help: faded clear coat

[Shoni]

I just bought a cheap vr sedan and the paint it faded, luckily it's white so it doesn't look that bad but the clear coat just seems like it's non existent.
Is there any way I can fix this without getting a respray?
Thanx

[showbags]

A white VR will be a direct gloss solid color(no clear).

[Shoni]

So how do I get the paint to look glossy again? It looks like matte white lol

[showbags]

A cut and polish should bring it back up.

[ari666]

easy thread. answered satisfactoraliy in just a few hours.

god bless JC

[GTS-Replica]

Kitten cut and shine for base colours and poliglaze cut and polish for mettalic. After i use nu polish to bring the paint up like new. Trust me it will look brand new. Dont use the aplicater pad. Get your old shirt and cut it up and use that. I allways use it becouse me and dad buy and sell cars. Even red cars faded to pink will come up like new post pics up before and after good luck cheers Travis

[Shoni]

Ok great I'll give it a go thanx guys

[toey@carfx]

for the love of god dont hack into it with ANYTHING from kitten or polyglaze. there are much better products out there for not much more ($$$). if it is as chalky as you say, then it will need to be machine polished. doing it by hand is a crazy idea, it wont be an even level of gloss and you will more then likely give up as its too hard to get the desired results.

that is the roof of a 2004 landcruiser with half polished and half still chalky (only had a shitty iphone pic). it took 2 goes with a harsh compound and wool pad on a rotary. no way that sort of a turn around is possible by hand.

[markbaja]

^^ spot on mate, there is no such thing as a miracle in a bottle stuff you apply by hand. Trust me.I cut and polish some bad cars, and no way would a tshirt and some crappy glaze do any good. Sometimes can take a full day with a machine or more to get a car looking like new. And your right, white is solid, all metallics are clear coated because the metallic colour is dull and flat in appearance, and the clear gives it the gloss.

Good luck.

[TinSnips]

+1 Agree with Toey completely.

Needs to be done properly. You can do far more harm than good with crap abrasive products.

[toey@carfx]

this is what kitten cutting compound used by hand has done. no gloss at all, it basically sanded the paint which needed some p2000 wet n dry to get out the marks before i could polish it

[markbaja]

^^ Seen that before. Just before Xmas, had a call from a guy with a red 04 monaro, who said just a touch up here and there, pretty good nick. Well, the pic above is what it looked like. He used that shit polyglaze stuff, and when it looked dull, just gave up on it and it had faded to the point it would leave red on your finger tips when you touched it!!!

So two days later, the guy nearly fell over when he saw it. He almost cried. He even gave me an extra $50 over the $800 I quoted him. Now he brings it to me once a month and I give it a was and quick detail, and probably due for a wax. I showed him how to wash it, and to his credit has kept up with the method.

Car care is one of those things that can't be stingy on, it'll hurt more in the long run if you think your saving a buck or two.

[mattytess]

Go to a decent paint supply shop and they will steer you in the right direction as far as polish goes. You cAn buy a polisher to do the job for around the 60-100 dollar mark for the cheaper ones. Just be very careful you don't press too hard and keep the pad flat at all times. If you go on a bit of an angle you will burn through the paint. Also be careful when doing edges. Press very gently around sharper edges and always use a sideways motion not a circular one. The pad should always be moving to, this prevents burning

[TinSnips]

Cheaper polishers tend to bog down on tougher jobs, like excessively oxidised surfaces, meaning they don't provide a consistent result. For general maintenance and light-moderate correction, a good DA is fine to use, particularly if it has forced rotation - but for removing oxidation like in the pic Toey posted, you really need to be using a good rotary machine. However improper use of a rotary can do damage. You're very unlikely to damage paint with a DA - you'd have to be really reckless - or throw it at the car. But it's for this reason that they're not really suited to the bigger jobs.

[Car Care Products]

With a good DA and Polishes any finish can be achieved its just a matter of time realistically. A Rotary as mentioned is the best but for amateurs wouldn't be recommended. If you have a bit of experience and you want to go down the road of a Rotary we have just released a very good Rotary Polisher here.

The DAS6 Kits (and DAS6 Pros a-like) have Menzerna Polishes and also associated Pads (mint pro tools, lake country or festool to choose from) which will correct/rejuvenate the paintwork and bring it back to where you want. Just ensure you clay prior and finish off with a good synthetic sealant or your favorite wax! (The usual thing!)