HELP ugly Car TOTAL newb NEEDS your HELP

[truereligion]

:waxing: :help: okay so i have some meguiars colorx. i dont know anything hardly im here to learn. I will be waxing it by hand. i dont have tons of time to spend. is this a good product. is there anything that i should use before applying the colorx like a polish or something? or is there anything ishould use after it like another wax to add coats? anything to give it more shine or last longer? I would need stuff that is OTC available at auto stores. thanks guys

 

[velobard]

Do you have faded single-stage paint or what? Tell us some of the problems your paint is having.



ColorX is a decent product for what it does. If you're looking for something with more durability and want OTC stuff then it depends on what you have available locally. A couple good examples are Colinite and Duragloss. Some of the Meguiars stuff is fine as well.

 

[truereligion]

well i have swirls and it looks like tons of hand prints all over my car. i also have a dark blue colored car.

 

[imported_themightytimmah]

ColorX won't fix swirls. If you've got swirls, minimal time, and are working by hand, 3M Imperial Hand Glaze topped with Collinite is where its at.



It might not be the "Autopian" way of doing things, but as long as your willing to reapply every other month, it'll keep your car looking better than 90% of the cars on the road.

 

[Accumulator]

truereligion- As mentioned, the Color-X is very gentle and is not abrasive enough to remove marring ("swirls", etc.) from the surface of the paint. For that you need something more abrasive.



Two ways to deal with it: a) remove it (mechanically/abrasively) and/or 2) hide it. What themightytimmah suggested is the latter approach- the IHG fills in the marring and the wax seals the IHG in so it won't just wash away in the first rain. As the wax wears away the marring becomes visible again, that's why you'll have to redo it every month or so. He warned that it's "not be the "Autopian" way of doing things" because some people would consider it a half-@$$ed approach..the "problem" would still be there you just wouldn't see it as readily.



Honestly, doing this stuff by hand is never quick *or* easy. Sorry, I'm not familiar with any OTC products that I can recommend for this (not saying there aren't any, just that I don't know of them). I'd use 1Z brand Paint Polish topped with Collinite, but you'd have to order it.