This is part 4 of a 4 part series (read part 1, part 2, part 3)
Whew! I think we’re actually finished now. I appreciate the fact that you hung in there this long to go through all of the steps to keep your Acura TL (or other) looking its best.
While not everybody will get into machine polishing their vehicles, we still went over plenty of other useful methods and products for the average enthusiast to properly maintain their own vehicles.
Okay, now we’re finally ready for some after shots! In the end I was able to achieve at least a 95% correction rate. Most of the 5% that remained was on the lower rocker panels. When the owner came to pick it up, he said that he didn’t think it looked that good when he first bought it. That’s what I like to hear!
First up are the direct sunshine shots…also known as the light of truth. If there are any defects left, you will see them here.
I had to take the photos in the mid day sun, so some of them are a bit harsh. I would like to have taken them later in the day, but the TL was being picked up early in the afternoon.
This is a nice shot where you can really get the appreciation of the Nighthawk Black Pearl paint. It also proves that I do in fact live in an alternate universe…notice the 4 suns in the reflection.
This is why we love NBP so much…the blue flake!
Notice the NBP TL-S in the reflection.
The side mirror looks like, well, a mirror!
And finally, I thought this was a cool shot with the two NBP TL’s.
Hopefully you have found this to be a reference guide for properly maintaining your Acura, or whatever kind of vehicle you drive. With a little bit of patience, some practice, and combining the proper products and techniques you too can keep your car looking like the day you drove it off of the lot.
Once again thank you for investing so much time in this article.
Total time on the detail itself = 13 hours.
This is part 4 of a 4 part series (read part 1, part 2, part 3)
If you have any additional comments or questions, please submit your reply in the comment box below.
WOW i am speechless, if i had not read the entire article i would have tought it was a new paint job. you have motivated me to raise the bar on how to keep up my acura tl. How much would it cost to have this type of work done?
Thanks John! This TL is a prime example of the high level of paint restoration that can be achieved with proper polishing techniques and products. Seeing the transformation of these vehicles from start to finish is one of the most rewarding aspects for me…as well as seeing the look on the customers’ faces when they come to pick them up.
I’m glad that you’ve found this article to be inspiration for the maintenance of your TL as well. I would highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with my article on Proper Washing and Drying techniques, as this is the most important aspect of keeping your vehicle look like new.
It’s hard to say what a detail like this would go for because it varies greatly from area to area. Typically speaking however, if you were to hire a Professional Detailer that is capable of advanced paint correction, then you could expect between $500~$800 for this particular car with this level of defects. The rates are always dependent upon the condition of the vehicle, the type and color of paint, and the level that you wish to take it to.
I hope this helps!
Todd
Thanks Todd, I was wondering if you are located in Miami Florida. But by the looks of the pictures it look like up north.
Thanks
John
John…yes, I’m located in Columbus, Ohio!
if my my car looked like that my girlfriend wouldnt need a to carry a mirror anymore… hahah
Amazing article!
Your skills and knowledge are probably the best I’ve seen. Definitely going to try to tackle the exterior of my RSX for the summer with your guide. Any suggestions or tips on cleaning/prepping VERY small (less than 4mm in diameter) chips which have just slightly begun to rust so that they can be covered with touch-up paint and clear coat?
Are costs for this type of service less for lighter paint (i.e. Silver or White)? Have anyone you recommend in Canada (Alberta or BC specifically)?
Again terrific article and write-up Todd definitely going to spend some time reading your other write up’s!
Take care,
Chris
Chris,
Thanks for the kind words! As for the chips, I would try to remove the light rust in them with some abrasive polish. After you clean it up, then thoroughly prep the touch-up area with isopropyl alcohol to remove any polish residue. At that point you should be ready for your touch-up.
With lighter colored paint you can typically get away with less correction since defects are harder to see, but if you want the full treatment it would require the same amount of time. With dark colors you can usually just go with a light polish, or a full-blown multi-step job. With lighter colors, you can also go with a medium level without any worry of holograms or hazing.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any recommendations for you on that side of Canada.
Thanks again,
Todd
Todd,
Thank you for taking your time and efforts to document your superb expertise! I have bookmarked each section to use as a guide. You are the ultimate professional!
Mary,
It’s my pleasure! I enjoy writing these educational pieces, and I enjoy it even more when I hear feedback like yours.
Thank you!
Todd
Todd,
I just read the entire article. You have done the best job taking the car step by step for us “car geeks” to follow. I am inspired to keep my ride looking its best. I too own an Acura TL, color white. What product(s) would you recommend to bring the shine in the paint? It is very hard to see it in a white car.
Again, thanks for taking the time, photos, education, and inspiring us to keep our cars looking better than factory new!
