Short Version Below.
In July of 2005, I made my debut with Autopia. With some help, I prepared my first big detailing order and prepared my 1993 Toyota MR2 for a great local car show appearance.
Ever since, I’ve been doing a pretty good job maintaining the now 16yr old paint. Despite my greatest efforts, however, my MR2 left my home garage this summer and baked in the South Carolina sun (summer internship), which began a downward spiral into cloudy oxidation. First it was the wing and the side-view mirrors. Then came the hood, roof, and engine lid. It then spent the fall and beginning of winter in my harsh (cold and windy) school climate of Blacksburg, Virginia. To make things worse, I was involved in a very small collision with another vehicle, which scratched my front bumper.
I returned home in December and garaged the MR2. I’m now looking to rejuvenate the original clarity and depth of the paint with the aid of a Porter Cable Orbital Polisher.
My problem, subsequently the reason for my thread, is not the lack of information available on various polishes. Instead, spending the past 8 hours with the search button has simply thrown me into a headache of confusion and indecisiveness.
Short version (start here)
From what I’ve been able to gather, I need a UDM (a rebadged 7424 now?) and a series of polishes with matching pads. It seems that LC pads are highly regarded as the pads to have (for value and quality), but the recommended polishes depend largely on personal preference, budget, and the level of paint correction needed.
My budget was originally set to $200 (for PC, pads, polishes, sealant, tire dressing, and trim dye), but after finding this kit at autogeek, it seems that I will have to stretch my budget a bit to achieve my desired results.
Here is a picture of the worst of the damage (the front bumper scratches). Anything that can take these out will surely take out any of the oxidation elsewhere on the car. Note that this picture was taken before the front bumper was cleaned, so the scratches aren’t as tear-jerking as it may seem. If I cannot rid myself of the scratches, I would at least like to minimize them.
What products do you recommend for stepping through this paint correction? I should have about two-straight weeks of time available to labor through the process, so I’m not afraid of going over the car multiple times with the UDM.
Thanks!
Update on page 2!
In July of 2005, I made my debut with Autopia. With some help, I prepared my first big detailing order and prepared my 1993 Toyota MR2 for a great local car show appearance.
Ever since, I’ve been doing a pretty good job maintaining the now 16yr old paint. Despite my greatest efforts, however, my MR2 left my home garage this summer and baked in the South Carolina sun (summer internship), which began a downward spiral into cloudy oxidation. First it was the wing and the side-view mirrors. Then came the hood, roof, and engine lid. It then spent the fall and beginning of winter in my harsh (cold and windy) school climate of Blacksburg, Virginia. To make things worse, I was involved in a very small collision with another vehicle, which scratched my front bumper.
I returned home in December and garaged the MR2. I’m now looking to rejuvenate the original clarity and depth of the paint with the aid of a Porter Cable Orbital Polisher.
My problem, subsequently the reason for my thread, is not the lack of information available on various polishes. Instead, spending the past 8 hours with the search button has simply thrown me into a headache of confusion and indecisiveness.
Short version (start here)
From what I’ve been able to gather, I need a UDM (a rebadged 7424 now?) and a series of polishes with matching pads. It seems that LC pads are highly regarded as the pads to have (for value and quality), but the recommended polishes depend largely on personal preference, budget, and the level of paint correction needed.
My budget was originally set to $200 (for PC, pads, polishes, sealant, tire dressing, and trim dye), but after finding this kit at autogeek, it seems that I will have to stretch my budget a bit to achieve my desired results.
Here is a picture of the worst of the damage (the front bumper scratches). Anything that can take these out will surely take out any of the oxidation elsewhere on the car. Note that this picture was taken before the front bumper was cleaned, so the scratches aren’t as tear-jerking as it may seem. If I cannot rid myself of the scratches, I would at least like to minimize them.
What products do you recommend for stepping through this paint correction? I should have about two-straight weeks of time available to labor through the process, so I’m not afraid of going over the car multiple times with the UDM.
Thanks!
Update on page 2!
