My detailing plan and questions (oxidation and scratches, different kinds of paint)

[mustanggirl]

My (2000) Mustang’s exterior has a lot of issues. It got hit five times while parked (all hit-and-runs!), and I fixed some dents and replaced the front fender. Unfortunately, I used cheap spray paint (didn’t have money or time, but couldn’t stand looking at the damage anymore and had to pass inspection), so now the paint is falling off where I filled in the dents, and the original red of the new fender shows through a little bit, making the black look kinda muddy. Then there’s a lot of scratches all over the car, some of them deep, some light swirl marks, and some oxidation with dull paint and a small area with peeling clear coat (about 2 inches).
Some day I’ll have it repainted, but I want to make the best of it right now.

Here’s my detailing plan (and my questions). Could you tell me what you think about it? Should I do anything differently?

1. Wash everything. I have the Gold Class Shampoo, but do I need something stronger to strip the old wax?

2. Use clay bar.

3. Fix as much damage as possible:
- touch up deep scratches and peeling clear coat
- remove swirl marks and light scratches, shine up dull oxidized paint – which product(s) should I use for this? I have Ultimate Compound, but is that going to be too abrasive? Would ScratchX 2.0 or SwirlX be better? Or what about Mirror Glaze #7 Show Car Polish? Should I use different products on different areas? What should I use on my spray-painted fender (which does not have any clear coat and only a very thin layer of paint)?
I have an orbital polisher, but not a very strong one.

4. Wax with NXT Generation Hi-Tech Wax. Or is the Yellow High Tech Wax #26 the better choice? I’d have to buy that, but if it’s worth it, I will.

What do you think? Any help would be appreciated!

[Blueline]

Re: My detailing plan and questions (oxidation and scratches, different kinds of pain

Well, the way you describe your vehicle, all I can say is "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". In other words, detailing is not going to make it look new again, although I admire your attempt to do so. Most people wouldn't even try. Your plan sounds good. Don't worry about Gold class stripping the old wax, it will not, but claying will. Ultimate Compound is not excessively abrasive. Without seeing the car, I would start with, it. ScratchX might help some of the deeper scratches however if your finger nail catches in a scratch, there is not much you can do about it. Normally one doesn't need a polish after UC in my experience, and frankly in your case would not justify the expense. The orbital polisher will not do as good a job as a fancy Dual Action polisher, but it is better than nothing and will save your elbow. If NXT is cheaper, I would go with it. You car will not look like a swan after but it will not be an ugly duckling either. Good luck.