faded paint

[nota]

my 83 944 that I just bought
is baddly faded on the hood and roof
the sides look fine

before attacking the paint I thougth I would ask
do I have a clear coat over the guards red???
it doesnot look like it
what to use rubbing compound, starbright, or other stuff ??
anything else I should know before getting the kid to rubbing???
south fla sun is brutal!!!

[adrian jaye]

hi nota,

a few things and this all depends on your experience, equipment and space.

as your asking the question I would assume not a lot of experince.

ok,,, here are a few things to try and consider

1> A good body shop can cut the top faded coat of paint and repolish it.

2> you can try a cutting compound such as t-cut then followed by a wax, zymol do a really good cutting compound.

3> paint layers on your car, usually consists of a colour and folowed by a clear coat, even if it is not metallic. you COULD cut the top faded coat, polish it ad then spray a clear coat.

hth

Ade

[Britwrench]

Porsche did not use clear coat on non-metallic colors until very late in the 90s. None of the 944 models had clear cote on Guards Red. That colors is the most prone to fade and discolor, especially on the hood. Usually a good detail shop will clean it up for you.

[john dory]

my 924 is guards red and has the same paint fade problem on the same panels even though England doesn't have a huge amount of Sun. I cut mine back and re-waxed last summer and since then the side panels are all glossy and slick and the top panels are back to dull and faded.

[nota]

SHOP???
""we don't need no stinking SHOP"" {movie quote [j/k] }
I got a kid for the donkey work like that

[thierry75]

I have a similar problem with my black 924...My friend had the same problem on his burgundy 944 and just had the hodd and roof repainted...it matched perfectly from what i remember...I'm thinking of doing the same

[Panzer909]

I had sun-faded paint on my red bimmer when it was purchased (It was from Nevada). Invested $14 in Meguire’s cleaner wax/polish and a full day of elbow grease. I was REALLY impressed with the results. I’d give that a try before spending mucho $$$ at a body shop – depending on how severe the fade is.

[Blackfoot]

Rule of thumb is to try the least abrasive compound first, like the mentioned wax cleaner, and if that doesn't work, proceed to the stronger compounds. Rubbing compound would be last. And equally important, especially if you're using an electric buffer, is to tape (auto body tape, not regular masking tape) your edges! Can't underscore that enough. Very easy for the machine to get away from you and buff down to the primer.

________________________
Cars

[Techno Duck]

The 944 i bought had guards red paint and sat outside next to a mans house for some 4 years being used once a month. The paint was pretty faded all over the car. I used the Meguires 3 step process which is paint cleaner, polish and wax. It took almost an entire day of work, but the paint really came back to life. I have since started also using 3M handglaze before waxing and its looking even better. The biggest problem im having is on the hood of my car, a not so great quality paint was used at somepoint for a respray and it has started to fade pretty badly with a number of deadspots in the paint.

[DumasDemon84]

My 86 is also guards red and since it doesn't have major dings or dents. I just need a new front spoiler since mine is cracked. Anyway, would anyone trust the good ol' boys at Maaco(ducking) just re-shoot and clear it? Or is this like a no no. Just wondering.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Anyone done prep. / paint themselves and circumvented the entire body shop rip-off mill that way? I'm seriously thinking about it.

[jsb944]

If you prep the car yourself, Maaco does not do a bad job....I had a lease car repaired prior to return and you could not tell there was a repair....It's all in the prep! My first car was striped of all trim and chrome and completely wet sanded ( after I did alot of body work) and painted by a local shop for $500 ( back in 1984) and it came out great....I saw the car about 10 years later at a cousin's graduation party after selling the car to my uncle's handyman....it looked as good as the day I sold it!

[rigitrite]

I've prepped and shot two cars and all the add-on fiberwerks body work on my 944. The prep is crucial, and is a massive amount of work. It seems like it will never end. You'll also need a pretty decent compressor an hvlp gun, water filter, oil filter, air lines, all the paint measuring and prep stuff, a ton of fans and a space to do it in. I had all that stuff, so it worked out in my favor economically to do it.
It's not hard to do, prep is just grunt work, and the primer and color coat go on easy. Clear coat, however, takes a massive amount of practice to get it to go on smooth and flow out without sagging or running, or the opposite, which is incomplete coverage (even worse). I'm still learning and I'm on my 3rd car to paint this summer.
My advice if you decide to proceed:
1. shoot all three layers in one day, most paint systems are like this.
2. don't shoot the clear coat at night in the summer if bugs can get into your garage. They go for the lights and then fall in your perfect clear coat.
3. Be aware what temp. it is when you shoot and use the right catalyst for that temp.
4. staple newspaper to the wall and test the guns spray pattern before you shoot.
Good luck!

[Britwrench]

You could use original Glasurit or Hiess-Speiker and bake it, that gives the original look. I beleive they still do the original type paint, which is not color and clear-coat, just color.