Faded red paint

[Aber28]

Hi all,

My brother's Fiat Punto (1999) needs a good wash with meguiar's products. Recently I noticed that it's red paint has become dull red now and it's a pity since it's still in an "as new" condition.

What do you suggest I should use in such cases?

Thanks a lot guys.

Regards,
Aber28

[Murr1525]

Re: Faded red paint

Any idea if it is single stage or clear coat paint?

Anyway, I would look at:

1. Wash - Gold Class, etc. 2 buckets, quality towels, sponges.
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit
3. Clean - SwirlX
4. Polish - Optional, but would be good. Esp on Single Stage paint. Deep Crystal Polish is good and easy to use.
5. Wax - Nxt 2.0 is pretty durable.
6. Wax - Two thin coats is best.

[Aber28]

Re: Faded red paint

I honestly don't have a clue hehe.

Tomorrow we will give a good wash to the car and then proceed as you suggested.

PS: I already tried the NXT 2.0 and it's STUNNING! :O

Regards,
Aber28

[agp56]

Re: Faded red paint

Aber28 - If it is single stage stage red paint, you will get a LOT of transfer onto your pads as you work. However, you will get one of the most dramatic changes you will ever see!

[3Fitty]

Re: Faded red paint

If it truly looks faded, it is probably single stage paint and as agp56 said, you'll know by getting red paint transfer onto whatever pad you are using.

If it is SS paint and oxidized, you'll want to use some type of polish on it like M205 (least aggressive first) and work your way up. If you've got a G110 or some derivative thereof, that would be the thing to do, as working by hand on an entire oxidized SS car would be exhausting!

[Aber28]

Re: Faded red paint

Thanks for all you help guys!

Do you think that I will get good results if I do everything by hand?

Thanks
Aber28

[Shawn T.]

Re: Faded red paint

You can get fantastic results by hand. The problem is that it may take an extremely long time. For example, if you want almost perfect results then I would suggest no more than a panel a day.

In all honesty, I would invest in a DA. They are truly remarkable machines that have the perfect blend of correction ability and safety. If you have never used a machine before you can still gets incredible results.

I am not sure how easy it is to buy a DA in Malta but the important thing is that you can do this by hand. It will simply take a long time. I would suggest reading through the Working by Hand threads to get a better idea of technique.

Good luck!

[Murr1525]

Re: Faded red paint

Yeah, depends on how perfect you want it.

If it is really bad, and pics would help, you could use Ultimate Compound instead of SwirlX.