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Author Topic: Detailing Causes a Color Change?  (Read 3379 times)

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Offline Too Stroked

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Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« on: July 08, 2020, 05:43:51 PM »
As most of you guys now know, my "semi-retirement" job has morphed from driving the Parts Truck for a local Toyota dealership to detailing most of their used cars - particularly the lease returns. This gives me not only an unlimited number of vehicles to test products and processes on. It also gives me some unique opportunities.

Earlier this week I had one of those unique opportunities. I've long said that properly detailing a car's finish can make it look like the color actually changed. Much of this is because the light reflected off a marred surface is much different than the light coming off a more perfect surface. I happened to be working on a dark blue 2017 RAV4 and was about half way through my standard detail. That means it's time to bring the next vehicle inside to let it cool down - for a number of reasons. Here's the RAV4 I was almost finished with:



Here's that same vehicle (in the back ground) with another 2017 RAV4 in the exact same color - that happened to be next in line for detailing. Note the color difference:




Sure, the second vehicle needed to be washed to start the detailing process, but look how much different the color(s) look. This was a perfect opportunity to show - side by side - what proper polishing can do for paint color / clarity.

Just to show how much better the second one looked, here's that vehicle after my process:



BTW, both vehicles started out in what I'd call "very average condition" for lease returns. That said, they were rode hard and put away wet. The second one went straight from my bay to the showroom. It lasted exactly one day there before selling. I think the dealership is liking (and profiting from) my work. I'm happy.
« Last Edit: July 08, 2020, 05:47:29 PM by Too Stroked »

Offline Too Stroked

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2020, 05:55:34 PM »
Here's another RAV4 I did today and had very low expectations for. It's another 2017, but it has over 55,000 miles on it. When it rolled in, it was an absolute mess on the outside with bugs, scuffs, a few minor scratches, etc. It didn't look like it had been washed in over a year. This one required some extra steps to remove the baked on bugs and iron contamination. The interior was dirty, but almost everything came out with a few passes of the Binford 5000 Super Shop Vac followed by the extractor. As I started polishing the exterior though, an amazing thing happened. Would this vehicle catch your eye if you drove past it on a lot?

« Last Edit: July 09, 2020, 05:33:31 AM by Too Stroked »

Offline Blown F-150

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2020, 10:55:10 PM »
Wow, that is a pretty neat comparison!

No retirement for you anytime soon!!!


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Offline sscully

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2020, 03:30:57 PM »
Awesome transformation.
Both in terms of the examples as well as what your job is/was at the dealership.

The great part about you doing this, after they wash the vehicle; it will not be a glob of glaze on the ground and a vehicle that looks like brushed Stainless.
- One would expect this to create good word of mouth for the dealership, but we all know it  might just be no MF'ing the car wash at the 1st place they took the car...
Steve

Offline Rollingrock

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2020, 09:25:58 AM »
Awesome post again Tom

I have noticed color shift on almost all the paints I touch.   

You mentioned interior, at this point, i would tell the shop I do the outside, let someone else clean the human filth...I hate that part especially if these are coming off lease, no telling what shape the interiors can be.


Thanks for visiting the Cafe, come back often.  There's always something new!

Offline Too Stroked

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2020, 02:59:13 PM »
Awesome post again Tom

I have noticed color shift on almost all the paints I touch.   

You mentioned interior, at this point, i would tell the shop I do the outside, let someone else clean the human filth...I hate that part especially if these are coming off lease, no telling what shape the interiors can be.
You simply have no idea how bad some of these vehicles are when they get turned in. I have no idea how people can plant their butts in these things. Disgusting doesn't even come close to describing some of them. Believe it or not, the worst one I've seen was a 2019 RAV4 that somebody turned in early because they didn't like it. I've seen cleaner landfills - that also smelled better. I can only imagine whet it would have looked like after the full 3 year lease.

Fortunately, the Sales Manager has started sending the really bad stuff out to a local shop that specializes in used car detailing. This saves me the agony of working on really bad stuff now. And with all of the COVID 19 stuff floating around, it makes me even happier.

Offline Too Stroked

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2020, 03:55:28 PM »
I got another chance to get some great pics of a "color change" today. Once again I was working on a 2017 (lease return) RAV4 in the same dark blue metallic shade as the original pics. This one was pretty well hammered. In fact the hood featured the absolute worst "my first paint job" that I've ever seen. (I went real easy on it.)

I was working on the right front fender and decided to take a before and after. Here's what it looked like after the vehicle was washed and dried with a waffle weave towel. Bad huh?



I then went at it with the 3D One on a Chemical Guys Hex Logic Cutting pad on the Flex at full steam. I made one four-way pass. Here's what it now looked like with absolutely no LSP:



You'll note a couple of things - especially if you click on the pics to enlarge them. First, the color is now deeper, richer  and clearer. Second, there's still some defects left. (They came out with one more pass with the same combination.) You can imagine how much better the vehicle looked - minus the hood - when I was done.

Offline Kitzy

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2020, 06:50:21 PM »
That's impressive for sure!

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Offline sscully

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2020, 07:44:40 PM »
...<snip>....In fact the hood featured the absolute worst "my first paint job" that I've ever seen. (I went real easy on it.)....<snip>...

What did you tell me when I found this on the SIL's Mustang ?
- Put down the chalupa...

Those are the worse to find.  Not much you could do about it byt tap it lightly and walk away knowing you did the best you could with what you had..
Steve

Offline Too Stroked

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Re: Detailing Causes a Color Change?
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2020, 04:53:49 PM »
Here's a few more before and after / color change shots. These are from a 2017 4Runner lease return that was pretty well hammered - especially the interior. That said, here's a before and after shot of the driver side front fender. Notice the clarity difference in the refection of the ceiling lights. I'd say the color darkened at least one full shade.





I spent 3 hours just washing and polishing the exterior, so my 3 hour target is officially blown all to hell. That said, here's what she looked like as I dove into the interior - which will probably take another 2 hours.


 


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