Rare color car, need help making it look amazing.

[rexdriver85]

First off i`d like to say hi, i`m pretty new to this forum but not them in general by a longshot, i`m an avid car enthusiast and I belong to many others. My name is Marc, hello to all. :D



So i`ve been researching alot lately and i`m going to try and build my first shopping cart of everything I will need to try and get my car amazing, I guess I should tell you about the car.



I just picked up an 02 Sentra SE-R a few months ago and the paint is in bad condition, while it looks OK at a distance, up close you can tell it`s been through many many dealer washes and has never really been cared for. The paint is very rough so I want to clay and polish and the swirl marks are EVERYWHERE!



The color of the car is mystic green, and it`s super rare, AFAIK there were only a few hundred produced, on all my Sentra forums I`ve only ever seen one other, and most other people say they`ve never seen the color before in person ever.



It`s really a wonderful color and I need to restore it because I know it`s got super stunning potential.



I would like to know what some of you guys are using on cars that are outside 24/7 and subjected to lots and lots of salt in the winter months. I have some ideas on what things I want to get, but I`d love some opinions.



The major thing is the swirl marks and the super rough paint, once I get that taken care of polishing and waxing should take care of it. Any suggestions at all would be really appreciated.



I will post a picture of the car so you guys know what color I`m dealing with and maybe recommend a product that would work great with it.



http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l143/rexdriver85/IMGP0205.jpg



http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l143/rexdriver85/IMGP0204.jpg



I would appreciate any responses and I am glad to be apart of such a great forum. The information and resources are great! :up

[Mobilejay]

for getting swirls out I would go with OC and OP if its outside against all that harsh weather I would go with zaino. That just me, you are going to get a lot of different opinions just cause thats how it is. Anyway good luck and take your time deciding.

[imported_themightytimmah]

For the swirls: Hi-Temp 357 Magnum Leveler (www.topoftheline.com), Blackfire SRC FP (www.properautocare.com). I`d use the 357 on a green edge or orange LC... SRC FP on a white edge or LC.



For the LSP... It`s hard not to recommend a good carnuba. Zaino is a great product, I use Z5Pro all the time, but that color just *screams* Finish Kare Pink Wax to me. Pink Wax gives a "candy shell" look to green that I haven`t really been able to match with any of my other products.



FK1 Pink wax over FPII (precursor to BF SRC FP)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/themightytimmah/DSC00025.jpg

[Accumulator]

rexdriver85- Welcome to Autopia!



Cool color, that`s for sure. I always recommend 1Z brand polishes to people just starting out with this stuff but I`ll go along with themightytimmah`s 357/BF polish recommendation too.



For outside 24/7 vehicles I always go with Collinite brand waxes. In my experience they protect at least as well as sealants, especially when it comes to environmental hazards like bird bombs.

[velobard]

I hope you intend to polish by machine. For the best efficiency, I`d recommend Menzerna or Blackfire polishes (Blackfire is a slightly reformulated Menzerna). If you`d rather go a bit cheaper, then Optimum is a good choice that`s still quite effective. If you absolutely have no choice but to work by hand, then 1Z polishes are the way to go.



To make it look "amazing", remember that the best wax is the world can`t make up for poor prep work. Polish will make all the difference in the world and once you have that done well, read up here on how to properly care for it to avoid further marring.



As for wax, I agree that Pink Wax is a fantastic choice. I know Zaino is a great choice, but keep in mind that it will accentuate any swirls or scratches that remain. Pink Wax won`t last quite as long, but it`s quite durable in it`s own right. If you`d really rather go with OTC products and don`t mind sacrificing some durability, then on your color I think you`d be quite pleased with Meguiars NXT. I know some will scoff at that, but it does look quite stunning on dark metallic paint. Both Pink Wax and NXT will offer slight filling to help hid minor imperfections.

[rexdriver85]

ok, with all these product choices it tends to get a little overwhelming, but how does this sound in hopes to get this paint to amazing status.



this is just for the paint so far

1. Wash & Dry (P21S Shampoo, Sonus Ultimate drying towel)

2. Clay Blackfire Poly Clay II & Blackfire Detail Spray

3. 357 Magnum Leveler (for swirls)

4. 3M Imperial Hand Glaze

5. Finish Kare Pink Wax



I am thinking about getting the PC, but since this isn`t my career I don`t know if i`d use it enough for it to be worth it.



That`s just a rough idea right now, i`m guessing theres more I can do to get the exterior beautiful, am I in the right direction so far?

[velobard]

Sounds fine to me, with the exception that from everything I`ve heard if you`re working by hand you`ll be much happier working with 1Z polishes. Since you have to wait on an order to get Pink Wax anyway, it wouldn`t be unreasonable to go ahead and order some 1Z. I can`t recommend which of their polishes you should use without knowing just how bad the marring is on your paint.

