Hello from Toronto, Canada. Please help me with some advice

[Karmann_20v]

Hi all, my name is Florin and I am as much of a newbie when it comes to detailing, as they come. I have signed up on the forum looking to improve my skills and hopefully receive some advise from the resident gurus around here. I do have an issue that does not seem to go away and I will try my best to describe it below:

I have an old (1979) red Mercedes and it does have an oxidized non original single stage red paint. I am trying to bring the paint "back to life" and I kinda done that, but it did not last - more on that below. When I got the car in 2012, it appeared that somebody tried to do the same thing (found a receipt in the car), but ended up inflicting alot of swirl marks and did nothing for the oxidation...

So I borrowed by friend`s Shurhold DA polisher and bought Meguiars M105, M205 and M21 Synthetic sealant. Also got Meguiars DFC/DFP5 pads. I thought this will be a great start. Before getting started, I washed the car, then clay barred it. Then I was off to the 105, that removed some of the swirls but not all of them - it seemed it worked best with a polishing pad rather than the cutting one. Then went to the 205 which brought back shine and "depth" to the paint, then I was off to the sealing with M21, left it on for 15 minutes and removed. The result was very, very positive - I drove the car that weekend and received many "thumbs up" in traffic. But here comes the problem: 2-2.5 weeks after, the hood, top and trunk lid started to lose the shine, the finish looks almost like a satin flat finish and there is no reflection whatsoever - nothing! The red seems to maintain its depth compared to before. I admit that I kept the car in the sun, uncovered but I thought the shine should have lasted a bit more than it did... A quick test yesterday revealed that if I manually polished a small area, the shine and reflection comes back, but I want to know what exactly is it that I`m doing wrong, or did I miss a crucial step in the preservation process?

I apologize for the lack of pictures and please excuse my lack of experience, but we all start somewhere.

Thanks in advance and looking to your thoughts and suggestions.

Cheers!
Florin

[mjlinane]

Welcome to Autopia!

One thing you didn`t mention - how did you remove the Megs 105/205?

[tropicsteve]

florin, here`s a good write up by mike phillips over at AG on detailing single stage paint. The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/25304-secret-removing-oxidation-restoring-show-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html).

"What you want to do is remove the oxidation safely and carefully while at the same time bringing the paint back to life by gorging it with rich polishing oils. What you don’t want to do is remove the oxidation by scouring the paint with a rubbing compound that’s similar to beach sand while at the same time you’re exposing the newly exposed fresh base or layer of paint to a harsh solvent"

"Here’s the good news… there is a way to safely restore antique paint using a product that as near as I can tell came out in the early 1920’s and possibly even earlier… it’s hard to find out this kind of information because anyone that would know this kind of information is no longer with us and alas nothing’s been written down over the decades…


The Secret of Number Seven
There is a way to restore single stage paints that is non-abrasive and as gentle as you can get using a product that’s been around since early paints were formulated. That product is called Meguiar`s Mirror Glaze #7 Show Car Glaze."

be sure to read through all of mike`s write up, it`s very thorough.

[Karmann_20v]

Welcome to Autopia!

One thing you didn`t mention - how did you remove the Megs 105/205?

I have used a few new microfiber towels for each of the steps.


florin, here`s a good write up by mike phillips over at AG on detailing single stage paint. The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/25304-secret-removing-oxidation-restoring-show-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html).

"What you want to do is remove the oxidation safely and carefully while at the same time bringing the paint back to life by gorging it with rich polishing oils. What you don’t want to do is remove the oxidation by scouring the paint with a rubbing compound that’s similar to beach sand while at the same time you’re exposing the newly exposed fresh base or layer of paint to a harsh solvent"

"Here’s the good news… there is a way to safely restore antique paint using a product that as near as I can tell came out in the early 1920’s and possibly even earlier… it’s hard to find out this kind of information because anyone that would know this kind of information is no longer with us and alas nothing’s been written down over the decades…


The Secret of Number Seven
There is a way to restore single stage paints that is non-abrasive and as gentle as you can get using a product that’s been around since early paints were formulated. That product is called Meguiar`s Mirror Glaze #7 Show Car Glaze."

be sure to read through all of mike`s write up, it`s very thorough.

Wow, quite a writeup! Thanks for pointing this to me, I will read through.

[Karmann_20v]

Steve, I read Mike`s writeup and it all made sense (especially the #7 part).

So I have ordered 2 bottles of Meguiar`s #7 Show Car Glaze and decided to experiment on a small area on the hood of the car.

The car has gotten the clay bar before (it was parked ever since) and I just hand washed the hood.

I have applied the first coat of #7 last night and left it until I came home form work today. For the application and removal, I used microfiber towels again. I used what I think it was alot of product, the applicator MF was saturated with it already at the first pass. So I have removed the first coat and went to apply 3 more coats, one after another. The result is indeed amazing, however I am having some flashbacks from when I applied the M105/205/21 a month ago, as described in the 1st post.

Here is what the paint looks like (center of the picture):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/florin/W116/20150813_175032_resized_zpsttptqyvo.jpg

As I mentioned, I am only testing on a section of the hood, next pictures show a comparison between the treated area and the non treated ones:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/florin/W116/20150813_175008_resized_zpsf8mqhjgn.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/florin/W116/20150813_175017_resized_zpscrdeg3aa.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/florin/W116/20150813_175000_resized_zpszbmuvx2c.jpg

And after applying a coat of carnauba wax (used Megs Gold Class because that is what I had available):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/florin/W116/20150813_181758_resized_zpsnrrxud4z.jpg

Now based on the above pictures, I`d like your opinions:
1. What are the dull areas and why do you think they lost all the shine within less than 1 month? Oxidation?
2. Is it a good idea to just wait and see if this time the finish I achieved today lasts longer before I apply #7 to the entire car and how long is it realistically supposed to last?
3. If it lasts, I think it`s a 7 out of 10. The following steps of the writeup (machine polishing in 2-3 steps and one more wax coat) will probably take it close to a 10. Will these steps also do anything for the durability of the finish?

Thanks again!

Florin

P.S. I tried to link the Photobucket pictures but I managed to get error messages, hence the pic links...

[Ronkh]

I don`t know whether it`s right or wrong, but I might try to polish again, then wax. (since you hydrated the paint)

[tropicsteve]

looks like your efforts are really helping there florin. the dull areas look to me like oxidation is setting in, and unfortunately oxidation can get to a point of no return, especially with single stage paint being so thin to start with. I think I`d follow up like ron suggested, with a light polish and wax and wait an see if it lasts. of course, a paint thickness gauge would be nice to have.

[Stokdgs]

I was using Meguiars No. 7 almost 50 years ago -
It was always really good on new acrylic lacquer or acrylic enamel and any paintwork from decades before..
Pretty hard to beat for getting a good liquid shine, but as you have found out, it is only good until the next wash or sooner..
Was never intended to be a long time sealant protectant.. Hence the name - Meguiars Nbr 7 Show Car Glaze..
It was always at the Car Shows; everyone had a bottle of it and used it to touch up and keep their baby`s shiny..

Your old beautiful Mercedes paint will benefit from it but of course it will be fleeting and then you will need to apply it or just be ok knowing that that grand old paint is coming to an end sometime..

Glad you are here - hope your enjoy your stay - as always we are happy to help !
Dan F