Hi all,
I just bought a 1996 Nissan Sentra in white. Mechanically the car still runs like a champ, but the exterior is really trashed. I'm sure you detail fanatics will faint. lol Hundreds of embedded treesap on the roof, some areas of paint have no clearcoat left, and lots of fading and oxidation everywhere.
To make things worse, there are 2 bad rust spots above both rear tires.
While I have no money nor desire to turn this car into a concours champ, I'd like to know the most cost effective & easiest method to at least make the car look decent again.
FYI, I have almost zero detailing or paintwork experience.. I'll post what I THINK I should be doing, feel free to add more info or suggest different ideas.
First, I need to take care of the rust, so I'm buying a harborfreight rotary sander/polisher ($20) to get rid of the rust. Then I'll spray rustoleum primer and duplicolor topcoat.
I'm also going to buy a can of Duplicolor Rust Fix spray, jack up the car and spray this stuff all over the undercarriage to prevent further oxidation underneath.
Now to the exterior paint - I guess I could:
1. Give a good wash
2. Claybar (<- Is this really necessary if I'll use the rotary & rubbing compound?)
3. 3M rubbing compound, or Meguiar's Mirrorglaze heavycut cleaner + rotary buffer
4. Polish + rotary buffer
5. Wax + rotary buffer
I just bought a 1996 Nissan Sentra in white. Mechanically the car still runs like a champ, but the exterior is really trashed. I'm sure you detail fanatics will faint. lol Hundreds of embedded treesap on the roof, some areas of paint have no clearcoat left, and lots of fading and oxidation everywhere.
To make things worse, there are 2 bad rust spots above both rear tires.
While I have no money nor desire to turn this car into a concours champ, I'd like to know the most cost effective & easiest method to at least make the car look decent again.
FYI, I have almost zero detailing or paintwork experience.. I'll post what I THINK I should be doing, feel free to add more info or suggest different ideas.
First, I need to take care of the rust, so I'm buying a harborfreight rotary sander/polisher ($20) to get rid of the rust. Then I'll spray rustoleum primer and duplicolor topcoat.
I'm also going to buy a can of Duplicolor Rust Fix spray, jack up the car and spray this stuff all over the undercarriage to prevent further oxidation underneath.
Now to the exterior paint - I guess I could:
1. Give a good wash
2. Claybar (<- Is this really necessary if I'll use the rotary & rubbing compound?)
3. 3M rubbing compound, or Meguiar's Mirrorglaze heavycut cleaner + rotary buffer
4. Polish + rotary buffer
5. Wax + rotary buffer
