Who wants to help with the worst black paint ever??

[blackntan]

A friend just picked up his first car. A 97 Nissan Altima. Black, of course...



It`s a NY car that has never been washed. Never been waxed. He said when he got it the finish looked like concrete. He applied 2 coats of turtle wax, with very blah results. It looks hazy, dull, and as swirly as i`ve ever ever seen. The swirls are the worst, much meaner than what i`ve seen in before pics here.. It`s hazy to the point of looking grey.



There are also loads of chips in the front, and more scratches than i`d like to acknowledge. It really needs a repaint. But he can`t afford it... I`m going to do the best I can..



Here`s my arsenal. Some of it`s my dads, but it`s up for use... (bonus points if you can guess what`s mine and what`s my dads)



PC with every pad imaginable

3M rubbing compound paste

PI-II

SMR for dark cars

scratch X

Klasse AIO

SEC

Meguairs deep crystal polish

Nu Finish

that color wax stuff in black

S100

Meguairs gold class wax





So, what should I use?? Give me a process using this stuff and anything Else I can pick up at a local pepboys or similar. The session is saturday..



Also, as for the chips in the front, what do you guys think about covering em with a black sharpie? Like I said, he can`t afford a repaint, I just want to get his altima looking presentable.



Also, any tips on how to even remotly cover scratches that go to primer would be appreciated.



This is a free detail, but it`s for a friend, and these are most important ones...



Thanks!! Before and after pics will be added saturday.



Jared

[Preachers Sheets]

I have detailed cars as bad as that (hopefully I never have to again).



I have always used this routine...



Wash

Clay

3M Finesse It-II Fine Cut Rubbing compound

Klasse AIO (2 coats at most)

3M Glaze (1 coat)

(Sealent of your choice)



You could probaly skip the 3M Glaze, only a trained eye can tell the difference. You`d end up saving alot of time compared to what you have listed above :)

[imported_BretFraz]

I`d try the PI2 and the compound with the most aggressive pad I had and played with them to see which works best, then go with that on the first step. You need to level the paint to remove most of the scratches and swirls and that takes some aggressive polishing. Crank the PC up to 6 and go at it!!



From there you could go AIO or SMR to remove any PC-induced swirls and bring out a nice shine. Or try that Meg`s polish (its mostly a chemical cleaner, not too abrasive) and see how that works. Do this on small sections to gauge results.



Focus on polishing technique and results and the car should come out just fine. Post some before & after pics so we all can see your hard work.

[blackntan]

Thanks guys! That`s what I figured on doing. Would you recommend I try out the wool PC pad, or stick with the yellow? I haven`t had a car that required the wool yet, so I haven`t used it.



Also, any advice on covering the chips and scratches?? Just something to make them appear less visible from 10 feet away, as the primer is white/grey, and they`re super visible.



I`m gonna touch up the bigger ones, maybe mask off and spray one or two, but do you think the black sharpie would work, or do you know anywhere I can get a black paint pen?



Here`s my plan:



PI-II with yellow or wool

AIOx2 with yellow or white

a yet to be determined polish/glaze

Nu Finishx2 by hand

Gold class finish.



Thoughts? Depending on time constraints I may cut out the carnuaba finish, I think the Nu Finish may look good enough for him. Nu Finish is the only sealant I have, unless my SG order gets here by sat. If it does, i`ll do that instead.



I can`t wait to post the before/after pics of this one. I`m honestly scared!!

[Preachers Sheets]

If your new to the PC, your asking for trouble with that wool pad. It can work really well but you can also burn and haze the paint pretty bad. A compound and yellow pad with the PC is as potent as wetsanding so if you need more cutting action than that I`m thinking there`s not much you can do.



The compounding/polish will blend the paint into the scratches and make then less obvious.



I tried to touch up chips before, it takes practice and I messed up on a beater car so I`m not too comfortable with my own skills to do something like that on my car, nevermind someone elses.

[jeremyp111]

I recently ordered some Langka which is a product that removes the blob from touch up paints and it has worked awesome for me. All I had to do was touch up the chips (and you don`t have to be that careful, just blob it on) wait for them to dry (about an hour) and then use the Langka to remove the blob. It works fast and easy, no hard rubbing what so ever. On a black car you will be able to fix them so they won`t be noticed. On my pearl white Lexus RX300 it`s a bit tougher to match the color perfectly, but it is far better than the chips.



Hope this helps you out,



Jeremy

[blackntan]

Jeremy,



that`s a great idea. How big of an area can I get the langka to fix? Will I be able to paint and smooth out the area about the size of a quarter? Not to perfection, but reasonably well. I`ve never even seen this thing in real life...



I`ll have to wait for that till next time though, I won`t be able to get it by saturday.



Joe,



I`m not new to the PC, but I am new to the wool pad. I`ll prolly stick with the yellow pad though. So the FC and the yellow pad should be good enough?



I`m also pretty bad with touch ups, which is why I was asking about the marker or paint pen. They seem like safer options. Keep in mind that anything would be better than the white chips on black paint that you can see now. It`s really high contrast and very painful to look at..



Thanks again for the help..

[Preachers Sheets]

Blackntan - The yellow pad and FC is plenty strong ;)



Jeremy - So you just blob this stuff on and remove it and there is enough paint behind to fill in the chip? Sounds interesting, time to do some searching.

[jeremyp111]

How you fix the chips is this:



1) Clean out chips to be fixed

2) Apply touch up paint obtained locally. Just brush it on thick and let it dry

3) Once dry go over the chips to see if they need more paint. Add any if necessary

4) Wait til dry. Usually about 45 minutes

5) Use a piece cut from a bed sheet wrapped around a plastic card (included in kit) and apply Langka to the blob of paint

6) wipe back and forth gently until the blob starts to dissolve

7) Once it starts to dissolve then go one wipe at a time genlty until you get the desired smoothness

8) Move on to next chip....





It is so easy. Check out the website langka.com and get the kit that includes everything you need. The best part is...you can`t screw up. If you do, then just add more paint and start over again. It might take a few chips to get the hang of it, but don`t be afraid....you really can`t make a mistake. None that you won`t be able to fix anyway! :P



Good luck,



Jeremy

[blackntan]

That stuff sounds great! You wouldn`t hapeen to have any detailed before/after pics, would you?



I`ll definitly have to go shopping, my car could use a touch up or two as well..



Ok, so the big detail is tomorrow.. I`m a bit excited, and a bit scared. I hope it all works out. Pics should be up sometime sunday, and i`ll update this link then.



Thanks again guys, lets hope I pass my biggest test thus far...

[boywonder]

blackntan, good luck on that project. :D



I might be getting some of that for my next Maxima so I don`t get rolled with paint chips(since Nissan paint is notoriously fragile).

[jeremyp111]

I took some pics but they don`t show much at all cuz of the pearl white. I`ll go through them again though. No need to be scared, only excited!



Have at it!



Jeremy