faded paint suggestions?

[epbrown01]

Tomorrow I`m going to try and "help" the roughest of my Porsche collection, this 944 (http://epbrown01.home.att.net/944.jpg). The paint is oxidized and thin, the rubber is dull, and the stone chip decals are cracked and dirty.



The plan is to try and revive the paint with clay, 3M hand glaze, and Meguiars wax and polish. What would refresh the rubber on the front and rear bumpers, and what would remove the decals? Goo gone doesn`t seem strong enough, and I`m worried about agressive methods because I don`t want to hurt the paint underneath. I just want the car to look decent - I plan to have it repainted next spring.



Emanuel

[togwt]

:welcome to Autopia epbrown01



~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



Q1: The plan is to try and revive the paint with clay, 3M hand glaze, and Meguiarâ€â„¢s wax and polish.

A1: You really need to remove the oxidized paint (may even save you the cost of a repaint, or at least stall it for awhile), the clay may remove some but it will become clogged up very quickly. The glaze and wax will only cover-up the problem (if you wax over a paint surface that has no shine to it, wax will not provide a shine )



Q2: What would refresh the rubber on the front and rear bumpers.

A2: Use a Forever Black Kit to restore a dark, black finish on sun-faded or bleached vinyl, rubber or plastic mouldings and bumpers. Forever Black will completely cover the worst wax stains or sun-faded trim with a finish that will not wash off. The Forever Black Kit contains 4 oz. of Cleaner Concentrate and 4 oz. of Forever Black Dye



Q3: and what would remove the decals? Goo gone doesn`t seem strong enough, and I`m worried about agressive methods because I don`t want to hurt the paint underneath

A3: Wurth PT # 06.0150 eraser wheel fits on (a slow speed) a drill and will remove decals or adhesive without harming the paint surface.



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM

[salty]

Welcome! TOGWT is right on the money.To remove oxidized paint this is what i would try. First wash the car by hand. Mix-up a strong solution of car wash soap or paint safe general purpose cleaner (maybe Simple Green- you probably don`t have the soap that i use). A wash mit or i use a bug sponge(make sure that it is non scratch type) and wash the car. Wash and go over and over the same area many times, do not use much pressure. It is sort of like claying. Then rinse and check your progress. You do not want to introduce scratches. Do the whole car , rinsing and keeping wet. This process should remove a portion of the oxidized paint. Then if you have no power tools, you will have to go by hand. Start with something mild like Mothers Pre-Wax Cleaner or such and you will know right away how bad and how much work will be involved. Expect to use many towels or wax pads or have to wash them out as they will become saturated with dead paint and cleaner. When you are happy with results, wax every couple of months. Decals you could start with a heat gun or blow dryer, to remove the tape and then Goo-Gone for the adhesive.

[epbrown01]

Thanks for the welcome and the suggestions, guys - I`ll give them a try tomorrow. Any thoughts on using the Meguiars 5-step system - I have that on hand, along with some Zymol products.



Emanuel

[joburnet]

That`s lookin pretty rough and would be tough to do by hand. I would suggest get a PC and some megs DACP, it will save you hours of work. Or you could get a pro detailer to do it but be careful, there are a lot of bad ones out there.

[epbrown01]

I think you`re right about needing a machine. This car is the roughest of my 3 Porsches and my winter beater, so I`m willing to take risks with it. I`ve been planning to get a polisher, but as a condo-dweller in downtown Chicago I don`t have access to power; tomorrow I`m picking up a Craftsman cordless buffer from Sears with a spare battery. I`ll charge them overnight and do the car on Sunday. For tomorrow, I`ll likely use TOGWT`s idea and remove all the 20-year-old chip protection decals, work on my wheels, and do some interior cleaning if I have time. Sunday, I`ll start on trying to revive my paint. Mostly, I want the car at least presentable for the winter - I plan to have it repainted and get new carpets next spring.

[mtodde]

I think you`re best bet to bring the paint back to life would be Klasse AIO. I realize you don`t have it on hand and probably can`t find it locally...it does work miracles on oxidized red paint though.

[epbrown01]

Klasse is for sale at my local Pep Boys - I see it on the shelf all the time, but I`ve never tried it. How would I use it? Just wash the car and apply? Better by hand or machine?



Emanuel

[mtodde]

You are so lucky! None of the Pep Boys around me carry anything like Klasse!



You can apply AIO by machine or PC...I don`t know about rotary. Personally I like applying it by hand and like to do a panel and then buff it off with a microfiber towel. If you are applying by PC I suggest a polishing pad...a finishing pad would work well also.



I tend to use a front & back motion rather than a circular motion or a side to side. AIO is very easy to use. SG can be a bit tougher, but here`s a link to Bill North`s Wipe On Wipe Off instructions: http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=30989&referrerid=17536.



AIO is a chemical cleaner/sealant and I really like it for oxication. Sealant Glaze is a sealant that works very well topping AIO. I used AIO on a friend`s 99 Solara. His paint was almost maroon when we washed it & clayed it. AIO removed a lot of oxidation and really brought the wet look back. He liked the look so much that he hasn`t topped it yet and it has been 2 months...in Chicago I`d recommend topping it with something like SG that will give you some lasting protection for the winter.