Newb needs advice-detailing a neglected 5 year old car Sat.

A

atldave

New member
My sister has a 98 3000GT that she is getting ready to sell so I'm going to clean it up for her.



She's probably waxed it once and washed it a few times in the 5 years she has had it.



On top of that, the car sits in her driveway under a canopy of pine trees.



I have my work cut out for me I'm sure.



I do have a PC polisher, the white pad that came with it and some foam and terry bonnets that fit over that thing. I know, I need to buy the kit with the velcro backing plate and real pads, but this will have to do for this car. I have some decent Mequiars products I can use--SMR, Cleaner-Wax, Polish, Wax.



I use these on my car with great results, but my car is only 2 years old and has been taken care of and garaged.



I know I'm going to need something pretty aggressive to get this thing shining, and don't have the time of money to buy anything new.



I'm going to wash with dawn and then clay.



I'm a little stuck on the next step though. I don't know if the SMR is going to be aggressive enough to get the paint really clean.



I have 3 old bottles of polish in the garage that I'd like to give a shot and see how they work without damaging the paint.



I have:

-Turtle Wax One Step Color Back Finish Restorer & Car Polish--this says not intended for clear coat, so it's probably out (I need to test if there's a clear coat first)



-Westley's Concentrate Auto Polish (with Dimethylpolysiloxane)



Blue Coral Extra Fine Liquid White Polishing Compound.



None of these have any mention of using a machine and I don't know if I can polish/wax on top of them and I don't know if they will damage the paint (any more than some light scratches that I could buff out with the SMR)



After this, I think I'm all set with the SMR/Polish/Wax steps.



Please bestow your knowledge and advice upon me.
 
Well I would suggest washing with some liquid Tide detergent (the regular Tide, not the bleaching one.)



Then clay, use some Tarminator or the like for the tree sap.



The paint should be clean after this process. Wash the car with car wash shampoo to neutralize anything that is still left on the paint. That tarminator stuff is some strong stuff.



Polish with a foam bonnet and some polish. Try the SMR first. It might work slow but several applications will make an improvement. Remember to work it in, follow Alboston's PC article. Then wax.



That would be my plan of attack on the paint. Makse sure all the other elements of the car are also cleaned (glass, trim, tires, wheels, wheel wells, tail pipes, interior, etc. etc.)



Jason
 
JasonC8301 said:
Well I would suggest washing with some liquid Tide detergent (the regular Tide, not the bleaching one.)



Then clay, use some Tarminator or the like for the tree sap.



The paint should be clean after this process. Wash the car with car wash shampoo to neutralize anything that is still left on the paint. That tarminator stuff is some strong stuff.



Polish with a foam bonnet and some polish. Try the SMR first. It might work slow but several applications will make an improvement. Remember to work it in, follow Alboston's PC article. Then wax.



That would be my plan of attack on the paint. Makse sure all the other elements of the car are also cleaned (glass, trim, tires, wheels, wheel wells, tail pipes, interior, etc. etc.)



Jason
Click to expand...



Thanks. I've never heard the tide trick, is that just stronger than Dawn but not abrasive?



I don't have any tarminator, but I've had good results getting off overspray with Goo Gone - would that work?



Are you saying I don't need to do an additional polish if I use the #9 (I need to clarify, this is the Mequiars, not 3M)?



I'm not trying to kill myself, just make this car look shiny enough to sell. I'm thinking just getting this car looking great will up the resale by $1000 or more. It's one of those love it or hate it cars that should bring a pretty emotional buyer.



Where do I find Albostons article?



I'm all set with the interior, wheels, glass, etc. I'm even replacing the vinyl shift ebrake boots that have completely fallen apart.



Thanks for all your help! I know it's a hassle answering the same newb questions over and over.
 
I heard of it a while back, cleans a little better than dawn. I think Ron K. brought it up.



Goo Gone - I have no comments on this one, maybe someone else can enlighten me. I think there may be some threads on this. It just might work on pine sap. I would feel safer using Tarminator though. Something about using Goo-Gone on an entire car, I believe its a syruppy thick gel, kinda messy to work with. Spot treatment maybe but on a whole car I would just use the aerosol of Tarminator or a good bug, tar, and tree sap remover. Clay might wok to a degree. The sap is hard stuff so the clay might glide ove rit, or it might remove it. Only thing to do is try but be prepared for the worst.



Meguiar's #9 2.0 right? I used it last weekend, a little to fine for me. I had to kick it up a knotch to 3M Imperial Microfinishing Compound (a medium cut compound.) last weekend on a neglected car. The #9 might just work to improve the finish and finish it off with some cleaner wax.



I think if you look into the detailing articles section you can find it. I think its "removing swirls with the PC 7336."



I love the 3000GT's. I'm trying to get my hands on detailing one of my friend's friends red 3000 GT's. It is garaged and only has light-medium swirls.....
 
atldave said:
I do have a PC polisher, the white pad that came with it and some foam and terry bonnets that fit over that thing. I know, I need to buy the kit with the velcro backing plate and real pads, but this will have to do for this car. I have some decent Mequiars products I can use--SMR, Cleaner-Wax, Polish, Wax.
Click to expand...
Dave,



You'll probably do fine with the pad and bonnets you have; however, you can probably find a backing plate and pads local to you if you're interested. Check the Yellow Pages for automotive paint supply stores . . . they usually have what I'm looking for (pads, 3M polishes, etc.).



Good luck on the 3000GT . . . neglected cars are always big jobs, but they're also the most dramatic transformations.



Tort
 
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