Suggestions for a very neglected vehicle

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imported_etml12

New member
A friend and co-worker of mine, who will be getting his PhD in a few months, recently accepted an academic position. Although he is admittedly in need of a new vehicle, financial concerns (newborn baby, new house, etc.) force him to try to milk his current vehicle as much as possible. As the title states, his Jeep has been neglected (it’s actually pretty disgusting but it runs well). Unfortunately, I don’t have photos to convey how bad it is. Everyday, he sees how anal I am about keeping my car in top shape and I have offered to help him detail his SUV. Party to give him a hand and I think it would be fun to see the turnaround.



My question is this: Due to the previous total lack of care, I am hesitant about tackling the paint. I think it’s pretty safe to say that there is no (or very little) clear coat left. For instance, there are some spots (along the cowl, edges of body panels, etc) where it is down to the primer. Therefore, abrasive paint correction is out of the question as it is likely to cause more harm than good. What approach should I take for this vehicle? Would it be safe to clay? Will applying a glaze, sealant, and possibly a carnauba topper be worth the trouble? Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
 
I tackled a car very similar to this with absolutely no clearcoat and some small parts were rusted. It was a red car.



I lightly compounded it, went over it with a paint cleaner, then polish, then waxed it and the results were incredible, literally looked like a different car (not a new car, just 1000x's better). All with the PC and it took all day.



If it were me, I'd use a good paint cleaner, and polish it once or twice, then seal it real good.



More then likely anything you do will make it look 10x's better then how it is now.

Beware with no clearcoat the color will come off on all of your pads, bonnets, pretty much everything you touch it with.



Good luck.
 
Hard to say without pics. However claying won't take off any paint, but won't correct oxidized paint. Glaze may help but only polishing will make it better. If the primer is already showing I doubt you could make it any worse than it is. I'd try a medium polish on a panel and see what happens. Good luck and welcome!
 
Thanks guys, I have the Menzerna line on hand and will test the waters a bit to see what I can get away with. Unfortunately, due to the weather, upcoming holidays, and the end of the fall semester fastly approaching, it is going to be difficult to find enough time. I will make sure to get some before/afters to show how useful this forum is to weekend enthusiasts like me. It’s hard to describe how much I’ve learned in the past few months lurking these threads. Thanks again.
 
Clay+Cleaner Wax would be my first choice. Maybe some AIO (or similar product) + Clay as a second option for more "bite".
 
What kinda jeep is it? We have 3 and I was just wondering.. It seems like the paint is hit or miss with those. We have a 94 Grand cherokee and the paint looks just as good as the day it did when we got it in 1994. its amazing. It just takes alittle care and the paint will last ALONG time.



Weve also got a 99 cherokee, but the paint on it is alittle strange. Its been cleaned, polished, and waxed its entire life, but the hood is in bad shape? Its black, and i think the sun has got the best of it.. It has clear coat failure.. :-(
 
It is a '96 Cherokee with moss green pearl paint. I can't say that the color is particularly emotion inspiring but this is in part due to the lack of care it has recieved. Its going to be alot of work but as David 703 said I doubt it could get any worse. At least I have that going for me.
 
I'm kinda surprised to see so many posts suggesting just a clay bar and some cleaner wax. It seems almost too simple. Maybe its because the Jeep sounds so far gone that any intensive multi-step system would be pointless anyway.



I'm with you etml, I've been lurking these posts for a while now, and only joined just recently. I would also classify myself as a "weekend enthusiast" and I too, have learned alot from this site.



Given that, I would say you have a rare opportunity to accelerate your learning curve. This car sounds so far gone that you can afford to make a mistake or two without any consequences. Use this as valuable practice.



I say, go for broke. Wash, dry, clay, polish/compound, then top with a few coats of KSG for good protection. It sounds like this car might never see soap again after this so you want to make sure that whatever you do will last for a while.
 
I wouldnt try to tell you what process to use since I havent seen the car, but I would advise you to take a little bit at a time if possible. A seriously neglected vehicle is going to be very frustrating for someone who is so use to keeping their car so nice. Also, if there is some CC failing, and the guy let the car go to hell, he wont be expecting a whole lot......My point: Go as far as you're comfortable with as anything will be an improvement.
 
Something in that shape is hard to handle, especially if its showing primer. If there was a little clearcoat failure, some mild wetsanding could improve it, but if its showing primer.... ehh to me it seems like polishing a turd. You will attract more attention the the bad parts. No reason to not clean it up, just do a wash and wax on the paint and leave it at that.
 
I could not disagree with yakky more. Yes you are right about it being like polishing a turd. However, the great thing here is that you can't make a turd look any worse. And Yes, the bad spots are probably beyond repair. But there has got to be some spots on the car that can be saved.



I think that experimenting on those areas and trying to find a combination of products and processes that works for you is invaluable.



Like etml said, he is a "weekend enthusiast" (as am I). We don't have our own detailing businesses where we get to work on different cars and try different stuff all the time. I would LOVE to have a beater to experiment on, but I paid WAY too much for my car to start using it as a guinea pig.



The first time I tried compounding I introduced all kinds of micro scratches and swirls into my car's hood. I learned the HARD way to not use too much pressure. I've since traded that car in, and I'm not about to make the same mistake twice.
 
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