List all the things you need to work around when sanding a car?

[Mike Phillips]

List all the things you need to work around when sanding a car?

I'm writing an article, teaching a class at the 2025 Mobile Tech Expo and also making a video for the topic,

How to teach a car detailing class

There's a section in this content where I discuss the difference between training on a car hood or trunk lid on a work stand or a test panel and training on an actual car.

I have a pretty good list going so far, can anyone see anything I'm missing?

1. Edges - door, hood, fender edges.
2. Raised body lines - style designs in various body panels - You don’t want to sand on top of a raised body line.
3. Door handles
4. Antennas
5. Side mirrors
6. Door locks
7. Fresh air grills
8. Emblems
9. Chrome, stainless or nickel trim
10. Plastic trim
11. Vinyl graphics or decals
12. Hood ornaments
13. Bumpers
14. Cowl Vents
15. Wiper arm and/or the indent around the Pivot Shaft
16. Taillight housing/trim
17. Headlight bezels
18. Turn signal lights
19. Side markers
20. Gas caps
21. Fuel lid doors
22. Glass
23. Spoilers and/or aerodynamic wings

I'm sure I'm missing something.


Mike

 

[Dsholes78]

List all the things you need to work around when sanding a car?

I'm writing an article, teaching a class at the 2025 Mobile Tech Expo and also making a video for the topic,

How to teach a car detailing class

There's a section in this content where I discuss the difference between training on a car hood or trunk lid on a work stand or a test panel and training on an actual car.

I have a pretty good list going so far, can anyone see anything I'm missing?

1. Edges - door, hood, fender edges.
2. Raised body lines - style designs in various body panels - You don’t want to sand on top of a raised body line.
3. Door handles
4. Antennas
5. Side mirrors
6. Door locks
7. Fresh air grills
8. Emblems
9. Chrome, stainless or nickel trim
10. Plastic trim
11. Vinyl graphics or decals
12. Hood ornaments
13. Bumpers
14. Cowl Vents
15. Wiper arm and/or the indent around the Pivot Shaft
16. Taillight housing/trim
17. Headlight bezels
18. Turn signal lights
19. Side markers
20. Gas caps
21. Fuel lid doors

I'm sure I'm missing something.


Mike

Glass.

 

[Big Dave]

Spoilers and Wings, removable or fixed.

 

[Mike Phillips]

Glass.

Yes. While you would think that none of us should be sanding on the glass, often times, I see sanding marks on the glass windows of a car. It's usually DA sanding scratches, which in my mind, this means somehow someone moving a DA sander over the paint, looses control and now the DA sander is sanding on the glass?

I don't think I've ever made this mistake but I've see it. And usually if there's DA sanding scratches in the glass, it's also on the metal trim surrounding the glass.


Mike

 

[Mike Phillips]

Spoilers and Wings, removable or fixed.

That's a good one. In the last year or so, I've had to work around rear spoilers on muscle cars and to ensure no issues as well as to do some sanding and buffing under the spoiler, I simply removed the spoiler.


Mike

 

[Dsholes78]

That's a good one. In the last year or so, I've had to work around rear spoilers on muscle cars and to ensure no issues as well as to do some sanding and buffing under the spoiler, I simply removed the spoiler.


Mike

Not to mention they are generally plastic which I’ve found MUCH different to rotary polish than metal…

 

[Mike Phillips]

Not to mention they are generally plastic which I’ve found MUCH different to rotary polish than metal…

Yeah... the spoilers I was working on and around were on real Detroit Iron and thus they were painted using the same paint used to paint the cars.

Mike