Doing somebody else's car for the first time...

D

derrickm

New member
Ok, here's the deal. One of co-workers is always complimenting me on my car's appearance. This morning he asked me if I would do his car for him. I've never done anybody's car other than my own. I want to make sure I don't mess anything up.



The car is a red 1994 Mazda MX3. It's in pitiful shape. Neglected, hardly ever washed and when he does wash it, it's with dishwashing soap. Here's my plan:



Wash

Clay

Wash (is this step neccessary again?)

SMR or FII

PPCL

AIO

SG

Maybe Blitz or S100 (which would be better on red?)



My main concern, how do I tell if there is a clearcoat or not? And if there isn't, what special pre-cautions do I need to take? I've never messed with a car that didn't have a clearcoat. I'm pretty sure he probably doesn't have one. He told me a few weeks ago that he tried to put on some type of polish or something on one panel and it turned his rag red, which I believe means there isn't a clearcoat.



Any help or advice you guys can give me would be appreciated. I just want to make sure I don't do any damage.
 
Your regiment sounds fine but if the car's in really bad shape you may want to substitiue some FCRC instead of the SMR or FI-II. I also hope you have a PC. Even with that it sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you. If I were you I might also skip the PPCL and go straight to the AIO. This could save you a bit of time.



I think you answered your own question about the clear. The car apparently didn't have one or has lost the one it did. I wouldn't worry too much about not having one. In fact I sometimes wish my car didn't have one so I wouldn't have to worry so much about going through it :o.
 
here's some info. my brother's '90 red Miata does NOT have a clear coat on it. Problem was his paint was so neglected the paint literally dried out to a chalky look. No matter what I put on, glaze or polish, it would suck up all the oils and dry out again. I could not restore the finish. if the Miata you are working on is that bad, it may need a new paint job. suggest you do a small section to see how bad the oxidation is. Good luck.
 
Personally, I'd skip the 2nd wash unless you have clay residue everywhere. Then use SMR or DACP depending on how bad it is. I wouldn't bother using the fillerless FI II because it sounds like a PITA to use and too time consuming - better to just move to a stiffer product. I would also skip the PPCL and go right to AIO afterwards.



Keep in mind that more than 1 SG coat is optimal and I personally wouldn't SG then wax all in the same day.



Clear coat or no clear coat, you don't have to worry too much about the actual process - paint is paint. Good luck!
 
4DSC said:
Personally, I'd skip the 2nd wash unless you have clay residue everywhere. Then use SMR or DACP depending on how bad it is. I wouldn't bother using the fillerless FI II because it sounds like a PITA to use and too time consuming - better to just move to a stiffer product. I would also skip the PPCL and go right to AIO afterwards.



Keep in mind that more than 1 SG coat is optimal and I personally wouldn't SG then wax all in the same day.



Clear coat or no clear coat, you don't have to worry too much about the actual process - paint is paint. Good luck!
Click to expand...



I'm with Brian. I don't think SMR is gonna cut it. You need something with some bite, like DACP or FCRC to cut thru that top layer of oxidation and staining. Then follow up with something milder like SMR or PPCL. That will get the paint glossy and swirl free.



Use the yellow cutting pad for the first step then go to the polishing pad for the follow up.



There's a little too many "shiny steps" in your plan and not enough "cleaning steps". Get the paint as clean and glossy as possible; that will be more than enough work for you. Worry about all that AIO/SG/blitz/whatever stuff wayyyyyyy later.



Good luck and post some before and after pics. :up
 
Thanks for all the input guys!



One more question, if he says that his rags were turning red, what's that going to do to all of my MF's and PC pads? Will they be able to be washed out?? I don't want to ruin my stuff?
 
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