Hi Rico,

> Is there any other methodology for diagnosing problem areas before taking a surface further towards the end result ?

It can be good to view it with a high detail tessellation to see if it's got any weird lumps or creases in it.

To do that, set up a shortcut key with this as the command part:
SaveAs c:\test.obj

Then when you push space you'll be exporting to a temporary .obj file - crank the slider all the way to the right and choose "Display shaded" and zoom in a ways to look at your surfaces.

- Michael