Spruce up neglected car

[Iehtn-G6]

Hello,

Unfortunately my car has been basically neglected for the past few month, years, whenever. I was thinking that I would like to take some time and try to make it look nicer and also maybe fix a few flaws it now has to prevent further deterioration. I was hopping that you guys could help guide me as to what I may be able to do. One of my main concerns is with the top. It seems that the paint is begging to look a little funky near the back window. Here is a picture, I think it may be oxidation but I really have no clue. Guess the picture is not comming up. You can see pictures in my gallery on yahoo below.




Anyway, I have been trying to research what I need and don't have any definite clue as to what would be best for it. I also have some other minor flaws like some gunk on the wheels(more than brake dust) and some scratches. I would not mind seeing if any of these can be cleaned up also. Here is a link to my yahoo photo album with a bunch more pictures. They are not the best quality seeing as my camera is not great but they should get the point across.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/whatthejunk%40sbcglobal.net/my_photos

My car is a 95 Dodge Intrepid. It's Char-Gold in color. I also don't have any power tools, elbow-grease is what I do have. Somewhat minimal cost would also be beneficial. I appreciate any help you guys can give me.

Thanks,
Iehtn

[Murr1525]

Hello

There are many routes you can go, which is probably the source of confusion. Also, if your paint is too far gone, nothing may save it. I assume you have read elsewhere on Meguiars.com about the 5-step cycle, etc. The best thing you can do is get a good wash like gold class or nxt, clay bar the surface, and then a paint cleaner, a polish, and a wax.

Now, there is a product ColorX that is a good 1-step product that you can try also. It contains a paint cleaner, a polish, and a wax, and has been used with good results on old surfaces. You may want to start with that, and if there isnt much improvement, then your paint may be beyond help. If it improves some, but not enough, then we can recomend more aggressive products, like ScratchX, and separate polishes and waxes.

So..

1. Wash with Goldclass or Nxt.
2. Clay
3. ColorX
4. Wax with Nxt or Gold class if you want a second layer of wax.

or

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Clean Paint with ScratchX
4. Polish with Deep Crystal Polish
5. Wax with Goldclass, Nxt, etc.

Does that make sense, or any other confusion? let us know...

[Iehtn-G6]

Great, I am going to go the colorx route. Wash, clay, colorx and then wax again. I appreciate the help. Guess that's all for now.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Iehtn,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

I fixed your photo coding, you had both the [url] tags and the [img] tags surrounding the photo address and you only want the [img] tags.

The picture looks like clear coat failure to me, if this is the case, then it cannot be fixed without repainting.

[Iehtn-G6]

Mike,

Than you for fixing the picture. Clear coat failure, that's not good. It's probably my fault for neglecting it for a while or Dodges fault for a bad application? A little of both perhaps? I guess it was never completely and utterly neglected just only washed once every few months or more and waxed a little less.

Right now it does not look like it's in horrible shape. It's only a strip along the back window on top of the car. I guess that is somewhat fortunate. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to repaint it. That being said will efforts of washing, waxing and whatever else help to at least prevent or prolong further deterioration in this area? Will I need to take any special precautions when working on this area while washing, claying, polishing, waxing or any of that stuff? Will I need to treat it differently than any other painted area? If not I am just going to continue with the process outlined above.

I think that's all of my questions for right now. Maybe I will also try to take a better photo. I realize that my camera is not good at taking closeups. They come out fuzzy. However, the defect is not easy to see from farther away.

Iehnt

[Murr1525]

Well, naturaly the clear coat failure wont travel to the door panels, hood ,etc.. so may as well take care of them. Also, I believe you can get things re-cleared, not just repainted. That may be cheaper, esp if they wet sand out the failed area, and just re-clear that part of the car. Keeping in mind, that sort of thing might not produce a perfect match, just a new clearcoat in one spot.

But the above guides will work well for the rest of the car, and roof.. and should not do any worse on the failing parts, though I wouldnt rub to hard on that spot.

[rusty bumper]

Hi Iehtn.....Welcome to the forum.

I know this is going to be more work, but as dry as your finish is, I would at least add one of Meguiar's polishes to the mix described above.

I think that a pure polish (Like Deep Crystal #2) will help restore the life to your car's paint.

I detailed an SUV recently, and the paint had some white looking spots that were very noticable, even after the detail.

Days later, those same spots are almost gone, thanks to Meguiar's trade seceret oils in their products. Seems that the polishing oils penatrated the paint pores and renewed the paint.

Course if the clear coat is damaged, then it will have to be repainted as Mike said, but the rest of the paint can be salvaged if it's not too late.

[Iehtn-G6]

I am greatfull for the information I am getting.

Murr,
Good to know about the re-clear coating. Maybe if I can scrounge up a few bucks I can check into something like that as opposed to an entire repaint.

Rusty Bumper,
Are you suggesting then that I alter slightly what Murr1525 told me earlier and that I should follow a procedure like this?

1.) Wash
2.)Clay
3.)ColorX
4.)Deep Crystal #2
5.)Wax again

The ColorX is already a polish with a wax and cleaner. You would suggest adding a separate polish to the mix?

The rest of the paint on the car looks decent if I wash it an just throw some sort of wax on there it looks OK. So it's better than the top although I am not denying that it's probably on the verge of deteriorating, like the top has. There are a few minor scratches and whatnot ones from people setting things on the trunk or along those lines. I would guess that the ColorX could handle them no problem.

I am just trying to clear up a few new questions before I begin anything so that I know what to have on hand.

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by Iehtn-Meguiars
Rusty Bumper,
Are you suggesting then that I alter slightly what Murr1525 told me earlier and that I should follow a procedure like this?

1.) Wash
2.)Clay
3.)ColorX
4.)Deep Crystal #2
5.)Wax again

The ColorX is already a polish with a wax and cleaner. You would suggest adding a separate polish to the mix?

The rest of the paint on the car looks decent if I wash it an just throw some sort of wax on there it looks OK. So it's better than the top although I am not denying that it's probably on the verge of deteriorating, like the top has. There are a few minor scratches and whatnot ones from people setting things on the trunk or along those lines. I would guess that the ColorX could handle them no problem.

I am just trying to clear up a few new questions before I begin anything so that I know what to have on hand.

Sorry, I just skimmed over some of the details, but a polish will not hurt anything here.

Some may think it foolish to polish over wax, but it can be done.

Actually, the polish should remove the wax in the process.

[Mike Phillips]

Just to chime in on the re-clear coating option.

If the clear coat is in fact missing in at least one area, then when they scuff that area, (for the new clear coat to stick, it may be that they will scuff it enough that it will no longer match the basecoat over the rest of the panel. If this is the case, that would mean they would have to repaint, as in apply both the basecoat and the clear coat to the entire panel.

I did some checking with a local body shop about spraying more clear onto a car without stripping the basecoat and for the most part, it's really hard to do without charging the same amount of money they would have to charge to re-spray the entire panel the normal way.

Somewhere there is a thread on this forum that goes into it in fairly good detail, I forget the title of the thread but it had to do with adding more clear to a car's finish.