Suggestions for loaner car?

M

mikenomad57@hotmail.com

New member
Ok so my parents own (I'm 21) a van, those conversion high top big vans. After the 4th yr of ownership they <strong class='bbc'>NEVER[/b] wash the van anymore. 2 yrs ago, I clayed it with mothers and then used the Meguiars #7 polish and finished it with Meguiar's cleaner wax #6. I used an orbital buffer. The car was soooo dirty even after the claying, the bonnets were jet black!

Last yr, I put on a coat of Meguiar's Clear Coat Scrub. When I took it off, the towels were really black as usual. Then I used Meguairs #7 and #6. The car looked decent though but the towels were once again black and I assumed there was still dirt on the car.

My question is: what can I do to prep the car to use Zaino or prolly Klasse? Or should I even use that?

BTW, the top part of the van (plastic) was repainted by a friend (no clearcoat) and now its all faded and chipping a bit. Anything that can help it? Or should it be painted? Some guy said it would cost in the thousands just to paint the top!

Thanx,
1st post!

:eek:
 
What color is the van? If it is black you might be pulling paint off.



In the thousands to paint just the top? I'd take it around to a few other people to get bids on it. That seems a little high. The roof of the car really needs a good clearcoat. It is what will protect the paint from UVs.



When you were washing the van, was your wash mit or whatever you were using getting black on it?



I say get the top repainted and then for the rest of the van do the ABC bath. It'll be sure to take everything off.



I don't know if the jet black you are getting on you buffer pad is dirt. Is there anything that you are hitting? Like the tires or some plactic or rubber trim? That might be doing it.



Can we get a picture of the van?
 
If you have an orbital I'd jump on it with some medium cut rubbing compound. See what that does for it. If the van just sits in the sun with little maintenance it is most likely oxidized badly. The medium cut should remove this. Then follow that up with some fine cut compound then SMR. After the SMR then apply AIO to seal it up. For this van I probably wouldn't even mess with SG. Now that the paint is smooth and free of oxidation you should be able to just follow up with AIO and the orbital every 4 months or so.
 
I'll try to post some pics up.



The van is black. Trust me, the black stuff is not even close to paint, it's just grime and dirt. They literally DO NOT WASH the car anymore! It's sad. Salt and asphalt from the winter is all over it also.



The mit gets a somewhat black, but not as much as when I buff the van off.



BTW, I've been on these forums for about 3 months now but what is ABC bath? :confused:



I'm just curious since Zaino is a sealant and if the paint isn't clean, Zaino on the van would not look good.



Oh yeah, you can put ur fingers on the van and swiped it across, a lot of dirt would be your fingers.



:nixweiss
 
First, welcome to Autopia. You've come to the right place.:)



For the van I think the ABC wash would be ideal but also challenging to do on a vehicle that large. Please search the archives for posts describing the process. Once you get an idea of the system you can decide if its what you want to do.



As far as polishing goes, you need a multi-step process as you've discovered. My folks had big vans too and I did them by hand or with an orbital as well. You'll probably go thru 5-6 bonnets at least so stock up now if you don't have many. Also stock up on lots of towels (cotton terry and/or microfiber) and several terry wax applicators



My first step would be Meguiar's #2 Fine Cut Cleaner. You may need two applications of this to remove the majority of oxidation. #2 is plenty aggressive and should do the trick for the serious work.



Then you can use that Body Scrub you have as an intermediate step. This will remove a little more oxidized paint but mostly polish out the swirl marks left by the #2. For an experiment try a couple coats of #6 in a small area just to see if it will remove the swirls left by the #2. I think you'll find the #6 is an excellent cleaner-wax and does a good overall job. If the test you do with the #6 gives a result like the Body Scrub, then you can skip the Scrub. Based on your description the van may need the Body Scrub step anyway but the #6 is worth a try.



When you're done with the polishing step take a minute and look the van over closely. Look for any missed spots or places where more work is needed. Fix those missed areas before applying any protectant wax. You'll probably have killed most of your bonnets and towels so try to save one of each for the final step.



If you want to go AIO now's the time to do it. The mild polish in it will remove still more oxidized paint but not too much and the shine should look really good. The #6 can be used instead and the orbital can be used with either product. So it's up to you if you want to spring for some AIO. I think you'll be very happy with it but if not, the #6 is fine. Either way you are looking at two applications to get it looking good. BTW, don't bother with the #7 on the van. It's a waste of time and product.



By now you'll have the van looking about as good as possible. And you'll be 3/4 dead and ready to call 911. But instead of reaching for the phone you still have to do the wheels, tires, glass, chrome, trim, and make sure there's no more wax residue left in any crack or crevice as it will look tacky as hell on a black van.



Be sure and take lots of before and after pics and post them in Members Pictures so we all can slap you on the back and give out high five's. You will have passed your first test of an Autopian.



