jeffwagner
New member
I want to thank the members of this forum for your advice and info. I have just sold my 1991 Celica Convertible after some extensive detailing using the techniques you all recommended.
At first I could not get the oxidation off of the red single stage enamel paint. I tried several non-abrasive products - Meg. Swirl Free 2.0, Medalion Paint Cleaner... Finally I got some 3M fine Rubbing Compound 3600 (?). It really did a nice job. Followed that with the Medalion paint cleaner, and some PS21 wax. Wow.
I found that the hardest thing was to repair paint chips. I preped the surface with a 3M fiberglass sanding pen. Then the red paint had faded so the "exact" match paint was too dark. I mixed in a few drops of white paint, and then applied the touch up paint in very small blobs. I wet sanded the blobs with 2500 sandpaper until smooth, and then rubbed the area with Meq. Scratch X. I worked pretty well, but you can still see the touch up area on close inspection.
For the convertible top, which was canvas, I vacuumed the thing dry. Then I dyed it black with Rit die. That helped restore a lot of color. Then I sprayed it with Ragg Topp protectant. Looks pretty good. Small tears I repaired with tire patches and cement from the interior of the car. They don't leak !
The plastic window was a challange. I notice that unlike waxes, and polishes, that with plastic cleaners and polishes, you need to use a lot of product for them to work well. Like 2 tablespoons on a microfiber towl. I used Meg Plasitic Polish, and Plastic Cleaner.
Finally, I really liked workign with Meg Rubber and Vinyl Cleaner and Protectant 40 (?). That stuff really removes lots of crud and leaves a nice matt surface on wheel wells, engine components, interior and black exterior trim.
Anyway, the car looked great. It sold after 8 days for my full asking price, and the new owner looks like he will love the car as much as I did.
Thanks again.
Jeff
At first I could not get the oxidation off of the red single stage enamel paint. I tried several non-abrasive products - Meg. Swirl Free 2.0, Medalion Paint Cleaner... Finally I got some 3M fine Rubbing Compound 3600 (?). It really did a nice job. Followed that with the Medalion paint cleaner, and some PS21 wax. Wow.
I found that the hardest thing was to repair paint chips. I preped the surface with a 3M fiberglass sanding pen. Then the red paint had faded so the "exact" match paint was too dark. I mixed in a few drops of white paint, and then applied the touch up paint in very small blobs. I wet sanded the blobs with 2500 sandpaper until smooth, and then rubbed the area with Meq. Scratch X. I worked pretty well, but you can still see the touch up area on close inspection.
For the convertible top, which was canvas, I vacuumed the thing dry. Then I dyed it black with Rit die. That helped restore a lot of color. Then I sprayed it with Ragg Topp protectant. Looks pretty good. Small tears I repaired with tire patches and cement from the interior of the car. They don't leak !
The plastic window was a challange. I notice that unlike waxes, and polishes, that with plastic cleaners and polishes, you need to use a lot of product for them to work well. Like 2 tablespoons on a microfiber towl. I used Meg Plasitic Polish, and Plastic Cleaner.
Finally, I really liked workign with Meg Rubber and Vinyl Cleaner and Protectant 40 (?). That stuff really removes lots of crud and leaves a nice matt surface on wheel wells, engine components, interior and black exterior trim.
Anyway, the car looked great. It sold after 8 days for my full asking price, and the new owner looks like he will love the car as much as I did.
Thanks again.
Jeff