1998 van with scraches - never waxed - what to do?

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I bought it about a year ago, and I guess I did wax it once, but that appears to be the only time it has been done. And now it badly needs another coat or four... Being it is a minivan and has been around kids, it has a lot of scratches. So, what product would work to remove those scratches and seal/protect the paint? The van sits out most of the time, and is exposed to salt and other winter elements quite often. Thanks!
 
How much effort you looking to put in this thing? you could start with a cleaner polish then glaze then polish/sealer a good wax like collinite.

all by hand right?
 
DAMAN brings up an important question; how much effort do you want to put into this, and what results are you expecting?

I'm assuming the van in question is the Honda Odyssey in your sig?

Scratches are not always polished out easily. Some may need some sanding and buffing out with a machine to remove or reduce them.

If you want to do all this by hand, you could use one of the many scratch removers on the market, then follow up with a good one-step cleaner wax that will help remove oxidation and restore some shine. A product like Meguiar's ColorX would be good for that task.

Really, it all boils down to what you want it to look like when its done. Maybe the best course of action would be to let a pro detailer do their thing and you maintain it moving forward.
 
Originally Posted By: AFmedic
I'd say break out the Nu finish and have fun


Honestly not a bad idea if its gonna be done by hand. A good wash and some polish will really let you know how bad the paint is. Remember to protect your trim pieces though.
 
Ya it will all be done by hand. I am not afraid of a little hard work to make it look good. Yes, this is my 98 Odyssey in my sig. I would say my goal is to have it look better then most, and to protect the paint from the sun and winter road salt.

So, I could use something like Meguiar's ColorX then Nu Finish (or would they be accomplishing the same thing?)and then put a coat of Collinite?

Thanks so much!
 
Well you can only do so much work by hand and you wont get many of those scratches out. Your best bet is a good wash, a good clay bar, a good paint cleaner, a good polish and then a good wax.
 
Originally Posted By: Catterman
Ya it will all be done by hand. I am not afraid of a little hard work to make it look good. Yes, this is my 98 Odyssey in my sig. I would say my goal is to have it look better then most, and to protect the paint from the sun and winter road salt.

So, I could use something like Meguiar's ColorX then Nu Finish (or would they be accomplishing the same thing?)and then put a coat of Collinite?

Thanks so much!


Color X and NuFinish play the same role so I would not suggest using both, one or the other is ok.

If you want wax on top of it, Collinite is fine, too.

There are scratch remover products on the market that might help with some of the more serious paint issues. Apply that with some elbow grease before using the above mentioned products.

It'll be quite a project but I'm sure it will be worth the effort. Have fun!
 
Originally Posted By: Dyoel182
Well you can only do so much work by hand and you wont get many of those scratches out. Your best bet is a good wash, a good clay bar, a good paint cleaner, a good polish and then a good wax.



That should help a bunch..helped huge when I detailed a friend's escort..
 
If you know how to use it, a rotary (not orbital)sander/polisher will make short work of that big job. If the paints not too bad, start with a polishing compound, like Turtle polish, then followed by any quality hand wax.
 
It may take several times going over with any of the above mentioned products. The labor and the quality of said labor will do more for the finish than the specific brand of product.

But don't listen to me. I'm the one who only washes my car in the rain with a drywall sponge and a few drips of Dawn to get the tree sap, road grime, dirt clods, bugs, and asphalt tar off of it. But I have acrylic paint and it holds up fine. And I'd say YMMV but with basecoat/clearcoat you really don't want to do that.

Besides, I'm just biding my time til the kids get older and I change over from Polar White acrylic to Silver Blue Glow metallic in basecoat/clearcoat. Then I'll have to spend a benjamin on some products to clean and protect it right.
 
Originally Posted By: Dyoel182
Well you can only do so much work by hand and you wont get many of those scratches out. Your best bet is a good wash, a good clay bar, a good paint cleaner, a good polish and then a good wax.


Dyoell182,

What's a clay bar? I've never seen one.
 
Originally Posted By: ET16
Originally Posted By: Dyoel182
Well you can only do so much work by hand and you wont get many of those scratches out. Your best bet is a good wash, a good clay bar, a good paint cleaner, a good polish and then a good wax.


Dyoell182,

What's a clay bar? I've never seen one.


Watch this 5 min video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcZRj509Ir8
 
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