91 Legend, Old Grainy Paint, need help!

[JadeRaven]

Hey all, you`ve prob heard this problem before. . .



I got my car about 2 months ago and I don`t think the old lady who had it before me did much waxing. . . lol



Well my car is a 91 so the paint is pretty old. It looks okay, but it feels very grainy and it`s not very smooth at all. I tried waxing my hood, no smoother. Then I clayed a portion and the difference was very very minimal.



I was thinking a polish would do the trick to make it smoother and cleaner, am I right? What would y`all recommend? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.



Thanks!!

[Andre']

How did you use the clay? If used properly the clay should make the finish very smooth. I`m also thinking the finish is oxidized. Before i give you a list of products to buy and use, you need to learn when and how to use them. Here is a link to some good tips that will help you get started.http://autopia.ws/index.php



BTW try using the search function, just enter some keywords, like oxidation.

[JadeRaven]

It was Griot`s (i think) clay and i used Griot`s speed shine as a lubricant. I did use the clay after waxing though, is that bad?



I did search, but everything turns up either 0 or about 300 results. But i`ll try out oxidation. Thanks man!

[JadeRaven]

Ha yeah that one word "oxidation" in the search helped narrow down the search results a lot.



I think I might`ve found my answer, but if anyone else would like to comment it`s still appreciated.



Thanks again!

[JayJayPG]

Is there any shine/reflectiveness on the hood? or is it flat?

[CRXSi90]

a description of your experience claying might be helpful.

[JadeRaven]

Well the car is "charcoal granite metallic", but there is a shine when it`s clean. It`s pretty until you really look at the paint closely. It`s by no means flat, thankfully.



First I washed the car of course. Well after waxing with a turtle wax paste, I realized it was still not smooth. Then my dad suggested using the clay bar. After wiping over an area of the hood a few times with speed shine as a lubricant, we dried the surface and felt it. The paint still felt rough and grainy, although I did notice it was a slight bit smoother.



After researching some more I`m thinking I should try claying again, perhaps giving it a few more passes than normal as it`s feeling pretty rough. Or maybe I should invest in some sort of polish.

[Andre']

I would try claying again, this time use short back fourth strokes, in a 12x12 section until the clay glides smoothly over the finish. Remember to periodically check the clay for ccontaminates and fold it as needed.

[Scottwax]

Can you post a picture or two? It might give us more to go on.



If the car has paint overspray on it, you may need to order the Clay Magic red bar. It is more aggressive than the blue bar and more suited to paint overspray.

[Gonzo]

Mothers Clay Bar Kits is also held in high regard by the folks here and is available at just about any AutoZone or Pep Boys. Just remember to cut the chunk of clay you get into 1/3`s, so if you drop a piece on the ground, you`ll have a backup or two. NEVER put clay to paint if it has been on the ground, even if it looks clean.



If a thorough claying doesn`t do the trick, then I think you`ll be looking at having to buff out the paint. Something you could do yourself with a PC. It is very safe and there are dozens of posts about it here. There is even a turtorial.

[togwt]

Welcome to Autopia



As you will see it’s a ‘very user friendly’ place, the people on this forum are very knowledgeable, and one thing that seems to stand out here compared to other special interest forums is a spirit of "open mindedness�.



Suggest you start at David’s guide (Learn icon – Car Care Topics) and/or (Forum – University) you could also research FAQ (go to Interact-Features-FAQ) or Interact (Search) and then ask your questions on (Forums - University) there are also tips on products under Shop (How-To). The Autopia “Guide to detailing eBook� covers most facets of detailing; every car-detailing enthusiast should own this book. If the Autopia forum solves just one of your detailing problems it’s worth the price of admission





The ultimate shine: 90% Preparation, 4% Product and the balance, in the ‘guy’ of the beholder.





~Hope this is of some help~





Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/





justadumbarchitect

[Spilchy]

I detailed a 14 year old Legend that had never been worked on. It was a mess! It took 2 days. 1 full day for the outside and 1/2 day for the interior.



I washed the car, then I clayed the car while wet with the car wash soap.



I used Meguiars Dual Action Cleaner Polish (DACP) with a PC and a cutting pad on the highest setting.



I followed with Meguiars Speed Glaze and an Orange pad with a PC on speed 5.



I followed with Vanilla Moose and a white pad with a PC on speed 5.



I followed with my wax.



All in all, 90% of the scratches and swirls came out and the car went from what I thought was blue to the original dark green color. If I had my rotary, I could have done better in shorter time.



It sounds like you need to invest in a PC and the proper pads and products. It`s simple to learn and the results are great.



Just read the eBook here and do some searches on the PC. There will be a ton of info about products and pads that will come up in that search. For @ $200 you can get your PC, pads and a couple products. You just need a few key products and you`ll be set.



With the holidays coming up, I think I see a great gift for you!

[JadeRaven]

Thanks everyone. I washed the car two days ago, but it`s not clean enough to see the paint well. . . I`ll be washing again Saturday, and I`ll post a pic.



I`m gonna try claying first, and if that doesn`t seem to work I might invest in a PC myself or strongly incourage the father to. . . heh heh.

[CRXSi90]

While claying, I can hear the bar kinda grab the paint while there are contaminance. Once they are gone, the bar glides really smoothly over the paint.



This probably will go against the grain of what people say here, but you might want to try washing an area [fender, part of hood, ect...] with a dish soap to strip the wax and then try claying. In my experience, attempting to clay over recently waxed paint either picks up wax and makes the clay less effective or makes the bar "skip" over the contaminance due to the wax that had built up around it.



Just a thought...

[Scottwax]

CRXSi90-good point. I don`t know if you`d have to use dish soap, but something like Meguiars Swirl Free or #9 can strip the wax and leave the surface more squeaky clean than slick clean.



I`ve also noticed that a clay bar doesn`t seem to be quite as effective on well waxed surfaces.