-kelvin-
Thanks Kelvin, and I’m glad to hear that the guide has been helpful for you. I put a tremendous amount of effort into this article to document it all properly, and I’m always happy to hear such positive feedback.
As for your white TL, you can use the same products and combinations as I did with the NBP, and you will be very happy with the results. Sure, white doesn’t have the same “pop” as the darker colors, but it’s definitely capable of some serious gloss.
Thanks again,
Todd Cooperider
Esoteric Auto Detail
Columbus, Ohio
Todd,
Great article. I have a Ford Ranger pickup with “EDGE” decals on the sides of the box. How would you recommend I get around these with the polisher. Can’t really cover it with tape.
Thanks,
Chris
Chris,
If you’re using a PC, you can polish directly over the emblem (assuming emblem, and not actual vinyl decals)…just use slower speed and a white pad. This will help to clean up the emblem and at least some of the area between the letters. Then you can go back and finish it up by hand. Just don’t use high speed or a lot of pressure when doing this.
If using a rotary, then completely tape up the emblem and go back afterwards to polish the emblem and areas between the letters by hand.
Todd,
I truly enjoyed the detail in the TL paint restoration article, and all your how-to write-ups for that matter. Just wanted to say thanks. It’s great to see someone who enjoys detailing as much as I do. Stupendous work on the detail of your instruction. As it turns out, you really can teach an old dog (like me) new tricks!
All the best,
Brian
Brian,
Thank you kindly for the positive feedback on this and other articles. I put a tremendous amount of effort into both the detail and the educational write-ups. When I get comments like this, then I know that I’m on the right track!
Take care,
Todd
I am almost speechless! I have a question and/or recommendation for you. I too have an 07 NBP TL-S. I ordered the UDM, but i have not ordered any pads or polishes or anything else for that matter. I have always just used things like Meguires from the local auto store, but i want to start taking a little better care of my TL and Expedition (which is also black). You mentioned earlier it would cost $500-$800 for a detail job like that. I would like to know what it would cost for a complete kit with everything that you used on this detail. I look at this writeup as being the extremely thorough detailing, but i would also like to know if you have thought about writing something up that is less time. You said this was about a 14 hour job, so how about something that would be a 4 hour job, and something that is about an 8 hour job. I really cant see myself spending 14 hours on each car, but i think i could do an 8 hour job on each car once a year and a 4 hour job once every 2 or 3 months, and just some quick washing/detailing in between. So i guess what i am asking is could you/would you do a write up for a less intense detail that still gave optimal results, and then recommend the products for each of those scenarios? Would be a great walkthrough/kit you could sell on the site. Sorry for the rambling and thanks in advance!
Thanks for the comments Jared.
The biggest difference in a 4 hour, an 8 hour, and a 14 hour detail job would be the amount of polishing steps being taken, and the polish/pad combinations being used. Otherwise, you’re using the same basic processes and products. On a 4 hour job (maintenance polish), you would do everything except for claying, and on the polishing side you’d use Optimum Poli-Seal on a black pad. I can typically do a full wash, interior, and a light Poli-Seal job in 3-4 hours. For the 8 hour job you’d clay the car, and do a more complete one-step polish to get light correction and restore gloss and clarity. For this I would use something like Menzerna 106FA and a white pad, or Meguiar’s M205 and a grey pad. Seal it up after that and you’re done.
I hope this helps.
Todd
Hey Todd, got another question for you. Regarding some of the exterior plastics like the cowl where the windshield wipers are, would the 303 Aerospace Protectant work for that as well or do you recommend something else?
Jared,
Yes, 303 Aerospace Protectant would work great for that area…
Todd
Great article Todd!
What tools do you use to polish the paint inside the rear badges?
Thanks Johnson,
I have compiled more detailed information on this topic in the following article: How To Polish Under Emblems
I hope this helps.
Thanks,
Todd
Todd,
This article is truly incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from beginning to end, and it was particularly interesting for me because I recently purchased a 2004 NBP TL as well. This is my first car purchase entirely on my own, so I just started trying to bring out the paint a bit more. When I purchased the car, the paint was in rather poor condition (100k miles) and just to give you an idea, I didn’t even realize my car had blue chips in it until after I washed/waxed it myself (I even wondered if I accidentally purchased a dark dark blue car) and did a bit of research. Anyway, I must say that your article showed me how beautiful NBP paint could really be – I had no idea! Thank you for enlightening me.
Would you recommend any products and/or techniques to bring out my paint a bit more? I am on a bit of a budget (getting it professionally detailed is a bit too pricey), but I’d love to bring out the NBP on my car. I know your article is full of suggestions, but for a newbie like me, do you have any top-priority suggestions outside of a simple wash and wax?
