The paint on my 94 integra is not in bad shape but needs some help. Its not faded at all but there is some light swirling from something done improperly to the paint. Its also a littler rough from dirt on the paint so I know I have to first wash then clay bar it. I'm not sure what products and in what order I need beyond that. whats the next step? Compound? Polish? Wax? There's so much stuff out there. I'm lost. The car is cypress green if that makes a difference. Thanks for any input you might have.

 

Wow. Noone has ever tried to revive a paint job? Weak...

 

best bet for help would be looking on Autogeek.net, they have tons of helpful information on there about detailing and paint care

 

wash, compound, machine polish, ultra fine machine polish, and seal the paint. good bye swirls. =D

 

interesting !

 

there is something called "ultimate compund" you can buy and a good 6 month wax is a carnuba wax, you can try "automagic" i work at a detailing shop in columbia maryland called excessive detail, and we buy our products from them

 

i will check it out, thanks.

 

A carnuba wax won't last anywhere near 6 months. Wash it twice with dish soap then claybar it. Wipe it down with a 50/50 mix if rubbing alcohol and water. Than hit it with some meguiars 105 and 205 on a light cutting pad. After that get a nice easy paint sealant like ultima paint guard plus. Wipe it on then come back the next day and do a second coat. Wash regularly and reapply the ultima every 2-3 months. One bottle of it is $30 but it will last you years for one car.

 

I'm scared I'll burn holes with the wheel. I like your method though. I'll have to collect a favor and get a friend to help.

 

I know how you can revive the paint back...first wash it really good you can clay it too if need be....Go buy some Rubber compound first with a white disc to remove the majority of the scratches and start bringing back the paint to life....then after your done buffing it around with the rubber compound....polish it off with a Black pad and thats when your paint starts shining like never before but its important you do the rubber compound first and then polish....How do i know? I do this at work

 

Can you post pictures of it?


Do you have a buffer? If so, what type? Any experience buffing cars?

The last time I buffed a car with faded paint, I washed it very throughly with dawn, clay bared then hit it with M150 with a light cutting pad, and then M205 with the same type of pad. Sealed it with griots garage sealant and then a coat of the Griots garage Premum wax. That was with a griots 6'' DA, and their orange pads.

I would do a few things diferent, but it turned out great.

 

You do this at work but you dont know its called rubbing compound and not rubber compound?

There are all kinds of different grits and level of aggressiveness of polishing compounds and the generic rubbing compound is usually pretty aggressive and requires a lot more work than some of the more advanced polishing compounds out there
If you are afraid of burning through then just start with the 205, you will still see really good results or you can try some meguiars 151. Use them with an orange pad on the DA and dont apply any pressure, the weight of the DA is enough, dont sit in one spot either, smooth steady strokes working only a few square feet at a time

Once you have that finished you can throw a glaze on there if you want but it isnt necessary than seal with something like the Ultima Paint Guard Plus or Blackfire Crystal Seal. Both of those have great durability and are super easy to apply and reapply. They are wipe on and walk away products that require no elbow grease and will leave your finish slick, reapply them monthly and your car will always have a nice durable seal on it.

 

Fine Ryan K RUBBING COMPOUND! Happy?