[rexdriver85]

Sounds fine to me, with the exception that from everything I`ve heard if you`re working by hand you`ll be much happier working with 1Z polishes. Since you have to wait on an order to get Pink Wax anyway, it wouldn`t be unreasonable to go ahead and order some 1Z. I can`t recommend which of their polishes you should use without knowing just how bad the marring is on your paint.



the swirls are pretty bad, but i guess not horrifying. the FK1 Pink Wax is carnuba/polymer, how long can I expect that to last? a few months? I`m guessing with the polymer additive it will last alot longer than a pure carnuba.



any ideas? since I will be applying by hand most likely, I may rather go with the Meguiars No.9 or the Z1 Extra Paint Cleaner followed by the Z1 Paint Polish, instead of the 357 Magnum Leveler. Does that sound about right?



sorry for all the questions. :getdown

[Accumulator]

rexdriver85- Gotta watch which products you mix and match ;)



Noting that I have a lot of this stuff on the shelf, I wouldn`t recommend that in your case. The 1z is more user-friendly. FWIW I find it a lot more user friendly than Menzerna or Optimum too (yeah, there are reasons to choose those instead but not *IMO* in this case).



Note: using the 3m IHG after 357 will result in a lot of micromarring (from the 357) getting temporarily filled in...it`ll come back to haunt you later so forget that idea ;)



Meg`s #9 is *VERY* mild and I don`t see you needing that at all.



The 1z Ultra/Extra is potent, use it for the worst scratches and see if you really need it on the whle car. Use the 1z Paint Polish on the whole thing. Though I`m not familiar with your paint, the Paint Polish *usually* leaves a very nice, ready-to-wax finish.



If you want a *long* lasting wax, I`ll repeat my recommendation of Collinite.



Sorry to be a broken record, but the 1Z/Collinite combo has worked for *so* many people I know that I just can`t see going any other way. The more I think about this the more convinced I am that this is the right suggestion.



I haven`t tried the BF clay, but if it leaves a bit of marring the 1Z oughta clear it right up.

[rexdriver85]

rexdriver85- Gotta watch which products you mix and match ;)



Noting that I have a lot of this stuff on the shelf, I wouldn`t recommend that in your case. The 1z is more user-friendly. FWIW I find it a lot more user friendly than Menzerna or Optimum too (yeah, there are reasons to choose those instead but not *IMO* in this case).



Note: using the 3m IHG after 357 will result in a lot of micromarring (from the 357) getting temporarily filled in...it`ll come back to haunt you later so forget that idea ;)



Meg`s #9 is *VERY* mild and I don`t see you needing that at all.



The 1z Ultra/Extra is potent, use it for the worst scratches and see if you really need it on the whle car. Use the 1z Paint Polish on the whole thing. Though I`m not familiar with your paint, the Paint Polish *usually* leaves a very nice, ready-to-wax finish.



If you want a *long* lasting wax, I`ll repeat my recommendation of Collinite.



Sorry to be a broken record, but the 1Z/Collinite combo has worked for *so* many people I know that I just can`t see going any other way. The more I think about this the more convinced I am that this is the right suggestion.



I haven`t tried the BF clay, but if it leaves a bit of marring the 1Z oughta clear it right up.



Ok, if I go with the the 1Z extra on a few of the big scratches, then follow with the 1Z paint polish for the whole car to rid all the swirls then follow with the Collinite wax, which was would you recommend for a metallic green style paint?



thanks :) :heelclick

[Accumulator]

Ok, if I go with the the 1Z extra on a few of the big scratches, then follow with the 1Z paint polish for the whole car to rid all the swirls then follow with the Collinite wax, which wa[x] would you recommend for a metallic green style paint?





I don`t see all *that* much difference between the two commonly recommended Collinites, the 845 Insulator Wax (liquid) and the 476S Double Coat (paste). Most people find the 845 easier to use and it doesn`t stain trim, so as part of the keep-it-simple approach maybe that`d be the better choice. But the 476S lasts longer, there`s almost always some kind of trade-off with this stuff and you won`t go wrong either way.

[rexdriver85]

I don`t see all *that* much difference between the two commonly recommended Collinites, the 845 Insulator Wax (liquid) and the 476S Double Coat (paste). Most people find the 845 easier to use and it doesn`t stain trim, so as part of the keep-it-simple approach maybe that`d be the better choice. But the 476S lasts longer, there`s almost always some kind of trade-off with this stuff and you won`t go wrong either way.



thank you very much for the quick responses, i`m going to get a list together of everything i will be getting to restore the car.



i`ll probably post again when my list is complete and maybe i can get a final thought.



thanks again :)

[rexdriver85]

ok so this is what I am thinking.



1. Wash (P21S shampoo)

2. Blackfire Clay & Detail Spray

3. Scratch X for a few really bad scratches

4. 1Z Extra Paint Cleaner for all the swirls

5. 1Z Paint Polish to follow up with

6. Collinite 845 (24/7 outside vehicle)





now, i`ve found some Ultimate German Wax and Polish (2 sided) applicators that seem pretty nice, should that about take care of the applicators I would need or do you guys recommend other applicators and different combinations for the different products i`ll be using?



hopefully this is the way to get my paint looking awesome!



thanks everyone! :laugh: