RenGen

1. I keep my car in the garage whenever I am not driving it. It only has 30k miles but I always get these creases in my leather seats - how can I avoid getting them?



2. Once a year I like to get a detail shop to do a full exterior detail (wash, wax, buffer, etc) but I hear that buffing actually removes a small layer of paint, so should I avoid doing it? I plan to keep this car forever so one day will my paint be all faded from just buffing? (I always keep the car garaged when not driving)

3. I got some hail damage (got caught up in 70 seconds of bad luck) and some dings on my hood which are really expensive to fix, even with PDR. So I'm planning on waiting for 75+ degree weather and letting the car get hot in the sun then using a suction dent puller to pop it out as best as I can - is it okay to do the exterior buff detail or should I wait after I pop the dents - or does it not matter?

thanks

breathegood

1) I don't know about getting rid of the creases, but there are a lot of good leather care products that will keep the leather from drying and cracking at the creases.

2) You should only be using a buffing tool if you are trying to blend/repair moderate-severe damages to the clear coat. Minor blemishes and swirl marks do not warrant the use of a buffer. It's not the buffer that removes a fine layer of clear/paint, its the polish used. The buffer simply goes faster and generates more heat than you can by hand. Extreme care must be taken when using a motorized buffing tool because you can in fact burn through the clear coat and paint if used too aggressively. Unless you are trying to blend/repair a scratch that has gone all the way through the clear into the base coat, a hand polish with a fine compound should be sufficient to produce a smooth and even finish. Just remember that polish and wax are totally different things. Polish has abrasives that do remove a thin layer of clear/paint. Polish will leave your paint naked and vulnerable. Wax is the protective coating you will need to keep the paint fresh. If you wax without polishing first, you will just seal in the blemishes. If you actually drive the car, it will eventually need paint. Regular annual detailing will make it last longer, but keep the polish to the minimum necessary. If you don't have swirls or blemishes, clay will do a good job of prepping the surface for wax without removing clear/paint.

3) Don't bother with the detail until you get the damage repaired. Clean the surface first, but detail later.

RenGen

I see thanks for the info on buffing, yeah shops are always trynna sell me stuff and I felt a little sketchy when I asked abotu buffing and the guy said "Yeah I just buffed my 2014 Camry because I like to keep the weather off it, I like to do a buff twice a year".... But the whole thing kinda made me iffy. I'll try to just get a friend and clay bar+polish+wax and hopefully that will get rid of the tiny scratches and etc.

iMuf

I don't know what it is about the leather in mustangs but it tends to do that more than most other cars I have worked on. I don't know if it drys out faster or what. Lexol makes a great leather cleaner and conditioner. Try to keep the leather conditioned and that should help prevent those creases.