I bought a '93 del Sol recently and I tried to fix some imperfections on the paint. There were some weird swirl marks and water spots IN the clear coat, all over the car. No matter how many times I washed the car, they wouldn't go away. It looks like the sloppy previous owner tried to wax it on a very sunny day or something. On top of that, some oxidation is starting to show. I used a few different products to try and get rid of those spots, but I had no luck. I used 3M, McGuiars, and some other "fancy" stuff. You know, those that require use of five different creams, sprays and what not... Nothing, no luck.

Yesterday I got bored and had a little free time on my hands so I decided to try something different this time. I went to AutoZone and picked a $6 Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound. Washed and dried the car, and tried some on a corner of the trunk cover. I was so surprised and impressed by results that I even took some photos just to show you guys. hehehe

I should have done that for the other brands as well to make this a comparison thread, but it's too late now I guess. Instead, I put together a quick Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound review. Some of you will be disappointed that I did it all by hand, but here it is anyway...


TURTLE WAX RUBBING COMPOUND PUT TO THE TEST

It says it removes medium to heavy oxidation and scratches. But does it really?
I bought it to find out for my self.




I also got a few of these to make it easier...



These photos show how dull my paint looked. Notice the water spots too...







I followed the instructions and did small sections at a time... It's pretty simple and straight forward. Apply evenly - rub in - wipe off. DUH!




I noticed a difference in shine right after I wiped it off. Look how that corner shines nicely, unlike the rest of the trunk...





I proceeded to do the rest of the trunk cover...





AND.............. VOILA:



It actually shines now!


It also worked quite nicely on my wheels:

BEFORE:


AFTER:




I used it on emblems and tail-lights too








PLEASE NOTE:
Your results will vary depending on how you do it and how bad your paint is.
I'm not saying this product is superior to any other, but it worked ok for me. It removed some tough spots and some mild oxidation. Some spots were still visible from certain angles, but you'd really have to look for them to notice them. Overall - not bad at all. My paint definitely shines better now.

Don't blame me if it doesn't work for you! This is just to share MY results.




Modified by GtechPro at 3:47 PM 9/7/2007

 

results came out good man

 

good review

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KYLE. &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">results came out good man </TD></TR></TABLE>

I thought so too. But I wish I had a better camera for this kind of stuff...

 

looks good but dont this stuff wash right off after a car wash?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by doubleshotz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">looks good but dont this stuff wash right off after a car wash?</TD></TR></TABLE>

LOL no it doesn't. It's not a coat that remains on the paint.

 

guys i hope you realize this is a one time thing. it strips a lot and i personally wouldn't use it unless the paint was hopeless (oxidized, fading).

 

just a heads up
they have 2.99 microfiber applicator holders at target
SOooooooooooooo much better then using your hands

and holds the pad using "velcro" type material

 

nice results

 

good job.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GtechPro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">LOL no it doesn't. It's not a coat that remains on the paint. </TD></TR></TABLE>
good **** ima give it a shot

 

I wonder how this product would work if applied by random orbital polisher.

Looks good, btw.

 

good review

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4d96gsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">good review </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alexisthemovie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">guys i hope you realize this is a one time thing. it strips a lot and i personally wouldn't use it unless the paint was hopeless (oxidized, fading).</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, it's definitely not something you would want to use after every wash. And yes, you should use it only on older faded paint to help revive it a bit, that's all. Also, I wouldn't say it strips a lot, just don't use too much.

 

Now you need to seal up that clean surface with some polish or carnauba wax.

 

i use the same thing for my cf hood makes its shine like brand new... i used the 3m rubbin compound on my hood before and it took forever to take out the slight fade...but when i use this it was half the time...both time i used a orbiter

 

that turned out nice...i need to do this to my car also.

 

just get a buffer and some decent cut compound and a good finishing polish. Will look 10x's better.

 

not good enough. use a high speed porter cable machine !

if you dont see a clear mirror-like reflection, then you havent buffed out enough old paint.

 

Could it buff this out?

 

you could try a wet sand, several stages of polish, and wax.

although oxidized paint is usually hopeless.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alexisthemovie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you could try a wet sand, several stages of polish, and wax.

although oxidized paint is usually hopeless.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was being smartass.

I tried to handwax it with some stuff we had in the detail bay at work, and it came out shiny, but still looked like ***. Guess I need a paint job. I could be like Rob. and post my car in his original paint threads, because my car is straight up original. Nary a buffer or wet sanding. Just a little dab of wax and an applicator pad.

 

how long does this product's effect last? would this work after wetsanding out some scratches?