White car :(

[FEINT]

I see that alot of the pictures used on the forum are mainly all dark coloured cars. You can see the before / after differences very clearly.

1) Unfortunately, I have 2 white cars and both of them waxed with Next Generation Wax. However, they are lacking that 'oomph' found on the photos here on the forum. Any ideas to help with that glossy, shiney new looking paint?

2) The cars are also parked outside in the sun and rain. They have lost their clear coat and paint looks pathetic. I have got the clay bar, paint cleaner, scratch x, step 2 polish and both GOLD CLASS and Next Generation Waxes. Will this bring back their clear coat?

3) Should I use the professional series cutting compound to help with this?

I got the cars second hand and damage was already done. I think this forum is great, I love seeing the photos of the cars before / after.

Thanks alot!

[Whelan]

Re: White car

If they have no clear coat the paint should be coming off fairly easily. You cannot do too much in terms of polishes and cleaners when there is no clear coat. These products are designed for clear coats, thus you can remove swirls and such.

[Jeepster04]

Re: White car

If they have no clear coat the paint should be coming off fairly easily. You cannot do too much in terms of polishes and cleaners when there is no clear coat. These products are designed for clear coats, thus you can remove swirls and such.

Im alittle unsure as to if the cars do not have clear coat. Maybe he means they have oxidation on them and are not shiny anymore?

Either way, clay, a good paint cleaner(DC 1 is good), a polish, then a good coat of GC or NXT should help.

If it has some swirls, Scratch-X or #80 may be needed.

What year are the cars?

[FEINT]

Re: White car

Maybe the terms I have used are incorrect. There is no shine to the paint, it is dull and it looks like there is no clear coat. Maybe because they are white, hence making them look like there is no clear coat. If you look at them from the side, most cars have this clear layer that looks very nice. On mine, it just looks white and non-glossy.

The cars are about 10 years old. Manufactured in 1996.

[kellyinkc]

Re: White car

Go ahead and clay. You will be surprised how much stuff comes off.
If working by hand use DC1 then DC2. Scratch X if any swirls. Topp with your choice of GC or NXT or my favorite #20!! White is hard I have one.
HLH

[FEINT]

Re: White car

Here are 2 pictures taken to show you what I mean by a DULL looking paint.

[kellyinkc]

Re: White car

Looks like it needs a little TLC.
Try some clay and Scratch X on a 2 X 2 section before doing the whole car.

[Whelan]

Re: White car

I see what your saying now. If I'm not mistaken that looks like a late 90's Infiniti G20. possibly the t edition given the ground effects on it.

Absolutely give it a really good clay barring, you may want to invest in the G100 or PC 7424 and some 83, then 80 and see what you get.

[Murr1525]

Re: White car

Be sure to give these links a read to make sure you get the process down right...

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

There is also a nice article over at Autopia.org called "A lesson from White Paint" written by Mike. Points out some interesting things.

All in all, you will be quite alright. Nxt is a good wax, but 95% of the look of a car comes from the prep work, and NXt wax needs the paint prepped before using.

As pointed out, giving a good wash with a quality wash, clay, ScratchX/DC#1, polish and wax, and you'll be in much better shape.

[FEINT]

Re: White car

Thank you for the kind replies. I will try it out and see what happens, I have kind of given up on the OOMPH you get from darker coloured cars.

Just out of curiousity, if the car has quite a bit of minor scratches, would you use more than one layer of SCRATCH X?

If I use SCRATCH X, do I still need to use Step 1 , Paint cleaner? (I have step 1, 2 and 3). haha..

WIth the clay bar, how many cars can it do before it gets used to the point that I need a new one?

Do you think COLORX will make a difference or am I just wasting $$$?

Thanks alot for the replies! Looking forward to my car being nice and shiney!

[Murr1525]

Re: White car

ScratchX, while it is the most aggressive product recomended by hand by Meguiars, is quite mild in the grand scheme of things. So for swirls, scratches, you certainly may need more than one application. Now, if you can feel the scratch with your finger nail, you may not be able to completly remove it, only improve it.

ScratchX and DC#1 are both paint cleaners. So if you ScratchXed everything this time, you wouldnt need DC#1 for this detail. However, DC#1 is cheaper, and faster to use, and milder, so it nice for regular details in the future when you dont have swirls and stuff to remove.

That all depends. On a neglected car, it may last one car. On a well taken care of car/cars, it could last 5 or 6 . It just depends on how much dirt and stuff there is to remove.

I love ColorX... so I would say it is good to have. It certainly makes for faster details when you dont have time to do each seperate step.