# The Junkman Battles Another Keyed Paint Job



## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Hey boys and girls, I had the opportunity to go at another keyed paint job this week. As a lot of you already know, fixing paint is a passion for me and not something I do for money. So when the owner asked me what I wanted in return, I told him nothing but some pictures and food. He decided that was not good enough and bought me this setup:










It's the Samsung HT-BD1250 Blu-ray DVD player and 5.1 HD audio with wireless speaker setup. I have to say that this beats Outback Steakhouse since I didn't have anything to go with my new 46" LED wide screen I just bought. I also needed a Blu-ray player as I hadn't bought one yet!

On to the repair. This scratch was too deep in places to totally remove but in situations like this, you try and make the damage as least noticeable as possible. At first glance, you would not be able to see the fixed product. That's what you want to achieve with damage like this. Here's the damage and it was not pretty. The scratch went from the front fender to almost the rear quarter.























































As you can see, this puppy was deep. I was going to have to start with 2000 grit paper for this scratch. This posed two problems. One, I cannot use the PC-7424XP to repair 2000 grit wet sanding damage (it is not powerful enough and would take forever). I would need to use my Flex 3401VRG polisher in this case. Two, this is a new Toyota, which is notorious for having some of the thinnest clear coat on the planet (the same with Nissan's). In a situation like this, *you have got to use a paint thickness gauge that measures both base coat AND clear coat.* I didn't have one handy and was going to opt out of trying to fix this but the owner insisted that I go at it, even after I warned him of the danger. That scratch was bothering him so bad that anything would be better in his mind. So, at it I went.

I started by claying the entire area as claying is the foundation of my shine. Another reason that I clayed the area is because the owner had used some Meguiar's ScratchX on the scratch in an attempt to repair the damage himself and I didn't want anything in that scratch that would affect my repair attempt. The only thing he managed to do was make the paint dull around the scratch. Once the area was clayed, I started with 2000 grit paper. When doing a repair like this where you are NOT going to be painting the car, *you have got to know when to stop sanding.* You do not necessarily totally remove the scratch. In most cases you won't, especially on clear coat that is as thin as it is on these cars.

After the 2000 grit, I followed it with the 2500 and then 3000 grit papers. Again, you have got to take into consideration that these papers are also going to remove clear coat so if you remove too much with the 2000 grit paper, you've screwed the pooch. That's why a paint thickness gauge is so important. At a body shop where they are going to paint the car anyway, a paint thickness gauge is a waste of time and not necessary. Here's some shots of the sanding process.























































Once I completed wet sanding the damage, I broke out my Flex polisher, some Swirl and Haze Remover and a orange pad. After buffing all the damage away with that combination, I followed it with some Fine Machine Polish and a white pad. After that combination, these were the results that I was able to achieve. For you mates here at Detailing World, you could substitute the polishes I used with Meguiar's M105/M205, which are probably easier for you to get a hold of.
































































So as you can see, I earned my keep and this is probably why the owner was so happy. Now I need to go setup my new gear and hear what it sounds like! 

The Junkman


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

Fantastic stuff Junkman, as is always the case with you!

Regards,
Clive.


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## ChrisST (Jul 19, 2009)

Fantastic job, you wouldn't believe it was the same car.:thumb:


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## divine3779 (Jul 12, 2009)

Sweet job!!:buffer:


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Thanks mates! I was happy with the outcome as well as the payment!


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Top work again Junkman, we want more video series though. Thanks for posting :thumb:


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## 03OKH (May 2, 2009)

Excellent job :thumb:


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

SimonBash said:


> Top work again Junkman, we want more video series though. Thanks for posting :thumb:


Working on the proper two bucket wash video right now. :thumb:


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## mundo (Sep 7, 2010)

top job junkman.....

ive watched alot of your vidoe's and found everyone of then very imformative with no twist just straight to the point...........nice and clear info

cheers and best wishes

mundo


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Thanks Mundo! I plan to keep them coming that way.


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## Deep blue (Sep 21, 2009)

Your topics are always interesting and pleasant to check out
Also good to hear that you still make those great video's:thumb:

Could you make more videos of your corvette btw? I just love the c-5 model:argie: Especially in blue like yours


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

brilliant job! 

do you think a multi layer gauge is something you will invest in eventually?


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Good effort....always nice when a customer is happy and rewards you with an unexpected gift!

So when you coming to the UK to meet all the DW gang?


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Deep blue said:


> Your topics are always interesting and pleasant to check out
> Also good to hear that you still make those great video's:thumb:
> 
> Could you make more videos of your corvette btw? I just love the c-5 model:argie: Especially in blue like yours


Thanks! My next wash series will feature my C5.



amiller said:


> brilliant job!
> 
> do you think a multi layer gauge is something you will invest in eventually?


If you are in the detailing business and do this type of aggressive work, it is a must. If you don't get into this type of stuff, it is a plus but not mandatory. It is good to always know what you are working with before you start working. That could save your butt. I have one but it only works on fiberglass. Since I don't detail for a living, I won't be buying one for other surfaces. The one I have, the Delfesco PosiTector 200B/Advanced is around $2700.00 US. I can just imagine what similar ones for other surfaces run. I don't detail for a living so it is not practical for me to have one for every surface that they make cars out of!



nick_mcuk said:


> Good effort....always nice when a customer is happy and rewards you with an unexpected gift!
> 
> So when you coming to the UK to meet all the DW gang?


