2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

[heatwavex]

Hello everyone,
I just purchased a white 2001 Toyota Camry with a mere 47K miles on it. Its going to be a third car for us, nonetheless I am interested in making it look nice. Here is the skinny, the car's previous owner was a little old lady who lived out in the rural areas outside of Charlotte, NC. The car was never garaged and likely washed only on rare occasions for the past 8 years. The car shows its age to the max, but certainly not based on the mileage. There is muck of all kinds stuck on every nook and cranny of the car. The car also has some paint oxidation. I am uncertain if its worth trying some products, or should I simply bite the bullet and simply re-paint.

My question to the forum is specifically which products would you use to tackle this job, and in which order. Appreciate any insight provided.

[Murr1525]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

Is there any chacne of pics? Dont want it to be clear coat failure.

1. Wash - Gold Class, Nxt, etc. Possibly Bug and Tar Remover also before washing.

2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit, extra bottle of QD.

3. Clean - Try SwirlX on a test spot. If not good enough, try Ultimate Compound.

4. Wax - 2 Thin coats of Nxt 2.0.

5. Maintain - Ultiamte QuicK Wax is nice after future washes.

[heatwavex]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

Here is a couple of pictures. Hopefully this worked. If not, I pasted the url

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

Hello and welcome to mol.

Sounds like it was only washed, when it rained.

Follow Murr's advice and you will have it looking great. Post some pics. Just to be sure it is not clearcoat failure.

[heatwavex]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

I tried posting some pics earlier, but I think the moderator has to approve them first.

Thanks for the reply Murr.

So quick question, should I also use a paint cleaner after the wash? If so, should I use this before or after the clay?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

First off, welcome to MOL!

Second, we removed your clickable links as we ask members to reach 30 posts before allowing clickable links. We also fixed the images in your thread so they show up and others can see them.


OK, down to business! It appears that you have a lot of kicked up road grime behind the tire/wheel, perhaps a mix of tar, dirt and who knows what else gets kicked up off the street. A thorough washing and then an application or two of Gold Class Bug & Tar Remover or even Body Solvent from our Detailer Line should remove the majority of this. Any smaller bits left behind should then be addressed with a clay bar treatment. Alternatively you may find that a quality paint cleaner such as Ultimate Compound will remove any grime that has become embedded in the paint or otherwise stained it. Certainly you have a variety of issues going on in this area and likely a single product isn't going to address it all. Until you start working on it you won't know just how everything is going to behave - sometimes things that look pretty terrible actually clean up quite easily while visually minor defects can end up being more work than expected. Again, until you jump in and start working with it you won't know for sure what you're up against. But the products mentioned should take care of this.

As for the area around the fuel filler door, it's a bit difficult to tell from the image, partly because it just looks so odd to see that much grime in that area. It's not any gasoline spilled while fueling would be spilling/dripping upward! What does that area feel like? Would you say the discoloration is due to material bonded to the surface - is it rough to the touch? Or does it look more as though it's embedded in the paint - relatively smooth to the touch, just "dirty"? If rough to the touch, then clay is definitely your first choice to remove it. If smooth to the touch and you believe it to be embedded dirt/grime/gunk then Ultimate Compound would be the product of choice.

[Murr1525]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

**cough** get your stuff off the paint **cough**

Those pics also show the basic condition of the paint? The white doesnt look worse anywhere?

Yeah, just follow the above order. Looks like you might want to spray some B&T Remover behind the wheels, let it sit for a few minutes before washing.

[Murr1525]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

Lessons from White Paint

How to Wash Your Car Show Car Style

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How To Remove a Bird Dropping Etching by Hand using M105 Ultra Cut Compound

How to correctly apply ScratchX to remove swirls and scratches

[tknight]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

I also own an 01 Camry and have since it was new. The problems with the paint began right away and had nothing to do with the care. This is some sort of defect with the white paint used on these cars. Toyota offered to paint the hood and top, but we fought for all new paint and they never agreed. Now the car is turning gray with all of the embedded dirt and mold. The area mentioned around the gas tank is not grime. The inside of the gas lid molds terribly and rain washes it out.

If anyone has a solution, would love to be able to stop the continued spread of the mold.

[heatwavex]

Re: 2001 Toyota Camry with paint oxidation and dirt of every kind

Since the original post, I was successful in getting all the grit, grime, and paint oxidation out. I followed the steps above, and was amazed with the results.

To get out the area near the gas tank I used a bug and grime spray first, then clay, then ultimate compound with an orbital buffer/polisher.