Recommendation for paint restorer?

[gcortes]

Hello everyone,

I have a 98 Boxster, silver with black interior and I'm looking for recommended products and methods for getting the paint to look new again. I'd like to do it myself so any suggestions are greatly appreciated. The paint doesn't look bad, it just looks, well, ten years old and I want to get it back to it's original glory.

Many thanks,

Gabriel

P.S. Any recommendations for the wheels would be great as well.

[4agdtym]

Our club had a detail clinic a couple weeks ago. Adam brought a couple techs and his products. They demonstrated on several cars of all ages (the oldest was a 356 with original paint), some with special problems. Everyone was very impressed with the products. Check them out at:

http://www.adamspolishes.com/

At a minimum, you should consider using a clay bar as part of the process after washing the car. You will also likely want to use an orbital polisher with with a high grade very fine polish. You'd be surprised what a difference the clay bar alone will make. Best of luck...

[SPIRO]

I agree with the last respondent. Wash car twice, then clean with a clay bar with an appropriate detailing/lubricating solution. This alone may dramatically improve your paint.

I have done this, and then proceeded to use an orbital polisher using Menzerna Final Polish II, followed by Menzerna Finising Glaze. Then apply the best wax you can afford. This gave fantastic results to my wife's black car, which she is not so gentle with... I am sure there are other good brand name polishes and glazes like Zaino.

Your car is silver, so I think it is a more "forgiving" color.

Let us know how it works out, and maybe post some before and after photos.

[gcortes]

Thanks to both of you for the advice, I'll try to shine her up in the next few weeks and will post before and after pics.

Regards,

Gabriel

[seafeye]

Thanks to both of you for the advice, I'll try to shine her up in the next few weeks and will post before and after pics.

Regards,

Gabriel

aHHHHH Yyou tube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtC2_DdvnWM

Edited April 24, 2008 by seafeye

[juniinc]

I'll have to say "Zaino"

Step 1—STRIP THE OLD WAX

Wash the car, going top to bottom, with Dawn Ultra liquid detergent.

Thoroughly rinse the car with a pressurized hose and spray nozzle. Make sure all detergent soap is gone.

Dry completely using only clean, soft, absorbent towels.

Step 2—REMOVE CONTAMINANTS AND PREPARE THE SURFACE

Feel all paint surfaces. They should be glassy smooth. Contaminated rough areas are quickly minimized using Claybar and a soap and water lubricant. Re-wash and dry the treated areas.

Step 3 - Apply Z-2 swirl remover,cleaner ( use an orbital high RPM polisher/cutting foam pad)

Step 4 - Z-5 Pro show car polisher

Step 5 - wax to more depth ,gloss,protection.

Step 6 - "WOW"

BEFORE & AFTER

Edited April 25, 2008 by juniinc

[chanda]

Wow, the gloss and shine bring your car back to new!!

I'm just wondering, would the polisher damage or remove the paint if you over done it or do it too frequently?

[juniinc]

yes, even though this is a non-abrasive polymer based , is recommended no less than 6 months.

[Charlestonboxster]

AAACCCKKKKK!!!!

Based on research I have done and the the opinion of some pretty experienced car detailers,

I would strongly caution AGAINST touching a clay bar at all, in most circumstances.

http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=0

Research a bit deeper into car paint polishing and finishing.

http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=5

I also would caution you against drying your car after a wash with any old towels,

90% of towels have polyester even if not labeled, thus microscopically scratching your paint.

Also, Dawn is absolutely fine before polishing and waxing, as it will strip wax a bit, but once your car is waxed,

most dishwashing detergents are not appropriate, as they will strip the wax a little bit each time.

(They are made to DEGREASE pots and pans, not wash car paint)

An excellent resource for all paint care, Larry Reynolds, the owner of this business also happens to be a hard core Boxster enthusiast, and shoots straight from the hip in explaining what's right and what's wrong, and why, concerning car paint detailing.

http://www.carcareonline.com/

If you see yourself maintaining the paint yourself a lot, invest in a porter cable oribital, $150

If you want it polished once right and then keep it that way, spend the $150 paying a local pro to do a very good

polish/wax job with the wax you will use repeatedly, then you can easily glaze and wax by hand yourself when needed without the need of an orbital machine.

PS And hint to all, the excellent but expensive P21 wax is also packaged by same company as Harley Davidson bike wax (look for manufactered in Germany, P21 on label) for half the price, at your local Harley shop.

Happy Detailing!

[4agdtym]

I understand the concern about use of clay abrasives - especially the frequent use.