If I had the funds, I would have been there already! I could spend a week there doing detailing clinics every day, and chasing women all night!


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Junkman2008 said:


> Working on the proper two bucket wash video right now. :thumb:


Looking forward to it! I'm in the US in January so may have to invest in some Adams products to give them a try.


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Cool! What part of the US are you visiting?


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

NYC, never been before. I guess it will be easiest to order before I come and have the products delivered to my hotel. Any products you particularly recommend Junkman, I'll have to get me some swirl and haze remover and fine machine polish to see how they compare to menzerna, meguires and 3m.


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## Ultra (Feb 25, 2006)

SimonBash said:


> Looking forward to it! I'm in the US in January so may have to invest in some Adams products to give them a try.


Adams polishes are available in the uk, and has been for the past few years :thumb:


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Cheers Dennis, I just noticed that on Adams website. I wondered how you got hold of yours having seen you have used the products in some Studio posts. Where do you think they fit compared to the maintstream menz, 3m etc?


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Adam's just released a new, more aggressive polish, comparable to M105. You can check it out here.

You're going to love New York. What a place to visit. It will give you an idea of how the USA is, but not a true idea. It's a little different from America as most people who live here experience it but then every major city in America is.

Take lots of pictures!


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Thanks mate, do the pads that are stated for the flex have the same pattern as the pads for the PC, hexlogic type? Or are they flat constant pressure pads like the lake country/megs pads?

My first visit to the US was 2009 when I went to San Fran, LA and Vegas, have a pal thats from Fort Worth, Texas aswell.

Here is what we were driving there:


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

SimonBash said:


> Thanks mate, do the pads that are stated for the flex have the same pattern as the pads for the PC, hexlogic type? Or are they flat constant pressure pads like the lake country/megs pads?


The pads for the Flex are flat like the early Lake Country pads. Some people thing the Hex-Logic pads have too much bite and cause the Flex to walk a lot. I have never had any issues with them except on the rotary. They do make that machine walk a lot.

You've visited a lot of good places over here! Texas would probably reflect the US a lot more than new Your. This will be a fun trip for you. :thumb:


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## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

:doublesho Thats impressive


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## UCD (Oct 27, 2010)

Junkman is the man!!!


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Hey Xcase, your profile is setup to NOT receive PM's so I'll answer your question here.



Xcase_BMW said:


> Reading you last thread regarding the keyed car in which you worked out to be amazing:thumb:
> 
> However i have a question as i been following the same method, when should i look to stop wet sanding, am i looking for the line to disappear?
> 
> ...


If your finger nail catches, you should have never started. That is too deep of a scratch to fool with, especially on a factory paint job. As for when you should stop sanding? When your paint thickness gauge shows that you have about 1 MIL of clear coat left.

How do you do this without a paint thickness gauge if you are not an expert at it? YOU DON'T! There is absolutely no way that I can explain how to do it at that point. That takes years of experience and practice and then you're still playing with fire.

The Junkman


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## Reds (Jan 14, 2009)

Can't you just do something badly for a change; You're not surprising me any more with all of this top-notch work AJ  

And a really cool gesture from the customer. All I get is a mumbled thanks and then watch them knuckle-drag themselves behind the steering wheel and drive into the sunset.

Stay safe and stay happy (easy to do sitting in the lazy-boy chair, sipping a cold one and all in surround sound )

Steve

Sempre Fi


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Always love the 'haze' after the wet sanding stage... I always send the owners a wee picture of it.... :doublesho

Looks like great pictures, and quality work as ever junky my man!!

:lol:

Nice payment too!!!!

:thumb:


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Reds said:


> Can't you just do something badly for a change; You're not surprising me any more with all of this top-notch work AJ
> 
> And a really cool gesture from the customer. All I get is a mumbled thanks and then watch them knuckle-drag themselves behind the steering wheel and drive into the sunset.
> 
> ...


I wish the weather was like it was when I did this repair. Right now there's snow on the ground and I'm freezing! 



The Cueball said:


> Always love the 'haze' after the wet sanding stage... I always send the owners a wee picture of it.... :doublesho
> 
> Looks like great pictures, and quality work as ever junky my man!!
> 
> ...


:lol:

I do something similar! I wait until I'm done wet sanding and then I turn to the owner and say, "Wouldn't it be a crappy situation if I was to croak right about now?" :lol:


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## uruk hai (Apr 5, 2009)

Top work and cracking results as usual :thumb:


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## GSVHammer (Feb 7, 2009)

Amazing repair to be honest. I didn't think you were going to correct that mark.

Respect to the Junkman!


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

uruk hai said:


> Top work and cracking results as usual :thumb:


How did you get on with your marks that you mum made??

Did you have a go at fixing them???

Sorry to go o/t

:thumb:


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## Junkman2008 (May 8, 2009)

Thanks mates!


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