Help to restore cleanliness of paint on an old car

[Samuraidog]

I've got an 11 year old car with white paint. I used 303 Aerospace on the exterior rubbers and the black from the rag I was using appears to have penetrated into the white paint. Never using a clay bar before, I decided to give it a try. The clay bar is just too fine to be able to clean the surface as well as it needs to be cleaned.

Besides those black streaks, the paint is dirty, dull, and tired. Not to mention, my arms are really tired from trying to rub the dirt and streaks out with the clay bar.

I just can't seem to get it clean. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I've got Zaino AIO and Z-2 pro on order. I just wanted to clean the surface up really well before I start to use it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Are you using lubrication with that clay bar? You should.

You can make your own by using a little bit of car wash (NOT dish detergent, it takes off wax) in a spray bottle. For your car, you probably can use dish detergent.

Spray with this, it should not be hard to push then.

I like Meguier's NXT 2.0, it is easy to use and shines well. You can also find it easily.

 

[Jason2007]

NuFinish works pretty good at bringing the shine back.

 

[Samuraidog]

Yeah. I used the lubrication. I bought the Mothers clay bar kit. Even with the lubrication, my arms were getting tired and I felt like I was going nowhere.

I just ran out to the garage to test a small area using your suggestion of dish liquid. It didn't seem to work. Any other ideas? Thanks.

 

[ionbeam22]

Basic steps.

1. Spot treat with bug and tar remover.

2. Wash and clay car, thus removing surface contaminants from car.

3. Use "KIT Scratch Out" to clean up the paint. It is a very gentle polishing compound, that does a wonderful job of removing hazing (dullness) from paint.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1551056&page=2

4. Apply Turtle Wax Ice Polish to seal, shine and protect the newly clean paint.

 

[bretfraz]

I wouldn't worry about claying the paint right now. The main focus is restoring the shine and gloss.

The Zaino AIO is a nice but mild product. You are going to need a more aggressive polish to cut thru the dead paint, swirl marks, and other defects to restore the shine. There are numerous paint polishes on the market. Meguiars has some new polishes that work very well. I'd recommend Scratch X or Ultimate Compound, both available at Walmart and auto parts stores. Use them with a terry cloth applicator and a lot of elbow grease.

When done, apply the Zaino AIO, let it dry and remove the residue. At this point your paint should have a very nice shine. Finally, apply the Zaino Z2 very thin, let dry and remove.

It will be a lot of work but that's what it takes. Good luck and have fun doing it.

 

[Samuraidog]

Thanks guys. I tried both of your suggestions. I got the Meguiars Ultimate Compound and also the Kit Scratch Out. The combination of the two worked really well.

 

[widman]

As I understand it, the clay bar takes off the environmental deposits and damage, but you need a polishing compound with solvents to restore the oxidation of the paint itself.

Then again, you could just repaint............

 

[Brett Miller]

Originally Posted By: Jason2007
NuFinish works pretty good at bringing the shine back.


I'm embarrassed to say but I didn't wax my 2003 Civic for 18 months and it was getting pretty dull. Put on a coat of Nufinish yesterday and it looks like new. My experience is that Nufinish is a little more aggressive in cleaning than most other waxes.

 

[greg_J35]

I just used the same combination of products as ionbeam22 suggested and achieved great results. Both products are usually available at Walmart.

 

[ionbeam22]

Originally Posted By: greenfordtruck
I just used the same combination of products as ionbeam22 suggested and achieved great results. Both products are usually available at Walmart.


Glad you found that combination helpful.

IMHO you'll be really impressed if you dust off the car during the week with some TW Ice spray detailer and clean microfiber. Also you can get some pretty amazing results by using lucas slick mist on top of TW Ice.

 

[mcshooter]

the only way would be to use a low rpm high torque buffer with a buffing compound , mequires make variable cutting compounds so you might want to start with a less aggresive one first