Scratches, Spiderwebs, and Rock Chips Oh My!

A

abe lincoln

New member
So my brother buys a used 1993 Forest Green (I think metallic) Toyota Camry a few months ago. Well, this thing is in bad shape. Mechanically it's fine, but the paint is a disaster. Yesterday I started my restoration, and next week I will post the many pictures that I'm taking through each step.. but I need some advice on how to get rid of some problem areas..



Yesterday used palmolive (thats a fine substitute for dawn, correct?) and washed the car down good, sheeted off the water and dried, took it out for a drive to get it nice and dry. Then I started the paint cleaning process with Meguiar's Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner. The paint is pretty smooth now, but still has a really thin layer of roughness. I ordered Meguiar's Clear Coat Body Scrub for this purpose, and some ScratchX as well. My question is, can ScratchX remove the many scratches on the paint just by hand, or am I going to need to machine buff this stuff? I can move my hands pretty fast, btw :D And what is a good safe way to remove spiderwebbing? I'm assuming the only way to fix rock chips is touch-up, which I'm afraid to attempt, but may do.
 
That's quite a project.



Have you clayed the car yet? That usually removes all the surface contaminents you can feel. If not, get some and do the car. I think you'll be satisfied with the result.



You can do all the polishing by hand but its much much easier to do it by machine. I know lots of people get good results by hand work but nothing can match a buffer/polisher. The worse off a paint job is the more you need a machine. But for now keep using the products you have and try to get the best results possible.



Scratch X is fine for removing individual blemishes but its rather harsh for the entire car.



Spider-webbing is best removed using a swirl mark remover.



I look forward to the pics. The car should look great. Good luck.
 
The only true way to remove swirls is by a high speed buffer. A pc does next to nothing as doing it by hand removes some light swirls at best. I have to laugh at people who think a pc will remove bad swirls ;) or trying to remove them by hand i agree i think he needed to use a clay bar first :xyxthumbs
 
As far as claybarring it, I don't know if I want to go that drastic yet.. I've claybarred my Stealth already with mediocre results--I don't think it REALLY needed it, just felt like trying it out. Bad idea.. now I have some permanent streaks on the rear decklid.. on a black car no doubt! Mainly I just don't want to shell out the money for a claybar since its not my car. And I'm doubting my brother cares too much about it, it's pretty good already.. I will see how the Body Scrub works first.



I will attache some preliminary pictures of the car's old state later on tonight when my digicam starts downloading pictures (low batteries).
 
exude said:
The only true way to remove swirls is by a high speed buffer. A pc does next to nothing as doing it by hand removes some light swirls at best. I have to laugh at people who think a pc will remove bad swirls ;) or trying to remove them by hand i agree i think he needed to use a clay bar first :xyxthumbs
Click to expand...



Well, I don't think anyone who owns a PC feels its capable of removing bad swirls. Most PC users who've researched them and gained some experience can get pretty good results from them. But nothing can do what a rotary can on a bad paint job and I'm sure most folks here recognize that.
 
Why is using clay 'drastic', it is an excellent product as standard as an MF towel or polish. I am not sure how clay could leave permanent streaks on the rear decklid, did you try polish to clear the steaks?



Steven
 
Well, it's an expensive alternative (15 bucks is expensive for me).. and not necessarily needed on his car for his purposes (he's not a clean freak, my goal is to get the car's paint protected with little cost)... as far as polishing, yes I have.. I don't think it was the clay's fault, moreso the user's fault, who dropped it very quickly on a semi-clean garage floor, and thought that it would be ok :nixweiss
 
i experimented with scratch x and 3m smr by hand a few weeks ago and believe that the 3m was the superior product, by far. but i am fairly inexperienced compared to most people on this site. just my opinion though.
 
Claybar vs. Whatever



I personally don't really see it as a "should I clay or use X product instead?" kind of issue. I think that clay and polishes/cleaners/whatever all have different roles altogether, and that if the car needs claying (ie, has lots of rough grit all over it) then you would be skipping a step by not doing it and attempting to substitute another product.



Clay, polish, clean, wax. All as separate procedures. That's how I see it. :nixweiss
 
exude said:
The only true way to remove swirls is by a high speed buffer. A pc does next to nothing as doing it by hand removes some light swirls at best. I have to laugh at people who think a pc will remove bad swirls ;) or trying to remove them by hand i agree i think he needed to use a clay bar first :xyxthumbs
Click to expand...
Don't laugh too hard . . . I've had rather good luck at removing swirls, even severe ones, with the PC. Certainly, the PC is not as quick as a rotary in skilled hands, and it may even require multiple applications of a polish to achieve the desired result, but it can be done.



Tort
 
Based on the facts you have presented the steps you would follow on this car are:



1. Use a clay bar to remove any surface contaminants. Buffing will not do it. You can buff the car and then take your fingers and run them over a spot on the car. Then take the cellophane wrapper off a cigarette package and put it over your fingers and run it over the same spot. You will feel the contaminants.



2. Use a rotary buffer and a micro-fine or light compound and a foam or poly-wool blend cutting pad.



3. This is followed by the buffer again, at a lower speed, (1250RPM), with a foam polishing pad and a swirl remover/polish to get rid of buffer swirls and polish the paint.



4. Finally wax or seal with a good quality carnuaba wax (lasts only 30 days, by the way) or paint sealant (can last up to 6 months). You can apply by hand or with an orbital waxer.



If you want to professionally restore this paint finish that is the process.



If you want to do it "CHEAP" then buy a bottle of Turtle Wax.



Regards

BUDA
 
I use Meguiar's Professional line products (showcar polish and the yellow-wax) and do not have access to buffers, pcs, etc. etc. That's what I mean by cheap. I'm working with what I have. But I think you will all be fairly impressed with the results :) Last night was touchup, so there are no visible rock chips now... the touchup wasn't the greatest, but its not horrible, and you can't see it obviously besides from close up...
 
here's the first after picture...



This is after washing with soap and using Meguiar's Deep Crystal System paint cleaner, and some tire foam too for the heck of it.
 
and the second after picture.



Today I receive the meguiar's body scrub, scratchx, and car wash + odor eliminator, so I am ready for phase 2 on this car :) Expect pictures of that by next week (short vacation this weekend)
 
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