What should I do?

[Da90Ls]

I bought My G2 integra about a year ago and it was a beautiful car and over the last summer and winter it has turned yellow. I wash it bi-weekly during the summer, and when its not below freezing in the winter I do. Here are a few before and after pic of when I bought it to current.

I was reading all last noght on stuff to use, and went to the local advanced auto and seen what they had to offer. These are the products Imma buy thursday, but I dont know what order to use them in andwhat I should get for sure. Heres the list.

Gold Class liquid car wash, Clay kit, And DC#'s 1, 2, and 3. Which ones should I leave out and what order should I use them in to get my car back to being white?





What can I do to bring my babies paint back to life? As you can see the color has faded alittle and turned slightly yellow.

By the way, its a 90 integra.

Josh

[Murr1525]

First, here is a good article for white paint..

A Lesson From White Paint


Also be sure to read


Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

Now, all of the products you mentioned will be good, and should be in your arsenal.

The order you will want is just as you list, Wash, CLay, DC#1, DC#2, DC#3.

However, DC#1 is a very mild cleaner. As you wash the cars well, you may notice more swirls ,etc, or a lot of extra oxidation. At this point, you will need to move to a more agressive cleaner like ScratchX.

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

Hopefully, you will find it is only dirty paint, and nothing more serious. But you will have to clean your way in first.

Also, as far as washing, etc.. here are some good products for when your car is back to new...
Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

[Mike Phillips]

Read everything Murr1525 posted and don't skimp out on the ScratchX step, take it seriously and do a good job of applying this hand-applied paint cleaner.

Have you ever checked to make sure it has a clear coat finish? It should have a clear coat finish from the factory but you never know until you test. Also, it's possible that it could have been repainted somewhere along the line. It's a good idea to find out exactly what you're working on before you start working on it.

From Meguiar's *NEW* FAQ

Here's the link, below is the answer,

How can I tell if I have a clear coat finish?


To determine whether you have a clear coat or a single-stage finish perform this simple test.

• * Find an inconspicuous area to test, such as the lower rear quarter panel of your car's fender or inside the door jamb.
  
  * Clean this area first with car wash and water or Meguiar's Quik Detailer. You don't want any dirt or grime to interfere with your test.
  
  * Using a small piece of white cotton, such as a piece of terry cloth towel, rub a little paint cleaner or Cleaner/Wax into the paint of this inconspicuous area.
  
  * After rubbing for a few moments, turn your cloth toward you and look to see if there is any color from your paint on the cloth.

If you have a red car and you now have red paint residue on your cloth, this is a pretty good indicator that you have a single stage finish. If you have a red car and you don't see any red paint residue on your cloth, this is a pretty good indicator that you have a clear coat.

To be 100% sure, you should test in a couple of different areas.

Note: If you have a white, or very light colored car you should use a dark piece of cotton cloth and look for the color of your car's finish on it after rubbing some paint cleaner or Cleaner/Wax into the finish for a few moments.

[CivicEM205]

That is a great article on white paint that Murr posted. Claying will do wonders! Those teggy's look like awesome revitilization projects! Best of luck.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by CivicEM205
That is a great article on white paint that Murr posted.

I think I first wrote that article back in about 1998 or 1999, seems like just yesterday...



Looks like it's been read over 11,000 times since being published on BCC

[Murr1525]

Oddly enough, almost the same cars Josh is working with.

[Da90Ls]

Not the same car but the car sittin farther away from the camera in the second pic, that is a 89 prelude. My best friends car. lol thats weird.

EDIT: one more thing, on the drivers side the black strip that goes vertical up the door, has peeled off and it was held on by double side tape. ive tried everything to get that off, how would i go about removing it?

EDIT AGAIN: lol, thanks for all the info. going out thursday and buying all the products listed plus scratch x incase i need it. and a water magnet thingy, or shammy. Im doing this whole detail by hand, is there any pads or anything that i should get incase i need a rougher pad or something? thanks again.

Josh

[Murr1525]

If they sell Meguiars Hi-Tec Foam Applicators you will be in good shape.

If you find you need to use ScratchX, I would either use the Hi-Tec applicator or a white athletic sock turned inside out. (washed of course).

You will want one Hi-Tec Applicator, or other good applicator, per product. Plusa spare or two if possible.