Honda paint has been neglected for 5 years - How to restore by hand?

[mnaines]

Honda paint has been neglected for 5 years - How to restore by hand?

I just found out my 1991 Accord's white paint has clear coat, and that Honda has not used SS paint since 1986. Does this make a difference in how I can work the chemicals to restore the shine, and can I actually get a show-car shine out of the paint since it has been neglected for the past 5 years? I have ordered NXT Generation 2.0 Wash, ColorX, ScratchX, NXT Generation 2.0 Tech Wax, NXT Generation 2.0 Tech Protectant, and NXT Generation 2.0 Glass Cleaner. I am hoping that there is still some clear coat left on the car so that I can restore the car.

The car hasn't had a decent wash and wax in 5 years, so its one of the deader-than-Elvis kind of cars...We'll see how well Meguiar's stuff can bring it back. If there's any clear coat left, it should look like new once I'm done.

[b2bomber]

Re: Edit to last post

Hmm... IMHO effectiveness of the product and the procedures undertaken would still really depend on proper assessment of the job. It's not really how long it's been neglected or how long it hasn't had any decent pampering. I would say what would matter more is the condition of the paint (paint failures, scratches, stains, etches, etc.) 'coz a car who's been neglected (i.e. no decent wash/wax. etc.) for just a year but the paint might be worst than a car that's been neglected for a longer time span. Ofcourse, this doesn't necessarily mean that the amount of time can't be considered, like in the case of how long bird droppings have been on the paint, etc.

Having said that, irregardless whether you have a 2-stage paint or an single-stage, with proper product selection and proper product use/application you might still be able to restore the shine or get a show car shine out of the paint as you intend. If you've got paint failure, bare metal exposing scratches, etc. already, well I don't think even the best products would be able to hack that. BTW: there's a thread somewhere which tells you how to determine whether you're still working on the clear coat.

Maybe you could post pics of possible problem areas and the rest of the guys might just be able to chime in and some assessments. Goodluck.

Edit: I found out why your thread title was like this after replying and it looks like the guys have given you their thoughts already so I'm not sure now whether I still ought to leave my reply to your first post in this thread, so I'll just leave it anyway.

[mnaines]

Re: Edit to last post

I just got back from talking to a Turtle Wax detailer. They said my car's condition is bad enough the minimum needed to restore it would be a 3-step, and they also said even with the 3-step they can't guarantee that they can bring back the shine. They said the best they could do was throw everything they have at it and attempt to restore it, but without some serious reconditioning, they can't get a shine out of it. I don't know if Meguiars' 3-step can do the job, but I hope so.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Edit to last post

When you get your supplies, wash the car and then it's highly likely that the paint will need to be clayed, so use some detailing clay to clay the paint.

After you wash, dry and then clay the car, take the ScratchX and work and area about a foot squared very thoroughly and see how the paint looks, this is called a test spot, make sure you can make on small area look good and dial in a process that will make one small area look good before going over the entire car.\


Post back here you're results with the ScratchX, post a picture if you can.

[mnaines]

Re: Edit to last post

Mike, I will do the area with the oil stains first to see exactly what will work, as oil and tar seem to be some of the hardest stains to get out. That would also be a good test for Meguiars themselves to see exactly what will remove caked-in oil and tar, then maybe they could add that to their NXT Generation line of products. I may just soak a rag and pour a little of the shampoo on the rag to go full strength, then dry it and follow up with a shot of ScratchX and rub it in by hand, since its an area too small for the orbital to cover without overlapping the hood.

[mnaines]

Re: Edit to last post

Here are the before pictures of the two areas on the car that I will be working on as test spots, since these are the worst areas on the car.



The one on the left is caked-in gasoline. The one on the right is caked-in oil and grease. The products should be arriving sometime today, so I will get the after pictures uploaded either tonight or tomorrow.

[mnaines]

Re: Edit to last post

Here is the kit:


Glass cleaner and interior detailer came with, but I did not include them because they were not used.

Here are the after pictures:

Gas stain after NXT Generation 2.0 Wash @ full strength on wet rag:


Gas stain after shot of ScratchX:


Oil stain after NXT Generation 2.0 Wash @ full strength (same wet rag):


Oil stain after shot of ScratchX:

[mnaines]

Re: Edit to last post

Same areas after a shot of ColorX:
and

No clay bar needed for this mess...All that's left now is oxidation and fading, which the wash at full strength easily handles.

Next step is a second round of wash @ full strength + ScratchX & ColorX, but that will have to be on a later date when the sun is out and I can see reflections better.

Wax pic, just for kicks:

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Edit to last post

Great to see ScratchX and ColorX are working for you.

[mnaines]

Re: Edit to last post

Mike, I did learn something from this, though. The NXT Generation 2.0 Wash, if used at full strength, is a heavy-duty cleaner that can remove oxidation, fading, and even caked-in surface stains. Its a minimum-aggressiveness paint cleaner and shampoo in one bottle. ScratchX is slightly more aggressive to get in deep, but the NXT Generation 2.0 Wash will get rid of 90% of surface stuff, including oxidation and fading, but the catch is it has to be used full strength to get that effect. The ScratchX and ColorX can be used immediately following a full-strength wash, but the best recommendation I have is to do two or three rounds of applications...Use the wash, colorx and scratchx once to get the surface stains out, then go over the same area again to remove oxidation and fading. Apply more as needed, but the trick is to go full strength with everything and really scrub hard. My best advice is to wait until it is raining then go out and use the wash full strength on a buffer with a terry bonnet, then once it stops raining and dries out a little, go back over the car with scratchx and use a terry bonnet or cutting pad, wipe it off immediately, then switch to a foam pad and colorx and work it in deep, then let that sit for a few minutes, then go back over it with a new cutting pad to get it all off, then buff it out with the foam pad, then apply the wax by hand and take it off with the foam pad then go in with a wool pad for the final shine.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Edit to last post

Mike, I did learn something from this, though. The NXT Generation 2.0 Wash, if used at full strength, is a heavy-duty cleaner that can remove oxidation, fading, and even caked-in surface stains.

Question...

Do you think rubbing a car wash mitt over the paint may have had any cleaning effect?

The material that makes up the wash mitt, when worked, or rubbed over the paint together with the car wash has a cleaning effect, it can help to remove loose dirt and to remove dead, oxidized paint.

The car wash by itself would not do this, it needs you and the passion you put behind the wash mitt.

[mnaines]

Re: Honda paint has been neglected for 5 years - How to restore by hand?

Update: Here is a picture of the area where the gas stain was now that the sun is out. Note: This is after an application of NXT Generation 2.0 Tech Wax, which made it easier to see (not in the camera's eye, though) where all the oxidation is that needs the orbital to get off.



Next step is to use the orbital and ScratchX and a clay bar to remove the oxidation, then re-apply the wax once the oxidation is gone.

[Cat]

Re: Honda paint has been neglected for 5 years - How to restore by hand?

Looks pretty good! My Honda Fit swirls like the dickens and I use good quality microfiber, lambswool and a two bucket wash system. I did not have too many swirls until it was taken to a hand wash place this past winter - bad decision. Anyway, I am getting ready to do a clay bar on the car this Friday and Scratch X then wax for a car show on Saturday. I can feel that the paint is really in bad need of claying and the swirls are just radom in certain areas.

Cat