Give Me a Prescription

C

Chang

New member
Well I went out and got pictures of my paint imperfections today and I wanted to get some advice from the proffessionals on here for what products and what process I should use on my paint:



My tools are:

Microfiber Towels

All kinds of Pads

Access to any consumer products

6" random orbital buffer by some company "Road Xpedition" 120 Volts (guess its 1 speed only)



Some in information on my car and paint:

1991 MR2

Super Red

Single Stage (No clear coat)



It would also be greatly appreciated if someone could tell me how to use each of the products they list.



And finaly here are the pictures:

DSCF0358.jpg


Swirls and Oxidation between my front windshield and sunroof



DSCF0352.jpg


Monster Swirls on my hood



DSCF0353.jpg


Ugly trim, most likely white from caked on wax



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Oxidized and Swirlized spoiler



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Oxidation around the edges of my engine lid



DSCF0357.jpg


More Swirls and Oxidation



DSCF0355.jpg


Forgot what this is but it's bad.



Those are the pictures of my paint condition. Please give me some info, My car is in desperate need of saving.



Thanks,

Chris
 
Aloha Chang,



Wow, that looks like a black integra I detailed yesterday. Actually, the black integra was wet sanded first with 1500 grit and then 2000 grit. So here is my recommended process below.



1. You will need to get a Porter Cable Dual Action Random Orbital Polisher (PC 7336/7424). The one speed polisher you have is just that one speed so it won't be able to take out the swirls. It may take out the oxidation but not swirls. Also, you will be limited to the products you could use.



2. Get some 6" to 6 1/2"cutting, polishing, and finishing pads. And a 5" or 6" backing plate. You might also want to get some 4" spot buff pads so you can do your front windshield and sunroof and anywhere you need to concentrate your efforts.



3. Get a swirl removal compound/polish



4. Get a final polish.



5. Your favorite sealant and optional carnauba wax as a topper







With Aloha,

Ranney :)
 
what products? I don't know whats the level of abrasiveness that I need.



I like to usually use Meguiars products, but recommend anything you think is good.
 
I'm quite the nub when it comes to this. I don't even know what DACP and SFP is. I'm just accustomed to megs if theirs something better please let me know.



Is any dual action polisher with adjustables speeds good? or do I have to buy the porter cable 7424 to get good results.
 
Any dual action polisher with sufficient power will do (Makita, Rigid, Dewalt all make DA's i think, plus i've seen a number of variously branded air powered ones), but I'd go for the PC, or a Cyclo if you can afford it (Cyclo is a big step up from a PC imho). As far as products go, I would start with Poorboy's World SSR2.5 on an orange pad, and then finish with SSR2 or SSR1 on a white pad. I've found the SSR's to be the easiest products to use by PC. for the trim, I'd clean it with diluted APC and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, than follow up with Poorboy's Trim Restore or some sort of trim dye (topoftheline.com sells a great trim dye).



-Tim
 
whats sufficient power? the one that I have now doesn't tell me what RPM's it spins at, just the voltage which is 120, which I believe is the same as the PC 7424 so does that mean its power is comparable?
 
First read this to decipher all posts on this website http://www.autopia.org/display.php?file=acronyms.htm&s=&menu=8. The buffer you have now is probably like the first one that I bought from Sears. Worthless. One speed, and no spin under any kind of load. Step up to the PC if you are really serious about affecting any kind of change on your paint. You can't do it with a wimpy polisher, believe me I've tried. I bought a PC and some Poorboy's SSR products, and it is amazing what you can do. Just spend some time on here reading around, and you will get a feel for what to use on your paint to get the results you want.
 
So far my plan of attack will be me renting either a PC or borrowing a dewalt849 from someone I know.



My process would be:

1. Wash with meguiars wash

2. clay meg's quick clay

3. meg's dual action cleaner/polisher

4. meg's gold class wax or NXT if I feel rich



Am I missing any steps? Should I put a glaze step in their somewhere? Should I use a seperate polisher like megs SPF or is the DACP good enough?



Can anybody recommend a good microfiber company, I should buy from.



What kind of pads should I be using.



Thanks and sorry for all the nub questions,

Chris



p.s. anybody know where I can rent dual actoin polishers like the PC724?
 
The 849 might be a little too much polisher to handle, if you don't have previous experience. The PC will not be. However, if you read up on a few tutorials, and if you keep it slow, the 849 will do some nice work. On a single-stage paintjob, there is more margin for error than on the "newer" paints. Stay away from wool pads though, its pretty easy to do serious damage with them, if you are inexperienced. Start with DACP via polishing pad if you go for the rotary, and then finish with Meg's #80 via polishing pad, keep it under 1200 RPM on the DACP step and 1000RPM on the #80.