:soapbox:

However, there is a test, other than the appearance of overspray, to determine the condition of the paint's surface and whether or not clay should be considered. The finger tip is not sensative enough to feel a slightly rough surface on the paint. However, if you put your finger tip into a lightweight sandwhich bag or cover it with other similar light weight plastic, and then GENTLY move your finger over the surface of the paint, you may notice a difference. If you don't feel a difference, there is no need to use clay. If you do, you may conisder using the clay as indicated, with lots of lubrication - usually a good detail spray.

Also, there are different "grits" of clay. You should consider using the finest grit available for your Porsche - unless you have very old and poorly maintained paint which is very rough. And, of course, if the clay gets contaminated - especially if you drop it - toss it and get another piece. Use a piece of window glass (i.e., the windshield) to flatten the clay, developing a smooth flat surface, prior to putting it on your lubricated paint.

Once the paint is cleaned and properly cared for, it is unlikely that you will need to consider using clay for a long time.

OK. I'm done. ;)

[kbrandsma]

I would second the Zaino Brothers' SYstem including their clay bar.

The link below is after a wash with dawn, clay bar and four coats of Zaino after my purchase in July 07 of my 98 2.5 l Boxster. I used Zaino's #5 wax, then #2 wax, then #5 wax and then I finished with #2 wax. I used the Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer #6 between wax coats and I touch up with #6 spray as needed after a quick dusting with my California Duster. I wash monthly with Zaino washing soap. No swirls and daily compliments.

Press view slide show after opening this link.

[dave944]

This may be flagged off topic since it is a 944...

The car is a chalky red color with enamel paint. A detail shop recommended I start with a good wet sanding to remove the oxidation, and then have it buffed. I had the guts to try this and was surprised to find red paint under the chalky red that looks buffable. However some of the panels are repained, and not enamel, but acrylic instead. Instead of revealing a deep red color, some panels got more chalky due to the fine scratrches the wetsanding made. Outside of the obvious color match problem how can I recover these scratched panels?

[Chris_in_NH]

This may be flagged off topic since it is a 944...

The car is a chalky red color with enamel paint. A detail shop recommended I start with a good wet sanding to remove the oxidation, and then have it buffed. I had the guts to try this and was surprised to find red paint under the chalky red that looks buffable. However some of the panels are repained, and not enamel, but acrylic instead. Instead of revealing a deep red color, some panels got more chalky due to the fine scratrches the wetsanding made. Outside of the obvious color match problem how can I recover these scratched panels?

it sounds like YOU did the wet-sanding yourself. that is quite brave of you. ;)

how did you go about it? have you wet-sanded anything before? did you have instructions on how to do this, or did you just kinda 'wing' it?

one time, after applying some touch-up paint to a small area, i wet-sanded the touch-up and ended up with the same chalky, scratched result as you. a few applications of different grades of polish completely removed the scratches. but for a while there, i was pretty scared that i completely ruined my paint. :o

i'm not sure of the differences between enamel paint, acrylic paint, etc., but i would guess that polishing the hell out of it would remove the scratches and bring the paint back to a nice, shiny finish.

my car is a '97 and no matter what i do to it with an orbital polisher, i can not get the little scratches/spiderwebs out (and i have many quality polishes/compounds and many specialty pads) . i know that the paint needs to be 'wheeled' with a rotary polisher and/or wet-sanded. i once paid a guy $300 to 'fix' the paint, but when after a month the wax he applied began to degrade, i could see the scratches were still there. he basically hid the scratches with fillers/waxes.

there's a picture around here of a guy that wet-sanded his 996 and it is the BEST-looking paint i have ever seen. if i can find it, i will post it. but i am interested in learning more about your wet-sanding experience. thanks.

[dave944]

I used 2000 or 2500 grit wet/dry, kept the hose misting continually, and just sanded away the top white layer of paint, one panel at a time. I watched for the little raised dimples to dissapear. Make sure you have good light. Having a red car makes seeing the oxidation easier. If you have a white or silver car I would be very careful to not sand off too much. I have also heard to soak the sandpaper in water with dishsoap or blue corral for 30 minutes or overnight before starting, to soften it up and reduce scratching.

Anyway, I tried some cheap polish (nu-finish) I had laying around last night, and it polished right up and looks great, both the enamel and the acrylic areas. It remains to be seen how long the shine will last. Prior to wetsanding, the oxidized paint would hold a shine for a very short while before dulling, even after using rubbing compound, due to deep oxidation. I guess this is due to the porosity of the oxidized layer. With the oxidized layer removed I am hoping it will hold a shine much longer.

But again this is drastic action for a 22 year old 944...