Well, I caved in - paid a pro for paint correction...

[marticus24]

... and it was worth EVERY PENNY! Read-on if interested in details, otherwise, skip to the end for the executive summary .

For those of you with black cars, I'm sure you understand how caring for our paint tends to be a love-hate kind of thing. We love the way it looks, but sometimes hate keeping it clean and swirl-free. So, when I traded my black SS and purchased my 2012 ZL1 (also black) lightly-used, I knew there would likely be some work involved in getting the paint to my standards.

So, naturally, as an avid Zaino user over the last SEVERAL years (2007'ish) my plan of attack was as follows: dawn wash, clay bar, re-wash, ZPC on a PC DA with an orange cutting pad, re-wash, z5, z5, z2 with some z6 in between coats. Well, I got as far as the initial stages of the ZPC application, only as far as 1/3 of the hood, before realizing that A) ZPC is not abrasive enough to get the paint fully corrected and that B) it would take me - a detailing amateur - literally days to complete the job at that rate as I'd need to find a better compound/polish combination to get the level of correction I was hoping to achieve. And this isn't necessarily a dig on the Zaino products, because they're great, just not the best at correcting, which is pretty well-known.

So, at this point, I started to ponder what it might cost me to pay a pro to perform a full correction/detail (to a reasonable level, 99%). So, I started googling to see if I could find a pro in the Southeastern MI / Detroit area that had a good reputation/history. Dave Fermani, at HD Car Care in Troy, MI came up. So, after some more digging I decided to give him a call. Dave listened to what I was looking for and told me that I'd need to come have him look at the car before he could give me a price, but definitely understood my position and what I was looking for. So I made the ~1hr trek out to Troy to talk to him. I spent over an hour with Dave talking about everything from my technique to my products - he even educated me on a lot of the newer products to market (wtf is Opti-coat ) since I've been living under the Zaino rock for so long.

After initial discussions we picked a few panels that were particularly rough (lots of marring from the Zaino clay - brand new) and did some side-by-sides so he could get an idea of the work involved before giving me a price based on where I wanted to be. The resulting suggestion was a 2-stage procedure to correct the paint, with multiple passes using compound where necessary. He also discovered that the paint on the hood of my ZL1 (not sure if it's the same on all) is SUPER SOFT.

Then he gave me a price, we talked about products and I went home to think things over. I had a tough time making the decision because I've always taken pride in being able to correct and protect my own paint. However, after my experience talking to Dave, I decided to have him do the job, including a coat of Opticoat on the wheels. While the price was a little more than I was hoping it would be, after learning how much time it would take 2 people (professionals that have all of the tools, skills, and experience) and turning that into an hourly rate, for me, it was VERY reasonable. I'd certainly rather have someone of Dave's caliber doing this vs. me experimenting with compounds, etc. on my black ZL1.

So, I texted Dave, set a date and had the work done today (~2 weeks after our initial meeting). I even dropped the car off with a graveyard of dead bugs on the front and tire boogers all over the wheels and wheel wells from spending the day at Gingerman yesterday... so he had his work cut out for him. It was kind of cool to drop off a car that was dirty as hell from the track and a round-trip drive across the state of MI, had no sealant/wax, and had paint in need of correction... then 10 hours later, to pick up one that was fully corrected and looked like it was a dripping wet pool of black. I don't have any pics to post just yet but I can tell you that it looks amazing - I couldn't find one defect in the late afternoon sun when he pulled it out of his garage.

There is NO WAY I'd have been able to get the car looking like it does on my own without a good deal more time experimenting with different products, pads, technique, etc. And I'm not a fan of 'experimenting' on my black paint... I just wanted this car to be mine and this is what it needed. It has a great base for me to start with and will hopefully never need professional correction again.

The moral of this story is this - if you're picky about your paint, are time constrained, and have the money, paying a pro to perform baseline correction (then maintaining on your own with proper washing technique, etc.) is well worth it. I've paid much more for lesser services and am way more satisfied with the result. And also, Dave Fermani at HD Car Care, Detroit - AWESOME dude and well-respected member of the detailing community.

[Muscle Car Lover]

No problem getting it done right. I'd pay CamaroDreams07 $1000 to do my car after the coming winter, it's well spent.

Good write up.

[black79ta]

Dude the post is too long... I just skipped to the end where you said it was worth it. Glad you are satisfied.

[marticus24]

Originally Posted by black79ta

Dude the post is too long... I just skipped to the end where you said it was worth it. Glad you are satisfied.

Yeah - realized that after I wrote a damn book... but was already pot committed. I'll add a disclaimer at the beginning.

[JakesRJT]

For what it's worth I did read the entire post... points for me? lol Anyway congrats and glad you're happy with it. if money weren't so hard to come by for me I'd definately be in the same boat trying to figure out if I wanted to do the work myself or pay someone to do it. I enjoy the finished product much more after having done it myself but it's easier to pay someone else.. lol

[45thAnniversary2SS]

Nice! Take some pics in the morning!

[45thCamaro]

I too read the entire post. I think about something like this all the time, and how much nicer the car would look, but I feel that as soon as I took it out 1 time after, even driving home from the place, the car is going to be forever dirty again. I would love to do something like this but would have to really think about it. Having a black car is a lot of work....even for a person who takes it out 1 day like every month. Please post pictures, before and after if you have them.

[Mark T]

All that planning,... discussion,... fretting,....

And yet not one damn picture !!

[Good_Times]

I'm glad you are happy with David's work. He is as knowledgeable and honest as they come in the detailing industry. It would be nice now that he is in his new shop , that he have some type of class to share some of this skill to those interested in learning the proper way to detailing their rides. Hint , hint David. :-D

[motorhead]

So where are the pics?

[tramtwo]

Originally Posted by Muscle Car Lover

No problem getting it done right. I'd pay CamaroDreams07 $1000 to do my car after the coming winter, it's well spent.

Good write up.

I'd do it for 8... and I'm WAY cooler.

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by Muscle Car Lover

No problem getting it done right. I'd pay CamaroDreams07 $1000 to do my car after the coming winter, it's well spent.

Good write up.

Haha

Originally Posted by tramtwo

I'd do it for 8... and I'm WAY cooler.

This is very true.


Op- Dave fermani is a true pro. Excellent choice!

[marticus24]

Working on pics

[JTruck]

Originally Posted by tramtwo

I'd do it for 8... and I'm WAY cooler.

I'd pay 6 because I'd bring some specialty beers and cigars.