Good luck.:up :up
 
Claying is always a good idea of you can feel surface contaminents. But I think the #2 will remove most of them anyway. If it's a step you like doing (as I do) then claying is fine but if you hate doing it then I feel you can skip it.



I do not think the #7 step is necessary for your project. #7 Show Car Glaze is made for paint that is in almost perfect condition. It is mostly fillers and oils and is used as a very fine polish just before the wax step. Since the van is in fairly rough shape I think most of the benefits of #7 are lost on it. The kicker is that the cleaners in the #6 will likely remove any fillers and oils left by the #7. I'd hate for you to do all that work for almost no benefit.
 
Will using SMR for Dark Colored Cars be good enough instead of #2 Meguiars Fine Cut Cleaner?



I think if I needed #2 I would have to order online but the SMR is available locally. Have you guys seen #2 locally?
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by webviper [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>bretfraz,

After using Meguiar's #2 Fine Cut Cleaner, wouldn't I want to use #7 than #6? Maybe I am wrong?

And should I clay it? [/b]</blockquote>
I would think that the clay would come first. Or if it is that bad, then I'd probaly do the #2, then clay, then do another #2.

Personally, I would not use wax on the van. If your parent's wash it that infrequently, I would think you'd want something that lasts a whole lot longer than wax. Try the Klasse, or similar product that lasts longer. The #2 should create a good clean surface to apply AIO.

If you do use the wax, I would skip the #6 and use the #26 yellow wax. I'd put all my effort into making the surface perfectly clean and oxidization free with the #2. Once that is done, there is no need for a cleaner wax. The #26 is a more pure wax, will last longer, and will be dust-free coming off.

Mike
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

Have you guys seen #2 locally? [/B]</blockquote>
Plenty of automotive supply stores in MA carry the Meguiar's line. I think Autozone may have it as well. I know for sure that The Speed Shack in Norwood, MA carries the whole line, but you should call first to see if they have it in stock. When I used to live on the South Shore, I got my supplies there and they usually carried a large inventory of Meguiars, so I can't imagine they wouldn't have it.

With that in mind, you may want to call some speed shops out in Western, MA if you can't find it at an automotive supply store.

Good luck,
Mike
 
THANK YOU MICHEAL B!! I always get gas at rojos but have never been in the speedshack. I will next time!
 
I wouldn't substitute SMR for #2. It's not aggressive enough. SMR is a mild polish ideal for nearly new paint that is suffering some minor swirls. Maybe use it as a final step before protecting if you want.



As MichealB said you can find #2 at body shop supply stores. Also look in all your local suto parts stores. Sometimes it pops up there.



Best of luck. Let us know how things go for you. Hit us with questions if you need to.
 
I am gonna help a friend who is in the same boat-- 10 year old car, non-clear coated, never ever washed. I planned on doing this (using my PC): Mother's Clay (not by PC!) 3M Perfect-it II rubbing compound (probably with a wool pad), 3M FI-II (foam cutting pad), Meguair's #9 2.0 (foam pad), Meguiar's #26 by hand (I have so much #26 lying around, so I have to use it. I use Klasse for my car, but since he's only gonna give me the money covering the supplies, I'm not using my good stuff).



His car looks pretty bad. VERY oxidized. Does this plan sound ok or too harsh? His car is a small little hatchback, so it won't take forever, just very long!
 
A long time ago (5/27/01) , Ron K recommended using laundry detergent for a very neglected car
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

I Just cool it down with lots of water, in the shade and wash it first with a strong laundry detergent(no, don't do this normally), keep it wet with the solution for at least 5 minutes, agitating it as you walk around the car, do not let it dry on the car,rinse off. Then the claying etc will go much easier
It is an older vehicle (5 yr old) and the clear is pretty tough, you just need to reduce the stains, and this will do it</blockquote>

Just a thought...:)
 
Hey guys, I hit all my business goals for 2010, including the truck, new camera, and my website. So now I'm looking towards goals for 2011. In addition to hopefully opening up a shop location I'm also thinking of buying a car to use as a loaner. I have enough people who have trouble getting the car to me or other circumstances where a loaner car would make sense. So I'm looking for some suggestions.

Things it needs to do, and keep in mind:

-Needs to be practical, at least 4 seater
-Good to excellent fuel economy
-Must be automatic
-Good for advertising, as the car may be wrapped with my business name and info, etc
-Be nice if it has some getup and go



Cars I won't do...
-1st gen Scion Xb (pathetic power)
-Chevy HHR (feels cramped inside and I'm only 5' 10" and 175 lbs)




What suggestions do you guys have?
 
GoFast908Z said:
I'm also thinking of buying a car to use as a loaner.
Click to expand...

Folks can be pretty hard on loaners, you need something indestructible. Maybe a Checker Marathon. :wink:

TL

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