Detailing

[toyotaowner]

I made a thread maybe two days ago but the server went nuts and the thread disappeared and my stats said I lasted posted on the the 25th of July. Definitely something wrong with the server.


So, here's basically what I said:

My car, a 1995 Camry LE bought new in 1995, has atleast gone through about 3 years of abuse when I was out of my lazy mind and didn't polish, used the carwash, and used dishwashing soap when I washed the car. Little did I know, I was damaging my car.

Now? My rear bumber is crack but hasn't lost any car. Etchings everywhere on the hood, roof, trunk lid and the spoiler. Front bumper has stains, hoods have plenty of chips, chips various other places and........well you get the story.

I've been smarter about what I do with my car. I've used car wax now (NXT). I now use Gold Class Wash instead of Joy Lemon soap. I've used ScratchX for a paint cleaner. What bothers me the most is the etchings. It ruins otherwise a fairly glossy car. Yeah, my car has been in a hit & run situation where I have a bumper dented and painted with touch-up paint. And my rear is cracked. I have always replace them.

But I need to know a way to get rid of etchings. Here's a list of the things I need to order.


G-1116 Quik Clay Detailing System 16 oz. (473 ml) $9.99 1 $9.99
G-12024 Hot Shine High Gloss Tire Spray (Trigger) 24 oz. (710 ml) $4.99 1 $4.99
G-310 Interior/Exterior Detail Brush $2.99 1 $2.99
G-7402 Endurance Applicator Pads 2 $1.99 1 $1.99
M-0716 Show Car Glaze 16 oz. (473 ml) $8.99 1 $8.99
M-3616 Hi-Tech Wheel Cleaner 16 oz. (473 ml) $8.99 1 $8.99
M-9716 Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner 16 oz. (473 ml) $10.99 1 $10.99
M-9909 Microfiber Drying Towel $12.95 1 $12.95
M-9910 Ultimate Wipe 1 Detailing Cloth $5.99 1 $5.99
======
SUB-TOTAL $67.87



Do you think a the Medallion would be enough to remove etchings or do I have to do some wetsanding? (I don't have any experience with that, so I rather not do that)

[Rockpick]

Re: Detailing

Originally posted by toyotaowner
I made a thread maybe two days ago but the server went nuts and the thread disappeared and my stats said I lasted posted on the the 25th of July. Definitely something wrong with the server.

Unfortunately, the meguiarsonline.com server was hacked and the database was deleted. Several posts, threads, and photographs were lost in this incident.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.

RP

[toyotaowner]

That probably explains why the meguiarsonline.com belonged to some advertisement website.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

Yes, we were hacked! It cost us about 3 days of posts, pictures, write-ups, membership registration etc... . Trust me, we are really frustrated over it!

Steps are being taken to try and prevent this from happening again!

Tim

[toyotaowner]

So.....can anybody help me?

Oh, & one more thing. Can I have NXT over show car glaze?

[tguil]

It appears that you have quite a job on your hands. If you have neglected the car for as long as you say you have, you'll not make it look as good as new no matter how hard you try. But you can make it look better. I think that you should start out very simply, especially if you are doing this job by hand. Using Gold Class Carwash and the Scratch X is a good start.

Here we go.

Wash the car very well. The Gold Class Car Wash is just fine. All of Meguiar's shampoos are great.

If you want to try to clay the car after you wash it, go right ahead. I find claying to be a little difficult for me. But that's just me.

Then apply Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner. Use a microfiber polishing cloth to remove it. It makes the job a lot easier. Work on one panel of your car at a time. If necessary repeat this step a bunch of times. You probably will not remove the etchings all that much, but you can sure try. On the more stubborn etchings use the Scratch X.

After you are satisfied with your cleaning and polishing, apply a coat of NXT and again use a microfiber polishing cloth to remove it.

Apply a second coat of NXT in 24 hours.

Your car should look a heck of a lot better than it did when you started and you should be quite proud of your results.

Wait to buy the more exotic products until you have success with the MPPC and the NXT.

Good luck!

Tom

[toyotaowner]

Well it's pretty good reflection wise. It's just the etchings that bothers me. I've used scratchX a lot and it doesn't seem to help a lot. Maybe I just need the car repainted.

Would wetsanding help?

[tguil]

Toyota Owner,

I've been messing with cars a long time -- from "beaters" to new vehicles. If your 1995 Camry falls into the "beater" category ( a glossy "beater" at that ), just keep it clean and drive it.

If you want your Camry to look great, take it to a pro detailer and ask him if he can remove the etching with a rotary buffer. But you would still have the chips to live with even if he can fix the etching.

About wet sanding. Based on your apparent lack of detailing experience, I think that you would just make things worse if you tried. I know from trying it myself.

A good repaint job with the necessary body work prior to painting is going to cost you big bucks at a quality body shop. If I were in your position, I'd think about going to one of the places that does volume paint work like Maaco. Their work is good enough, especially on a nine year old car.

After you get your Camry "lookin' good" then get into major detailing and have the fun that goes with it.

From my signature you can see that I'm an "old guy". I also drive fairly new vehicles, but I have been in your position and remember those days quite well.

Tom

[toyotaowner]

Yes I've heard about the Maaco repaint for around $300 which I think is a good price. However, would the quality be good? I do have a dark green pearl paint. Could they match it? I'd love to have a newly painted car.

I think I'd skip the wetsanding.

[tguil]

Toyota Owner,

If you go with Maaco, get the top of the line paint job. It will be more than $300. Go to the Maaco shop and see for yourself what their work is like. Go to a quality body shop to find out what they would charge for the work you want to have done. Then make your decision. Just remember that your Toyota is nine years old and you probably don't want to put a lot of money into it. Be sure to consider its mechanical condition. You just want a decent lookin' and dependable "ride".

Here's Maaco's website:

http://www.maaco.com/

Tom

[toyotaowner]

Mechanical wise. It's pretty much perfect. I didn't have a wheel alignment for 2 years and I had it checked out after my car started swirving to the right. Turns out it wasn't the alignment as it was perfect but tire pressure imbalance. Figure that.

My wife doesn't see the need of a repaint just as long as "it's not too ugly". So if I get past her, I might have it professionally done. I just want the car to look pretty good with some minor imperfections.