Hey Everyone,

After 3 months in the shop I finally have my first Porsche 911 back and I am putting glorious miles on it. The original light yellow paint with proper patina looks great and matches well with an almost all original, one owner before me California car. I want to make sure it stays that way.

Any advice on how to maintain the original paint? I have heard/read everything from just use water and dry to I should put a ceramic coating on it.

Also, if anyone can recommend a detailer who knows how to handle an original paint car in the bay area that would be quite helpful.

Thanks in advance and hope y’all have a wonderful holiday season!

 

How you address, and the method for protecting the paint would be dictated by the amount and type of use the car will get.

How do you anticipate using it going forward? (Number of miles per year; amount / degree of exposure to the elements outdoors; whether it will be garage kept?)

 

thanks for the follow up questions!

It is in a non-temperature controlled garage in Napa.

I am assuming somewhere in the 5k/year range. It will stay out of the rain.

 

On my last 911 (997.2) and my current daily driver (a Jeep Grand Cherokee), I applied ceramic finishes on them. (Full paint correction first.) In my experience, the primary benefits of ceramic are its durability, and protective qualities. The shine when initially applied is virtually unsurpassed. Ceramic finishes do require maintenance however. Usually follow up applications of some sort - spray / wipe on in order to maintain the high gloss and hydrophobic qualities.

From what you've conveyed about use of your car, I don't think a ceramic finish would make sense. Limited use and limited exposure to the elements. Garage kept.

You might want to consider using a polymer sealant. They are more durable than just a wax, but they are much easier to apply and don't require the ongoing periodic maintenance. Plus, unlike a ceramic finish, a polymer sealed finish is not as susceptible to water-spotting.

I like Menzerna products and have had great success with them over time. Menzerna products are made in Germany. Their polymer sealant is excellent - Power Lock.

https://www.menzerna.com/car-care/ca...ate-protection

 

Don’t put ceramic coat on it. First, it doesn’t look right on classic cars. Finish looks plasticy
ask any detailer how they have to remove ceramic coatings.
do that after you’ve metered the paint
is it all 100% original not a single touch up?
if so just find a high quality detailer, don’t cut it, apply good wax regularly.
mid you’re going to drive the car it will get chips
embrace those.
Call a chip touch up expert like pacific match paint to address when it bothers you

regarding washing. I don’t. Maybe 1-2 times a year. Very thick Korean microfiber towels and good detail spray. Wipe The car carefully

 

Some considerations regarding original paint restoration/conservation if you decide you want to pursue that avenue:

Paint correcting a 30 year old M3!


As for the selection of finishing products, sometimes old-school is most appropriate and there are also some paste waxes that are considered hybrids (some sealant + carnauba, some ceramic + carnauba) that give one the best of both worlds regarding looks, feel, protection and application:

1988 BMW Restoration Detail - Choice of Finishing Product: Old school paste wax richness with a bit of a modern functionality.


Maintenance going forward is pretty 'standard'; 2-bucket wash with Ph Balanced Shampoo, re-apply wax as needed. If desired, top up with a quality spray wax between paste wax applications.

Pro car washing FROM HOME! | Step by step tutorial!


Some additional information regarding Wax: ESOTERIC: The Ultimate Porsche Detailing Thread - Is wax dead?

 

Wash, clay bar, polish then wax

 

+1…it’s easy to over-complicate this

If you want to keep it simple, just wash/clay/hand polish/wax …you’ll have to do this 2-4x per year based on use, maintenance wash routine, and quality of product used

i like Zymol products and they have a great suite of products to address above

if you want more durability and an excellent shine and further scratch resistance, instead of wax with routine above, incorporate a ceramic coating like CQuartz SiC…just make sure you watch some tutorials on how to apply/remove the ceramic coating

with CQuartz, worst thing would be you don’t fully remove the coating and get streaks/high spots…if you do, hand polish again, clean with CarPro Eraser, then re-apply coating

Hope this helps and congrats on your beautiful 911

 

Agreed - I rarely wash my cars with water. I use a detail spray with thick microfiber towels and keep my cars covered in the garage to keep the dust from accumulating. Want to minimize ANY water sitting in areas it shouldn't -- and there are too may of these areas particularly on longhoods.

 

my leaf blower got a workout blowing all the seals and crevices out today…. Washed first time in i think a year lol. Covered in shop dust (they know not to wash my cars)

 

Perhaps the OP has addressed his need to detail / preserve the finish of his vintage 911 with original paint.

I have an '87 Targa with original non-metallic paint. Color is called Carmine Red. It is a single-stage finish (no clear-coat).

I'm posting this really as an FYI to anyone in a similar situation - someone with an older 911 with original paint looking to bring the finish to a better level and preserve it going forward.

The single-stage paint on my car is soft. Paint meter readings indicated a range of approximately 5.5 mils to 8 mils in thickness. Safe to do the minor correction that was needed.

After evaluating a few different polishes I settled on Rupes Uno Pure. I used two polishers on the car - Rupes LHR75E and a Rupes Nano ibrid, combined with Rupes Ultra Fine (white) polishing pads.

After machine polishing, I hand-applied P21S Gloss enhancing Paintwork Cleanser. This product further refined the finish and added gloss.

I chose to avoid using a ceramic finish on my car's original paint. I opted for a hybrid carnauba wax / polymer sealant product - Wolfgang Füzion. It provides the outstanding shine that is typical of a premium grade carnauba wax, and the durability of a polymer sealant.

The products and methods used produced results that met my expectations and objectives.

The fundamental advice that I would offer is that time spent to assess what type of paint you have (in my case very soft paint) and to do the research to determine which products are appropriate is time well invested.