I know there's several of you that actually LIKE body/paint work...

What's the BEST way to bring back a dead paint job? Something that hasn't seen wax for 5-10 years? Is wetsanding an option, or can it be done with some of the chemical restorers???

What about decent pain jobs that still look good, but are starting to show fine scratches & such? Best way to restore that "show car shine"?

 

Save your money. All the miracle cures are temporary at best. When paint is dead, it's dead.

Short of a repaint, you can try to revive the paint by thoroughly washing it with Dawn, going over it with a clay bar, wetsanding with 2000 grit, and buffing/polishing with a good wool pad and compounds.

Best to save your money for a quality Urethane paint job that will last 15-20 years with little or no maintenance.

 

I don't really think your paint is that dead... I think you should try Zymol before you start wetsanding.

http://www.zymol.com/onestp2.htm

I've used it on the wife's 96 vert and it worked pretty good. Easy to put on too.

 

Bob,

For that refridgerator white paint of yours Give this stuff a try using a 6" or 8" variable speed polisher with foam pad set at around 1200

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/pro...ro.cfm&sku=M-02

 

Somehow I think you must be talking about some car besides the clone!

 

Oh, not for me - for "a friend" whose white is just WAY too dull & lifeless...

 

Well definitely strip cleaning it and go over with a clay bar is step one in trying to really bring back any finish. Like painting, the end result is all in the prep work so all that crud that can't even be seen has to come off. As for final finish it's mostly about preference but many of the pickiest people I know keep telling me Zaino is the best. I haven't tried it yet only because I have given up hope trying to make mine perfect again, just too many chips to keep filling and sanding, so I'm saving up for the repaint. Besides I have like 4 different types of half full waxes to use up first before I go spending more good money after bad.

 

I had been touting 3M stuff for years ... went to use a bottle this weekend and it must have suffered from freezing this winter because it just did not go on well. So I picked up some Zymol for the first time. I am VERY impressed with the Zymol, only thing I do not like is it leaves that powder/dust when you buff it off.

 

BTW it's $12 at WallyMart.

 

Bob - a pal with an older paint job on his 65 GT coupe just used a clay bar for the first time to great results. The paint was not truly bad, just kinda dull from age & oxidation. The clay bar efforts really paid off. Dickson