nickhance

Hey Guys:

I finally have a garage attached to the house and the 951 is finally back from the shop.

One thing lead to another and the car ended up sitting outside for almost a year. I'd like to get it cleaned up and in as nice of shape as I possibly can, but I'm not sure how to get started.

I've got the car home after some nicer weather allowed a car wash.

Pictures of paint to follow. For now, here's what I'm doing.

1. Water and microfiber towel to wipe up any dirt or easier stuff.

2. Turtle Wax Rubbing compound (http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,4,13)

This stuff works really well to get some of the "mold" spots and dirt that's tough to get out.
Just looked up some reviews and this stuff seems to be way too aggressive, so I don't think I'll continue with this.

3. Mothers back-to-black. Used this on the spoiler and bumperettes. Works well.

4. Meguiar's Gold Class wax. This gives a shine, but not as good as I'd like it to be.

5. Liquid Glass auto polish/finish. http://www.liquidglass.com/lgpolish.htm

This seems to give the same finish as the wax.

I'm completely cluess where to begin, but my goals are to get the car looking as nice as possible without sacrificing the life of the finish.

Car will be covered and kept in garage when not driven, but I plan to enjoy the car this year.

Can anyone tell me what's best way to get my car looking really sharp?

Marine Blue

I would stay away from the Rubbing compound completely, it removes a significant amount of paint while providing minimal shine enhancement.

After a very thorough wash you should clay the car to remove anything on the surface of the paint. If the paint is rough this may take a considerable amount of time.

To do this job right you also need to consider a Porter Cable Random Orbital with a series of polishing pads and polishes. Several of the site sponsors offer kits which will provide everything you need. You'll probably spend a minimum of $300 with polisher and products.

Post some pics, it will definitely help with specific recommendations.

nickhance

The hood has a coat of gold class wax on it, the dirt spots are after a through car wash.

I won't be using the rubbing compound anymore. Thanks for the tip!

nickhance

the one with the flash is off the hood. The other darker ones are off the unprepped sunroof.

I imagine I could easily get that to look as good as the hood.

Marine Blue

I would begin by having the rear protective plastic removed.

The car actually looks like its in very good condition. I don't see to many rock chips or deep scratches.

Start with a very thorough wash and insure that there is no loose dirt/dust on it at all. Has to be squeaky clean! Purchase some clay and work from top to bottom. Go slow and use plenty of lubricant (car wash soap/water or quick detail spray are both good lubricants).

The paint is extremely dull and definitely needs to be polished. How much $ are you willing to invest on tools and products?

nickhance

I don't want to get in over my head, but I'd like to get the car looking great for the year.

For my first shot at this, I don't want to spend any more than $400, but next year I might want to do a bit better job.

What should I get that I might be able to reuse again next year with more budget?

GlisteningTech

I have to admit, projects like this really get me excited.

First off, I would remove all of the exterior plastics, and try and source some new ones. Those are shot. Easiest way to remove those is going to likely be with a heat gun and some 3M Adhesive Remover.

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...dhesive/Detail

Next, I would get down to your bare paint surface, and really start the process from there. Based on the condition of exterior plastics and rubber, stuff like seals and the moldings on the bumpers and rear deck lid, a solid cleaning is in order.

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...to-wash/Detail

That is the same citrus cleaner that Moe used in his Engine Bay MoeClip. It is good for just about everything. You can use it on your engine bay to degrease everything, fender wells, or in your case I really recommend just hosing down the whole car with it. Start off with a COOL surface, that is important. Simply spray it on absolutely everything. Glass, paint, plastics, everything. This will help to loosen all the surface contaminants accumulated from its time outside.

Using a detail brush, go over all of the moldings, vents, grill, plastic pieces, etc. Everything that isn't paint, and simply agitate the surface. Let it sit, it will continue to work its magic.

After a few minutes, rinse it off, then wash the car completely to remove any excess. Then proceed to clay the car. I don't know if you are actually going to be able to complete this stage, simply because your paint is oxidized. It has outgassed a lot of material from the paint surface, and that needs to be removed. The clay is going to try and do that, so I don't know how far that you are going to get based on the few pictures of your paint condition.

The clay is a good setup for polishing. Now... based on the oxidation, like I said, I don't know how successful that you are going to be. Either way, polishing is definitely in order to remove the oxidation and really bring some clarity back into the paint and remove a lot of those defects.

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...sh-Kits/Detail

That kit has everything that you will need to get the car polished and really bring your paint surface back to life. I totally get that it seems like a hefty sum to cough up, but considering that you are basically buying tools that can be used over and over again for a myriad of purposes, you aren't blowing it on a one time use deal.

I could go into a huge amount of detail on how to do everything when it comes to polishing, but I can do that if it is something that you are really going for. Either way, I recommend at minimum the P21s Total Auto wash and a really thorough cleaning after taking off the plastics, so you can have a really good idea of what you are dealing with. That will set up your foundation, and you can really build upon it from there.

