Millemiglia

Never heard of before...

Computamedic

Christer,

I think the short answer is probably - No. The loss of pigment in Guards Red is due to the oxidation of the paint layer (there is no clear coat on Guards Red) and the only way to restore it is to remove the top layer of paint. There are a variety of rubbing compounds on the market - T-Cut is probably the most common. They are all quite abrasive so care is needed but the results can be pretty good as long as you are careful.

The clay bar will only remove surface contaminants - not paint.

Regards

Dave

Christer

Thanking you...

a964man

Graham, I've used the Zymol clay bar with mixed results, yes it does do a good job of cleaning the paint but on my black car it seems to pick up the dirt then leave loads of swirl marks no matter how much I keep turning the clay bar, and I keep it well lubricated, I must be doing something wrong i guess.

Cheers Andrew

Greg_L

Like Dave says, the only way to bring it back is to apply an abrasive compound. There are companies that 'mop' cars using products like Farecla/Autoglym on machine buffers to take off the very top layer of paint, then they apply loads of wax and buff it again. The results are usually quite something. Red paint contains a pigment which does not react well to sunlight, and as such, it fades faster than almost all other car paint colours. You need to apply good wax every 6 months or so to protect the paint against the UV rays.

Greg_L

Andrew, what did you wash the car with before you started claying? I use fairy liquid to completely remove everything. You most likely did similar or used zymol's equivolent which would have removed all the wax that's been applied to your paint over the years. When i did this i noticed more swirl marks than usual appeared. But after a good claying and waxing (Zaino in my case) it looked better than ever before.

To anyone considering using a claybar - your car must be very well cleaned before you start using it, or the action of using the clay could push any remaining grit into the paint and cause scratches.

Richard H

Christer,

Oh the joy of Guards Red!!
Mine suffers from this and the best ways I deal with it are :-
1. Use Autoglym Paint restorer (cut the top layer back) then polish. This has the 'longest' lasting effect of keeping the paint red.
2. Use the cheap Halfords Zymol polish, this brings the red back but doesn't last as long.
Neither last too long and I have found the fading is worst when you get rain and sun. I assume the water droplets magnify the UV.
I found the Halfords Zymol brings the red back with the minimum amount of work. Just a gentle application of the polish seems to restore the colour, easier than other brands.

I'ld be very interested in what others have found and how they deal with it.

Richard

a964man

Greg_L, I used fairy liquid as you said, but I thought that the clay bar was for removing all the dirt, insects, road grime, and stuff.

so whats good for swirl removal on black paint work

cheers Andrew

Greg_L

Claybar's are really for the harder to see dirt 'specs', the minute stuck on sap droplets, and the tiny tar spots that appear all over and are hard to see on black paint. If you get the insect residue and everything else off first with the fairy liquid and a cleaning mitt/sponge, the claybar won't get so clogged up with krud and will work better. Thats what i found anyway.

As for anti-swirl i can't remember if the Zymol (titanium starter) kit i have, had an anti swirl wax or not. But i use a Zaino product now called "Z-5 Show Car Polish for Swirl Marks and Fine Scratches". After the fairy liquid, then claying, i applied 4 coats of this stuff, with a dab of gloss enhancer spray and a buff in between each coat, then 3 coats of the "Z-2 PRO Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes". Afterwards i had a very sore arm, but the results were great

I took this photo as soon as i'd finished : http://www.carmovies.net/gallery/964/911_Zaino_6

a964man

Greg_L, Thanks for the info

Cheers Andrew

Christer

But what I want to know is why has my front left wing suddenly oxidised over a very short period? The resof the car is not affected....? Bu thanks for the suggestions, I will use an HD cleanse first before I try a more abrasive product...

Richard H

Resprayed at some stage?

Greg_L

yeah, perhaps the whole car except the nearside wing was resprayed!
Or perhaps you park it under something whereby only the wing see's the sun each day ?

Greg_L

no probs, better luck with the clay next time.

warmfuzzies

Christer,

What parts did GR spray????

kevin