Maintaining and sprucing up an old cars paint job

Katieee

Katieee

New member
First of all I should introduce myself. Hi, i'm Katie, I have been browsing these forums for a while but have only posted a couple times. This place has been really helpful to me as a new car owner.

From seeing the posts on this forum most teenage girls don't really take good care of their cars but since I was given my moms car and I want to make it look the best I can.

The car is a 1990 Mazda 626 DX , it has always been a garage car and was only washed 2-3 times a year since it was bought in 1990. It was probably waxed around once a year too but I can only remember 1 time my dad waxed it. Hes the kind of guy that believes the year long wax ploy. But overall the paint job is in good condition.

Since I got the car it is now an outside car but I have been covering it nightly. It gets washed about once every two or three weeks and gets waxed each time. I use gold class car wash and wax. The car has lots of fine scratches all over it that are hardly noticeable unless you look at them and some swirl marks mostly on the trunk and the hood.

So my question is whats the best way to make the car look its absolute best and help keep it this way. I am on a bit of a budget right now with Christmas and an anniversary coming up but I really want to keep this car looking its best.

The picture below is just a general picture of the car, I'll try to take some pictures of the swirl marks and scratches tomorrow.
 
Welcome, Katie!

As you have probably read, there are many products that can help you with the car's finish, but here are my product recommendations:
Clay - Poorboys comes with an 8 oz. bottle of Spray & Wipe (lube)
Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash - which you already have
Poorboys Polish or PwC- to clean the paint
Poorboys SSR-2.0 - to remove the scratches & swirl marks
Poorboys EX or EX-P - to seal the finish

I started working with Steve's prducts when I was a newbie and working on the finish on my 1985 Honda Civic Wagon. I found them to be reasonably priced, and very new user friendly. They give great results with hand application. I cannot tell how dark the blue is from your picture, but Steve is a great guy to talk to, and is always happy to guide you to the right products for your paint and location.

The other expense you should consider is some good quality microfiber cloths, waffle weaves (for drying) & applicators. Dwayne @ Premium Auto Care (DC host), has been running a special on those. And you get 10% discount for mentioning DetailCity. Also, a good sheepskin mitt for washing - I picked up 4 for under $10 @ Costco.

Once again, :welcome to DC & the joy of making your ride look its best!!

Norah

PS - I would be VERY careful covering it nightly, while that does offer protection from the elements & birds, it's very easy to scratch the finish if there is anything on the cover's inside surface.
 
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Thanks a lot Norah, I think im going to be broke come winter. I really want to winterize my car since its going to be spending its time outside.

I have heard people say good things about Megs Deep crystal system, Scratch X and Color X. I don't have enough money right now to a bunch of PBs' products so I thought that I would get some of the megs products for right now.

Which of the things that I listed would be best? Or would other products in their line be better?

I Attached some more pictures in better lighting that show the color of the car really well.
 
Kattieee
It looks like you live in Southern California. If Im right you will want to clay your car after you wash it and B-4 you start polishing or waxing. Check the hood or trunk. Run your hand along these areas if it feals rough witch im sure it dose then it will need it. If you are doing this all by hand then you will want to read the directions on all products you are considering B-4 you purchase them. Some Megs. products are for hand use and some for machine use. The products you listed I have not used. If your on a budget try using megs. hand glaze and then top it with your megs. wax. This won't give you a flawless finish but it should hold you over till you can afford to purchase a Porter Cable polisher some nice pads and some of the porboys listed in the other post. Put these items on your Christmas list.
Good luck to you and welcom
 
The restricted budget has a lot to do with my recommendation.
Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax does a decent job for a reasonable price. It will do some cleaning, help hide or remove some of fine scratches and swirls and will give the paint some protection. It is also available locally.

Once you get started, you can read a lot of information, ask a lot of questions, and make some decisions on just how much you want/can spend on products. It is pretty easy to get caught up in the hobby and buy way too much stuff that you end up not using.

Charles
 
Welcome to Detail City!!! Megs makes a 3 step system which works pretty well. Its the Deep Crystal System. First step is a paint cleaner, 2nd step polish and the final step is wax. That should work well for you. Good Luck!
 
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