Marine Blue

Any polishing equipment you buy you can reuse for many years on all of your cars. Clay shouldn't really be used too many times and I suspect it will be garbage by the time you finish your car. Polishing pads can be reused a few times and then discarded. I would buy a pair of each type of pad since you will probably load the pad with paint fairly quickly. Having the extra pad will allow you to keep going without pausing to clean. Any bottle of polish you buy should last a few years unless you purchase a trial size. Wax will also last for years. I personally prefer the higher end carnauba's since they are easier to apply but a sealant will probably look better on white as it enhances the reflective qualities of paint.

If you can't afford the Flex Kit you can also look at the following

http://www.detailersdomain.com/uberp...zettglanz.aspx

I'm currently using Griots random orbital with their polishing pad, I've been using this combo for years with great results. The Griots Random Orbital is equivalent to the Porter Cable but not as powerful as the Flex.

The P21S Total Auto Wash is a great and definitely a must have product for wheels, trim, wheel wells, engine bay etc.

I have yet to try Menzerna polishes but everyone who has used their products are pleased with results. Meguiars also has good products and I've personally used several of their professional products with excellent results. Meguiars Dual Action Cleaner Polish is and has always been one of my favorite products although it may not be powerful enough to remove the oxidation on your paint.

TOGWT

Paint Surface Cleaning

Vehicle manufacturer studies have shown that failure to remove environmental contaminants, like imbedded rail dust, acid rain, industrial fallout and other environmental contaminants from a paint film can cause premature degradation of the paint system.

There are three distinct type of paint cleaner; Abrasive, Chemical (solvent) and Chemical (acid)

a) Abrasive - Detailer’s clay Automotive clay is not a replacement for polish or a compound; it is a pliable, petroleum resin product, containing a mild abrasive(s) i.e. kaolin, silica sand, calcium carbonate, alumina, ceramics quartz and also silicon carbide that polishes and exfoliates bonded surface contaminants.

Detailer’s clay will remove most but not all of the iron particulate that is the cause of the rust "blooming", to for a corrosion decontamination system to be effective requires the complete removal of all particulates and the corrosive acids they generate that have penetrated the paint surface system.

These abrasives are extremely small with an average particle size of 1- µ (micron) dependent on the aggressiveness required, mixed in with a powdered synthetic detergent. The abrasives 'shear' the surface contaminates, the sheared particles are then encapsulated by the clay (i.e. the top of the metallic particle leaving the rest embedded in the paint, which acts as a conduit for moisture to the various paint layers, allowing it to continue generating corrosion damage)

While clay products are useful for overspray and cleaning surface contaminants, it cannot permeate and deep clean the pores of the paint. (See also Decontamination and acid Neutralization)

Zaino Z-PC Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner - a water-based formula with tri-particulate, diminishing abrasive system (no fillers or oils) which allows you to use the oxidation you're removing as an abrasive that removes minor scratches, swirls, oxidation, wax build-up and other surface blemishes

b) Chemical (solvent) - formulated with solvents and / or very fine abrasives (Kaolin or China Clay) Most of their cleaning ability is provided by the cleaning solvents, not the polish. Used to remove old wax, embedded dirt and light stains from paint; they help to restore gloss and remove light surface imperfection (oxidation, paint stains, marks left from bird excrement, water ‘spots’, and etc).

They are designed to be used as often as required without measurably reducing paint thickness. Some paintwork cleaner’s act as 'All in One' products, so not only do they clean and polish, but also provide limited protection

P21S Paintwork Cleanse, a gloss-enhancing chemical cleanser that contains fillers (Kaolin or China clay) will remove old wax, light swirls and oxidation. It can be applied by hand or with an orbital polisher. Paint cleaners are designed to remove old wax, oxidation, embedded dirt and light stains from your paint surface. They can remove micro-marring of the surface (i.e. light towel marks) but typically will not remove imperfections that require levelling the clear coat, but can remove some oxidation and mineral deposits.

Application- use a soft foam wax applicator as it offers no real cutting ability of its own

Chemical solvents paint cleaners are good to use if you want to prep the paint surface prior to applying a wax (without polishing). My preference would be to use an IPA or DuPont’s PrepSol as they don’t leave any (silicone / mineral) oils or etc behind, as these can cause problems when polishing if they are not removed

c) Chemical (acid) - decontamination and acid neutralization system, ValuGard is the most recognized and one of the few OEM approved chemical neutralization system in the industry. While clay and chemical cleaners are useful for cleaning the paint surface they cannot deep clean the pores of the paint, or neutralize rust spots. This can be accomplished with a chemical cleaning acid and neutralization system.

Schedule: every three or four months (dependent upon environmental conditions and vehicle exposure) more often on light colour paint. To optimize the reflective properties and appearance of the paint surface, it is best to regularly remove both imbedded and surface contaminants and dirt.


An extract from one of a series of unbiased Detailing Technical Papers, a library of educational materials that has become the #1 reference for car care on the Internet. Chances are you'll learn something and advance your knowledge of detailing if you read any of these.

© TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2010, all rights reserved

ehall

SEE Above. He knows of what he speaks. Send me a pm and I can give you much more info.