and finish off with a ceramic coat. 

I told him about my predicament, in fact, the day I wanted to send my car in, my baby came! So I had to put off the job for a couple of weeks until I could find time and he could slot me in too as many wanted a refresh for CNY.

I sent my car in on a Friday after work, and he immediately started work on the scratch. Thankfully the sensors on the bumper were ok so that just needed some paint. He will paint the rear scratch and the dent, then bake the car, and finally polish and apply the ceramic coat.

We used this Meguair's product:

 

Knowing I need the car urgently for all the medical appointments, he got his workers to work really late for the coat so I could get my car back by Monday.

In fact he finished the job early and now I have a shiny car all ready for CNY 🙂

 

 

 

I had a couple of ceramic coats which came free with the purchase and I polish my car myself, so the car was otherwise pretty clean and that helps. If you have a lot of bird stains, then check your paintwork to see if it will be sufficient to polish.

Some advice after the coating:

- just a light wash, with water or a light shampoo if it's really dirty. 

- avoid rain or water for day if possible

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lala81]

wah red car for CNY. Very appropriate.

 

[therock]

红/鸿运当头 😎

[therock]

By the way, I’m using a standard red so painting is cheaper than special colors

those using special soul red or other paints will pay more 

something to consider 

[awhtc]

Today, I just DIY washed and polished my car, cleaned the surface using isopropyl alcohol (about $5 per bottle) and applied the H9 sealant (about $4 per small bottle) on my car and new headlights.  I also used plenty of new micro-fibre cloth in the process (about $5 in total)

It is quite easy and cheap to DIY but rather tedious as the whole process took me 3 hours since it was the first time I apply the H9 sealant myself.  The washing, polishing and alcohol cleaning took 2 hours+ while the sealant took less than 1 hour.  I intend to coat again early next week for a more lasting effect.

[John_sky]

You May try Inkas Design Paint Protection Film Services. 

Paint protection film (PPF) is a clear film that is applied to your vehicles painted surfaces and protects against stone chips, scratches and other environmental factors.

INKAS Design team apply PPF on anything from vehicle surface parts to an entire vehicle top to bottom. Once the paint protection film is installed, the result will be a factory-like finish – one can’t tell your vehicle has PPF layer as there are no visible edges or surface roughness.

https://inkasdesign.com/paint-protection-film/

Edited March 31, 2022 by John_sky
making link

[therock]

 

[sararben4532]

Payday loan apps that work with Chime: What experts have to say

Chime, a new payday loan app, is designed to work with Amazon’s Echo devices. The app allows borrowers to get loans in minutes and pay them back quickly using voice commands. Experts say that the app could help relieve some of the pressure from payday loans, which are often expensive and difficult to pay back.
READ MORE HERE
 

[Yeshe]

On 1/16/2022 at 9:54 AM, therock said:

Firstly, I don't work for any of these folks, but I think I had a good time with them, so I'm giving them a shoutout.

As some of you know, I've had a baby, yeah!

However in my haste to run about preparing, I managed to scratch my bumper against a post whilst shopping for my wife and baby - boo!

I also had a deep scratch that some terrible person keyed onto my bonnet within a week of my getting the car.. that has been an eyesore because it occured so soon after I got my car.

I have tried polishing it off, but it was too deep for that. Thankfully, my bonnet was made from aluminium, so my agent said it's ok and it did not breach the base coat.

I did ask around about doing that but the downtime was something I didn't want to incur so I have lived with the scratch for a while. However when I scratched my bumper and a bit of the side of the car, I decided I will get it fixed together.

As it would be, my baby come and everything else had to put on the back burner. 

I also changed my battery, but the man came over to do it, and it was fast and smooth, I recommend Clement and the battery company:  8166 4455

 

I then asked him for a shop that could fix my scratches. He gave me a contact: Sprayboxx 

https://www.facebook.com/sprayboxxsg/ 

9888 9707, Douglas is the boss.

He is an interesting guy, having opened this shop during the Covid times. He was previously a corporate person, and now he has his own shop, doing paint, dents and not only for cars, but he does bicycles and even boats!

 

 

So when you get a dent / scratch, some things you want to take note of:

- take pictures, especially if you want to file any claims later

do it from different angles and make sure the pictures are clear, well lit and do close ups as well as wide angle shots

show how deep it is, where it is, and give a reference, like a ruler or put your hand in the shot too

- the depth is key, if it breaches the base layer then you need to get it fixed soon as there is a real risk of rust.

Every car has the same four layers, some do more repetitions but essentially they are:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-of-a-typical-four-layer-automotive-coating-system_fig1_281575817

 

https://autodometer.com/blog/5 layers of car paint

 

Many vandals don't breach the base layer, so you can wait if someone keys your car. However if it's a dent and the base layer is involved, you may want to get it done asap.

 

- think of the down time you need and try not to rush it. 

You have the kind of paint job where 2nd hand car dealers will simply spray on a thin coat to make the car look nice. There's no sanding or preparation of the car. It's fast and cheap but doesn't last and is not as good as the original paint.

If you bought a decent car, the original paintwork is always best. Douglas recommended retaining it if the scratches are not that deep and can be polished off. 

- paint / polish or more

So if your car is well maintained, free of stains from bird poop or other chemicals that ruin the original paintwork, you may wish to retain the original paintwork, opting for a polish or a ceramic coat instead. However a polish will not work it is too deep as mentioned. Douglas was willing to try but as predicted, it was too deep.

- doing a good paint job requires removal of the parts, eg doors, bonnet etc but that takes time

So in my car, I opted for a combination: repair the scratch on the side, paint that and the bonnet, then polish and finish off with a ceramic coat. 

I told him about my predicament, in fact, the day I wanted to send my car in, my baby came! So I had to put off the job for a couple of weeks until I could find time and he could slot me in too as many wanted a refresh for CNY.

I sent my car in on a Friday after work, and he immediately started work on the scratch. Thankfully the sensors on the bumper were ok so that just needed some paint. He will paint the rear scratch and the dent, then bake the car, and finally polish and apply the ceramic coat.

We used this Meguair's product:

 

Knowing I need the car urgently for all the medical appointments, he got his workers to work really late for the coat so I could get my car back by Monday.

In fact he finished the job early and now I have a shiny car all ready for CNY 🙂

 

 

 

I had a couple of ceramic coats which came free with the purchase and I polish my car myself, so the car was otherwise pretty clean and that helps. If you have a lot of bird stains, then check your paintwork to see if it will be sufficient to polish.

Some advice after the coating:

- just a light wash, with water or a light shampoo if it's really dirty. 

- avoid rain or water for day if possible

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How much was the damage? 

[therock]

Under 1k bro, it was a rush job - they worked late into the night so I could have my car to standby for baby.. good service..