Quickly oxidising paint

J

JCarruthers

New member
So my cars paint oxidises pretty quick - I presume it's just getting old and going off. It had a respray at some point in its 44 year life.



I mopped it using Farecla G3 and waxed it — keeping up reasonable maintenance but it went matt within a year.



Should I go over it with something finer? I presume G3 may have been a bit coarse and my gut tells me this means the paint will go off a lot quicker.



It was suggested to me to go for 3M Fast Cut Plus (the green one) and that would give it more of a chance of surviving.



Thoughts?





Many thanks!



James
 
Just use a polish, don't cut it again! You keep cutting off the dense portion of the paint and the UV blockers that rose to the top in curing and it will get even worse.

Just polish and put on whatever protective wax or sealant that you like to use.
 
If the car was very oxidized when you started, there's a chance you didn't remove all the oxidation in your correction. The solvents from compounds and polishes can wet oxidation and make it look like it's gone, as if you sprayed it with a light oil.



That's why, when I have really badly oxidized cars, I wetsand them with 3000 grit sandpaper until I can see the good paint breaking through. The car looks like it's been zebra painted. Then, I buff off the rest of the oxidation and buff out the swirl marks. Then, I do a swirl removal and apply sealant.



That lasts, at least until the paint really oxidizes again, usually at least a couple of years.



Robert
 
Like Post #2 suggested, do not cut it, or you will soon see the primer coming through. Don't know about the "respray", but sounds like a one stage paint. Try claying a section and see what comes off.
 
Here's a test. Find some paint that's still shiney. You may have to look in the jams or under the deck lid or hood. Get a solvent based cleaner like prep sol or the like and degrease the still shiney paint. See if it changes - it shouldn't. Then, do the same thing on part of the paint you cut. If it makes the oxidation seem to "come back" then the oxidation was merely wetted, not removed. If you're just wetting the oxidized paint then you need to cut down to good paint.



The reason I like my method is that I can tell exactly when I'm down to good paint. 3000 grit trizact cuts through oxidation like a chain saw but almost bounces off good paint so, as I can see the pad breaking through the oxide I know my polisher will finish off the rest and remove the 3000 grit scratch without having to take off more paint than necessary. I use a rotary polisher. In order to cut down to good paint with a polisher and know you've gotten off all the oxidation while the oils from the compound are masking the oxidation and making it shine you have to be able to feel the difference between how the machine feels when it's cutting oxidation and how it feels when it's cutting oxidation or you'd have to test with solvent as you go. For me it's faster to do what I suggested. Your mileage will vary.



There are times when all the paint is just shot, right down to primer. Then you might as well just feed it natural oils and try to seal them in with a few layers of wax. It will never last but at least you won't have to paint it.



You could try both suggestions and see what works for you.



Robert
 
Thank you all for your suggestions.



Robert your suggestion speaks loudest to me. The only issue is that the only shiny paint is probably original paint — where as the paint on the outside of the car is probably where it's been painted over.



When you say "try the solvent on a part of the paint you cut" do you mean without touching it? Or should I cut a patch again and then use the solvent?



I am away from the car at the moment and will look a lot closer when I get home at the end of the week.





James
 
When I said, use solvent where you've cut, I meant where you've all ready cut, it should make it look even more oxidized if my theory is correct, but the test should work on a fresh cut area as well. Just cut till it looks good and test, that'll show you what's going on, either way.



Recently, I did a Red AMG AMX that several other detailers had done previously. They cut with polished and waxed but the shine didn't last. I sanded and polished and it's been nearly a year with no problems so it was pretty obvious the other guys had just oiled the paint. Granted, it takes some nerve to go right to sandpaper on an old paint job, but it is what it is.



Let me know how it works out.



Robert
 
WhyteWizard said:
When I said, use solvent where you've cut, I meant where you've all ready cut, it should make it look even more oxidized if my theory is correct, but the test should work on a fresh cut area as well. Just cut till it looks good and test, that'll show you what's going on, either way.



Recently, I did a Red AMG AMX that several other detailers had done previously. They cut with polished and waxed but the shine didn't last. I sanded and polished and it's been nearly a year with no problems so it was pretty obvious the other guys had just oiled the paint. Granted, it takes some nerve to go right to sandpaper on an old paint job, but it is what it is.



Let me know how it works out.



Robert
Click to expand...



Thanks — I have painted cars before so know how to sand them down. I will give it a try.
 
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