Refreshing original paint: buffing, cutting, waxing. Need tips

[r-mm]

I am the proud owner of a nice G50 coupe in GT White that wears its original paint. There are no major flaws but it certainly does not shine. I have never in all my car fixing/restoring years done much waxing or compounding or any other such process on a car besides cleaning it regularly. Can someone give me a quick run down on what steps I might take to enliven my paint job?

[Ronnie's.930]

So I take it you actually live in Australia (not SE CT)?!

[jeffs targa]

r-mm , you may want to try a site like auto.geek i got a lot of info from them ,plus it's fun trying different wax's , i used meguairs products and been quite pleased with them.
You want to start out with the least abrasive polish there is i used meguairs m205.
I have a 86 with guards red and it removed most of paint swirls .
Good luck !!

[LEAKYSEALS951]

AHHHHH....Much better! Nice looking car!
P.S.-I've got a white 911 as well. One thing I noticed(maybe it applies to all colors- but def. white) - is that the black trim needs to be up to snuff to make the white "pop". The p.o. of my car had installed all new rubber trim and polished the fuchs.... and what a difference it made. For some reason polished fuchs lips/ fresh black centers on a white car really gives it a snap.

[dicklague]

those are sticky tires!!!

I used to use Meguiars, but they that show CAR CRAZY started and I stopped. Such a cheesy show that I will use anything else.

[911s55]

It's all been discussed and documented, read on.
Car Care Thread: What Do You Use?

[Bill Douglas]

The clay bar method really does work.

[r-mm]

Originally Posted by 911s55

It's all been discussed and documented, read on.
Car Care Thread: What Do You Use?

Thanks this is useful... But... I really am a novice here. What is the clay bar method? Since the paint hasn't been waxed or polished for some time, am I looking for a once a year technique? Some basics please...

[Karter18]

A friend of mine used to detail and taught me some things.

First Wash the car.

Clay bar is exactly what it sounds like and you use it with a spray detailer. take the little clay bar and spray some of the spray detailer on about a 1'x1' section of paint. Make sure the paint is wet with the spray detailer and then rub the clay bar on the paint until it does not feel abrasive. Sounds strange and it is at first but you actually feel the clay loosen up and start to slide over the section. If you drop the clay bar - THROW IT AWAY. It will pick up rocks, etc. if it hits the ground so be careful and remember to keep it really wet where you are doing the clay bar. wipe clean with a detail cloth as you finish each area. If the bar gets dirty and it will turn it over and then kneed it like silly puddy and then make the same rectangular shape and do the whole car - Paint only.

Next I would suggest a random orbital polisher. I had a Harbor Freight but it made swirls so I got a Mothers Wax Attack and changed my technique a little. I used either Mothers polish or have good results with the once a year stuff in the orange bottle. You have to use one pad to put the polish on and a separate one to buff it off. First do this out of the sun in the shade or preferably in a garage. put a small swirl of polish on the polish pad with the orbital off. spread it on the paint and then turn on the unit. The trick is to not put very much pressure on the random orbital and do small areas otherwise you will have swirls all over. Go in a methodical motion like you are plowing a field one way and then the other way. Eventually you finish and then use a buffing pad to buff the car the same way. Microfiber cloths clean up the rest - Costco is a great place for these. I practiced on a company car and removed some swirls that another detailer had left in there so I was pretty happy and it was a black car.

I then seal it with small drops of cold water and wipe the whole car down with the microfiber cloths.

Chemical Guys is a great place to find overall great products and they have some videos of how to's. These guys are way into it so they do many more steps with sealers, etc.

They have a good product for rubber kind of like Armour all but it is a gel and not shiny and works great on all the rubber. Black plastic is always an issue and the ONLY product I have ever found that work with Black on Black by Chemical guys. This is probably the best detail product I have used that actually works on plastic and does not harm surrounding paint, glass, etc. That say to not use it on rubber and I think it would probably dry rubber out which makes sense when you use it. I use it for items like the Carrera badge on the engine lid, remove the key surround on the dash, etc.

A detail brush works good to get the polish out of the cracks and around badges, etc.

I then use an automotive glass cleaner on all the glass and use one old t-Shirt or towel for the initial cleaning and then a separate one for buffing. I never use these towels for anything else and wash them separate from all the others and no bounce in the dyer.

That should get you started but don't try and do it all at once take it in steps and then you will not rush through it and you should see some good results. You should do the clay bar and waxing all in one day though. If your paint needs some cleaner or polishing compound due to it being really flat I would take it to a highly recommended detailer for that and have them do the whole car once.

[G50911]

if you plan on cutting it with a machine i highly recommend finding a paint depth tool. you don't want to cut into color or worse burning the paint off.

[Michael T]

The clay bar and detailer spray just removes grit and other chemical deposits making the paint extremely smooth. I would not recommend any power tools if you are new to this. Easy to go far through the paint.