You might want to consider trying the 849 on a junk panel or the car of a family member you don't like, until you get the hang of it well enough not to burn through your paint. Then try it on your car.



Poorboy's World sells some quality MF towels and they are out of NY, look them up at www.poorboysworld.com. Beware though, its pretty easy to turn a 40 dollar MF purchase into a 200 dollar purchase on their site.



DACP is pretty strong stuff, I'd follow it up with #80, then go to wax. Also, try a pure wax, like #26 rather than cleaner waxes like NXT and GC. The cleaner waxes might remove some of the oils that 80 leaves behind, and your paint looks like it could use all the fillers it can handle :).



For pads, I like Lake Country personally, but any brand avaliable at Autogeek, PAC, TOL, or a bodyshop supply store should be sufficient. Start with a light cutting pad and DACP (I've had limited luck with cutting pads and PC), and move up to a polishing pad.
 
From what I've read on here I don't think a rotary would be a wise choice for your first time ever at paint correction. Especially on your daily driver.
 
Take the car to a profesional and let them clean it up for you, then all you have to do is keep up on the washing & waxing process. If you want to learn, Autopia is a great place, but this can be very costly when it comes to products. There are so many products that arent sold locally that are great, i've only just begin to buy and try. I've used a rotary for a great many years, then bought the PC and alot of different pads, then microfiber towels, different wheel cleaners, wax's, sealants and keep on going, but this is hard on the wallet. Save yourself the money and have it done by a pro. Then try some different cleaners, wax's and sealers. I love Wolfgang as a sealer, i dont think Vanilla Moose is all that great, NXt seems to be good, DACP seems to be weak, I own Poorboys SSR3, but havent tried it. If your a virgin to the rotary stay away on a car that you care about, go buy a hood at a junk yard and keep it around for practice. I dont know of anyone that rents buffers or PC.



Sellncars
Chang said:
whats sufficient power? the one that I have now doesn't tell me what RPM's it spins at, just the voltage which is 120, which I believe is the same as the PC 7424 so does that mean its power is comparable?
Click to expand...
 
Chang said:
what products? I don't know whats the level of abrasiveness that I need.



I like to usually use Meguiars products, but recommend anything you think is good.
Click to expand...



As far as OTC products, Meg's is a fine choice considering that the product line-up from Meg's will address each aspect of your detail. Just devise a strategy of how you need to proceed in stages and compare the needs you have with the products available. Since you are familiar with Meguires products, They are a good place to start. Later, experiment with other products as your interests expand. ;) Meg's has a very comprehensive array of products !:xyxthumbs



Read the forums for hints and tips ! Have fun.!
 
Chang said:
what products? I don't know whats the level of abrasiveness that I need.



I like to usually use Meguiars products, but recommend anything you think is good.
Click to expand...



Unless you are prepared to invest about $150.00 to $175.00 which would be the cost of a PC, velcro backing plate and about 3 pads, you might be better off taking it to a professional to get your car in good shape and then get some product to maintain it. If you're willing to tackle it yourself and want to make the investment, then I would use Meguiars DACP, Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze and then Meguiars #26 or #21 as the top coat. The #80 will make it easier going from DACP to the top coat wax. If you're interested, I can put together a package of the DACP, Speed Glaze and your choice of Poorboys EX P, Meguiars NXT or Meguiars #26 for a very reasonable price. Just shoot me a PM.:D
 
well I've decided just to have ti professionaly detailed and just keep up with regular maintainence.



But I have a few questions:

The detailer told me that the swirls and oxidation are not completely removable, is this true?



Since I have no clearcoat will this only be temporary? wil the swirls and oxidation come back? Or can I just keep up with regular waxing and washing to keep the paint in the same condition.



Sorry for bumping this just didn't want to start a new thread for this question.



thanks,

Chris
 
Chang said:
well I've decided just to have ti professionaly detailed and just keep up with regular maintainence.



But I have a few questions:

The detailer told me that the swirls and oxidation are not completely removable, is this true?



Since I have no clearcoat will this only be temporary? wil the swirls and oxidation come back? Or can I just keep up with regular waxing and washing to keep the paint in the same condition.



Sorry for bumping this just didn't want to start a new thread for this question.



thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...



Unfortunately it may be impossible to remove all the swirls and oxidation. A lot depends on how bad it is and it would be impossible to tell without seeing it in person. The main thing is to make sure that the detailer has a good reputation. When I was looking for a detailer to do my Mustang that was oversprayed by my neighbor, my approach was to talk to some of the high end shops that deal with Mercedes, BMW's, Lexus etc. and go by their recommendation. I found two that did top quality work and the car came out great. Once you get the paint in the best shape it can be, just get in a routine of waxing every few months. You will probably have to add a polishing step in there also to help maintain the finish. Keeping a car nice is a never ending battle, but well worth the reward.:D
 
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