Should I pay for a pro detail for a car I`m selling? 97 Mustang

[trmiv]

We`re about to sell my wife`s red 97 Mustang convertible. The paint isn`t in the greatest shape, and the damage was done by the time I met her, so it`s all her fault! Anyway, would it be worth it to shell out $250 for a pro detail, or should I just hit this thing by myself by hand and get rid of it?



My wife got it used, and the car must have been crashed at some point before my wife got it because it`s obviously two different colors (she insists it wasn`t, but come on, it`s obvious). The left front fender, right rear fender and deck lid are all one color, and the rest of the car have this faded look. Apparently at one point they looked the same, but it`s hard to believe that now. She says it wasn`t this bad when she got it, and she didn`t even notice, but it`s REALLY obvious now. I tried using some AIO in some small sections to see if it would make a difference, but besides looking shinier in the circles I hit, it still looks faded.



Would a pro be able to get the car looking close to be being the one color though? If not, I`m not going to bother and I`ll just do it myself. So the option is to pay someone $250-275 to work the car over, or use the products I already have (AIO, various duragloss stuff, Menzerna stuff, etc) and get it looking the best I can and just get rid of it. I`m off work now trying to get ready for our cross country move so I have the time.



BTW, the white stuff on the fender is just wax, i took that picture in the middle of trying some AIO.



Here are some pics:



http://i18.tinypic.com/4hhh6s3.jpg



http://i17.tinypic.com/4g609y1.jpg

[awahl63]

Yeah that`s some pretty bad oxidation...I think it`d be well worth it to pay for a detail

[joyriiide1113]

Oxidation is the easiest of things to correct... Do it yourself. A so called pro can do more damage if not done right.

[trmiv]

If it`s oxidation, wouldn`t AIO at least make a mark? I tried it on that panel by hand (I don`t own a PC), and it didn`t make any difference, and the pad I used was clean after, no red it in it at all. Maybe the paint is just faded?

[Todd@RUPES]

If you live in Orlando then I would recommend a pro (me of course!). AIO should take care of it, I would think, even by hand. You can also try Meguiars DC1 as it is a pretty good chemical cleaner.

[trmiv]

Nope, SF Bay Area. I tried some AIO, but it didn`t look any different on the small sections I tried.

[brwill2005]

That looks like the clear coat may have failed on the hood. In that case, only a repaint could save it. When you rub the AIO on the paint does red transfer to your towel? If the answer is "Yes", than the paint is single stage and the fading is just oxidation. If color does not transfer, the paint is clear coated, and the clear may be starting to fail. Usually clear coat failure begins on the horizontal surfaces because they get most of the UV exposure. If you find a qualified professional, I am not sure how he/she could make it worse. It would be well worth the money because the car will sell for hundreds or maybe thousands more.

[trmiv]

No, the paint doesn`t transfer at all when I rub it.



The problem is finding a good place to take it. Most mobile detailers aren`t really an option since we live in apartment and have no water or power hookups. There are a couple of places locally, but it`s hard to find reviews of their work anywhere. I don`t want to spend $250-300 and the car looks the same but shinier after. I can do that! :) ;)

[tom p.]

tr, get a referral for somebody in your local area. It `s obvious that one needs some serious attention before you sell it. You`ll surely recover your cost.

[brwill2005]

No, the paint doesn`t transfer at all when I rub it.



The problem is finding a good place to take it. Most mobile detailers aren`t really an option since we live in apartment and have no water or power hookups. There are a couple of places locally, but it`s hard to find reviews of their work anywhere. I don`t want to spend $250-300 and the car looks the same but shinier after. I can do that! :) ;)

If the paint is not transferring, than the clear coat looks to be failing. No detailer can correct that. Do you have all the equipment to do the interior, such as a carpet extractor? If not, a thorough extraction of all the carpets, upholstery and mats will make the interior look much better. If the outside can be corrected, a competent person with polisher will be able to make it look much better than doing it by hand. I find it hard to believe there is not a decent professional or autopian in your area.

[trmiv]

I posted in the Southwest forum looking for someone and got two responses. Both guys are mobile though, and I just don`t have the facilities for them to do their work. That`s all I got though.



The interior actually looks pretty good, there aren`t any major stains, just the floor mats are beat up, but I was going to replace those.

[imported_etml12]

Since you got some responses from a couple autopians in your area couldn`t you try to work out an arrangment to meet them where they would have access to water and power? Maybe at their house? I would think that it might be worth it to drop it off with them. Plus, it would be more convenient for them.

[trmiv]

I just went and checked and saw they finally recently fixed our long broken car wash area at our complex. It`s a covered bay with a pressure washer ( you got pay a steep $2.00 for 4 minutes though), but at least it`s water. I still don`t have power though but don`t a lot of mobile guys have generators?

[Scottwax]

Honestly, if the car is a V6, it isn`t worth much anyway. I`d do what I could with maybe some Meguiars #9 and NXT and put it up for sale.

[trmiv]

Blue book for "fair" in this area is $4250. We were planning on asking $3200 with the paint the way it is. Is spending $250 on a pro detail going to get me more than $250 more for the car? That`s the question.



The car has to go regardless. We are moving to North Carolina in June, and it`s not coming with us. It`s a convertible BTW, so we pretty much have to get rid of here in California where it has at least some value.