The basic process is to polish the paint followed by a wax to seal it. The polishes go from coarse (rubbing compound) to medium (glaze) and then to the sealant wax. Everyone has their particular favorite brands. Again being new to this and a do no harm philosophy, I would do clay bar, followed by glaze and then wax. I did my 1989 Carrera's single stage paint with clay bar, 3m Hand Glaze and 3m perfect-it liquid wax. You can get them at Amazon.

[r-mm]

Thanks everyone this helps greatly. I ordered a clay bay and lubricant. Looking into polishing. Reading from the links provided it seems like a dual action polisher with a very mild polish, not cut or compound, is a safe starting point. Even if it doesnt make my car a white mirror, i am sure it will be a huge improvement. Good old HF gets great reviews.... 6 in. Variable Speed Dual Action Polisher

[SoCalSK8r]

I am a detailing fanatic. The easiest and lowest dusting (trust me low dusting makes the job way easier) polishes are Menzerna.

Menzerna and Lake Country Polish Reference Charts - Autopia Forums - Auto Detailing & Car Care Discussion Forum

The reference shows pad/product mixes for various paint finishes.

I'd recommend the 'intensive polish' with a white pad. Perhaps followed by a 'final polish' with a black pad.

Put blue painters tape aroun all the trim_ this greatly simplifies things.

Finish with a Collinite wax. Collinite is cheap and outlasts most other waxes.

[SoCalSK8r]

Oh ya- and get a good D/A.

If the white pad doesn't give enough cut, get a orange or yellow. Remember to start out with the least aggressive combo possible. Some panels take more abuse than others and therefore may need a more aggressive combo.

[jeffs targa]

+1 on the collinite "845" wax super long lasting stuff!
Also poor boys black hole glaze under it. WOW !!

[TargaHenry]

I second much of what was said above. Like OP, I didn't have a ton of experience bringing paint back to life, so I wanted easy but effective, with little chance of doing damage.

Clay bar is a must as Karter skillfully explains. Also get a buffer.

I ordered a bunch of stuff from Chemical Guys, including my orbital, which was cheaper than local. They threw in some free stuff. They have a 3 stage paint correction line, I used 2 and 1, my paint wasn't bad enough for 3. That alone made a huge difference. From there pick your sealer, polish etc. Takes time and patience, but can make a huge difference, and is very rewarding. Get a couple of pads in varying grades of fine/course. They also have an aerosol for faded black rubber and plastic trim, which is the best 'blackener' I've used. It even brought back the black on my Fuchs painted centers.

[AVDCAV]

Just for the first time if you don't have high speed polishing skills
Take it to a shop and have it polished.

There is no need wasting time and material , after its gleaming with shine then
You can enjoy the keeping it shiny stage and stare at the finished job.

But like I said just have it polished by a pro and get it back
3 \ 4 hours it will look new

Best wax under 200$. without a doubt. And I have bought them all
Lusso Oro the stuff is concourse class for 1/5 the price.

[boxster03]

Advice - leave it to an expert if you want the best results

[74-911]

Somewhat off-topic but for those of you not familiar with the magic of a clay bar:

A couple of years ago in one of those brain-dead moments one tends to have as they get older, I cleaned up, sanded, taped and then rattle-canned my old Craftsman tool chest and tool boxes with a nice red Rustoleum enamel. Just as I finished up I realized I had "forgotten" to move the 911 out of harms way and the passenger side, top, engine lid and trunk were covered in a nice red over spray. Talk about panic??

A quick search of the Pelican forums indicated the liberal application of a clay bar and lubricant was the best bet for removing the over spray and not damaging the 911s paint. After a quick trip to FLAPS for the clay bar and lubricant and several hours spent clay-barring the whole car, not only was all the over spray gone but the paint looked great and talk about smooth, it was smooth. A quick wax job and the old 911 looked better than it had in years.

[r-mm]

Thanks very much. So you would say that the white pad/intensive polish is a good first outing and relatively safe when used with a da buffer? I should have said i consider myself a good user of tools and more or less never pay people to do what I can do myself while acquiring tools and skills. Short of painting a car, ive done it all from welding, enginer rebuilding etc. so im not going to hamfist the da buffer, but at thr same time I dont have an intuitive sense for how aggressive these various compounds are.

Originally Posted by SoCalSK8r

I am a detailing fanatic. The easiest and lowest dusting (trust me low dusting makes the job way easier) polishes are Menzerna.

Menzerna and Lake Country Polish Reference Charts - Autopia Forums - Auto Detailing & Car Care Discussion Forum

The reference shows pad/product mixes for various paint finishes.

I'd recommend the 'intensive polish' with a white pad. Perhaps followed by a 'final polish' with a black pad.

Put blue painters tape aroun all the trim_ this greatly simplifies things.

Finish with a Collinite wax. Collinite is cheap and outlasts most other waxes.