Also, on the very front of my hood there are little white lines throughout the paint. I’m not sure exactly how to describe them besides that they are about 1-3mm long and look almost like a pattern. They didn’t buff out when I waxed the car and I’m not sure how the previous owner got them there. Any ideas?
Thanks Todd! You make me wish I lived in Columbus!
Marcus
Marcus,
I’m glad you enjoyed the article, and hopefully you picked up some helpful tips to keep yours looking its best.
You may want to start out by doing some polishing by hand.
As for the white lines, it’s hard to say without seeing pictures, but at almost sounds like checked paint, which is un-fixable without re-painting. Some older Honda’s are pretty notorious for this, but I haven’t really seen it much on newer ones.
Thanks,
Todd
this is amazing. i love it. i have a 05 nbp tsx and it has swirl marks and want to remove some but im on a budget. can you tell me what i should to use to get a 70-85% correction and then maintain it. and can you give me a little more insight about the rubbing of alcohol.
William,
Let me suggest a current article that may help you out a bit: How to Remove Swirls by Hand by Chad Raskovich.
As for the Isopropyl Alcohol, it’s used for a couple of reasons. For one it fully cleans the surface after polishing so that you can make sure that the polishing work you’ve just done has actually removed the swirls and not fill or hide them. Secondly, it helps to fully clean any polishing oils or residue so that you get the best bond and durability out of your wax or sealant.
I hope this helps.
Todd
and i plan on doing this by hand to if that helps
This article is wonderful, I’m going to purchase several of the products you recommend however I am not up to the polishing part, so I’m curious if you know anyone in CT that can be trusted to do a good job on my 2006 RSX? It’s magnesium metallic and doesnt seem to have any swirls that show, but it does have some scratches that I’d like to have polished out and a few rust spot dings from rocks on the hood touched up. I dont feel like I can trust anyone after seeing how meticulous you are with your work.
Thanks!
Hi Todd,
From Toronto, ON, great write up! I picked up a lot of neat tips and found it easy to follow.
Hoping you can lend me a hand with working on my 07tsx, also in nighthawk black. I am having trouble blending new paint, over the existing paint to cover a few scratches on the rear bumper. Chances are, I don’t have the painting technique down because the pearls are too much in the new paint and the transition from the old to the new paint isn’t smooth.
I had a local auto paint shop brew me a can of B92P and was wondering if I should spray lighter coats to get the pearls right. Also, should I wet sand a bit deeper into the old paint because the thickness new paint plus the clear coat is creating a ‘raised’ (or not leveled) surface.
Thanks a million!
Thanks for the feedback.
Blending of pearl or metallic is quite difficult to say the least. I’ve seen blends that were done by professional painters, and I could easily tell where it was done. Unfortunately I’m not a painter myself and can’t provide much qualified advice on how to make it look its best. I wish I could be more help in this situation…
Todd
Todd,
I stumbled upon your site while looking for detailing supplies to give my yellow C5 a good detail and get the paint up to par. I am amazed at the results you have achieved here! I have used some of your tips in the past, but there are many here that I will definitely try out the next free weekend I have. I used to detail during my college days but unfortunately haven’t kept up on the latest detailing products. I really appreciate having the recommendations and links to those aforementioned products, I’ll definitely be trying out a few in the near future. Thanks for the inspiration & getting me excited again about keeping my car detailed properly!
Thanks again, take care.
Sal
Thanks Sal, and I’m glad to have helped you to catch the detailing bug once again! We’re continuously posting new content, so be sure to check back often and search through all of the articles that we already have.
Take care,
Todd
I have a 2007 TL, but the grey one. Could I get it too look that good..with the products you have mentioned?
Adrian,
While grey is not going to have the level of deep reflections as black, you can get it looking very good with the same products listed in this article…
Todd,
That’s an amazing work you’ve done on TL. What’s your opinion on waxing the car after doing these type of works? Does it really help to maintain the finish longer? What kind of wax do you suggest? Carnauba or synthetic waxes like Meguiar’s TechWax?
Kevin
Thanks Kevin,
Well if you’ve used a sealant like I did after this work, then there’s no need for using a wax afterwards. You can if you want to change up the look a bit, but sealants will out last waxes as far as durability is concerned.
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!! Thanks for taking the time/effort to explain and document this for us all. Quick question though. What do you use to actually clean the interior surfaces of the car (non-leather)? I saw that you treated the surfaces with 303 or Optimum’s Protectant Plus (customer’s choice), but what do you use to initially get the dirt or grime off? (microfiber towel+???)
Thanks in advance
Glenn,
You actually have some options here. You can use a general purpose cleaner like Meguiar’s D101, or you can use specialty products like 1Z Plastic Deep Cleaner or 303 Fabric/Vinyl Cleaner.
I hope this helps.