Please help with my single stage process white paint

[trishydishy]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

If you could take some closeup pictures of the defects, that would also help to see what is going on with your paint.

I actually did try to post up pics about a half hour ago and when I went to submit them it said the administrator has to look them over. Hopefully they will let my post come through soon.

[new2detailing]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

I have a 2001 Mitsubishi. The paintchip paint that I purchased uses a clearcoat (2 stage), however the factory paint is indeed single stage.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

Does anyone not know what's wrong with my car? I see 16 members have looked over my post. I know it's long and I apologize but my car needs some serious help.

It's kind of scary if nobody has any input on what's going on with my paint.

In my own defense... I was off yesterday. When I teach the Saturday class Meguiar's allows me to take Wednesday off, thus the reason you'll often times see my ***Offline Today*** posts on Wednesday morning.

I don't want anyone joining the forum and posting questions to think we're ignoring them but it's not healthy to work 6 and 7 days a week.

Also, discussion forums are not intended to be instantaneous answer machines although we do our best to answer your questions as fast as we can.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

Here are some pics.

You're pictures won't show up because you posted them as attachments on Autogeek.net

Here's the link to your thread over on Autogeek

Please help me....what's wrong with my paint and how can I fix it?


Reads like they've steered you to Klasse AIO? You can get the same or better results with our ColorX and it's easier to find and cost a lot less. Your car has a single stage paint and it's going to stain easier than a clear coated paint, it's also going to oxidize.

Here's a simple and inexpensive test you can do with products that work well, don't cost much and are easy to find.

Go buy one of these choices...

ColorX
or
Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner & NXT Tech Wax


After washing and drying the car, and after claying the paint if needed, simply take the ColorX and shake it well, then apply to a small section on the hood about a foot squared or so. Use plenty of product, (but don't be ridiculous you just want a wet amount of product on the paint because you want to take advantage of the chemical cleaners and if you use to little you'll have to little liquid on the surface), and work this product very well over the surface using a terry cloth wax applicator pad.

Allow the product to dry and then wipe it off and inspect the results as compared to the surrounding areas.


Or take the Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner and do the same thing listed above with the ColorX except don't let the paint cleaner dry as it's not a wax so it doesn't need to dry. After you wipe off the excess paint cleaner apply a thin coat of the NXT and do let this product dry and then wipe off the excess and then inspect the results as compared to the surrounding areas.


The above test will tell you if you can fix the problem by hand and what the problem is. If your test section looks better, that is the white paint looks whiter with good gloss and shine then the problem is just dirty, oxidized paint.

If the above doesn't help then the paint will require something more aggressive or can't be saved at all. Since you state that you've fixed it before then it's likely you can fix it again.

What you need to do after you remove the oxidation and staining is apply a quality wax and then take ownership of the washing process and wax your car's paint on a regular basis is the car is exposed to the outdoors all the time.

Did you post this to any other discussion forums besides Autogeek? We would like to read what others on other forums are suggesting also as discussion forums are always evolving into where you can get the best information and we're always ready for that challenge.

Thanks,

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

Also just to note, we edited your first post in this thread and broke that huge chunk of text into more readable paragraphs and huge chunks of text scare people away from reading. (Take my word for it, people don't like to read).

Also, the below was written to help people help themselves get better and faster replies to their posts no matter what forum they post to... the idea being to make it easier for people to reply to you by making it easier for them to take in your information...

We keep this posted to the upper fold of the forum homepage but as mentioned above... people don't read...


Friendly Tips...
How to write a great subject for your message!
The Number 3 - Try to limit the number of questions in a single message to three...

[trishydishy]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

In my own defense... I was off yesterday. When I teach the Saturday class Meguiar's allows me to take Wednesday off, thus the reason you'll often times see my ***Offline Today*** posts on Wednesday morning.

I don't want anyone joining the forum and posting questions to think we're ignoring them but it's not healthy to work 6 and 7 days a week.

Also, discussion forums are not intended to be instantaneous answer machines although we do our best to answer your questions as fast as we can.

Sorry if I came off sounding rude and obnoxious. I didn't mean too. I was just really flustered about my car. I appreciate all the advice I was given. Hey, I think you should have a few days off as well, it isn't healthy to work so many days.

[trishydishy]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

You're pictures won't show up because you posted them as attachments on Autogeek.net

Here's the link to your thread over on Autogeek

Please help me....what's wrong with my paint and how can I fix it?


Reads like they've steered you to Klasse AIO? You can get the same or better results with our ColorX and it's easier to find and cost a lot less. Your car has a single stage paint and it's going to stain easier than a clear coated paint, it's also going to oxidize.

Here's a simple and inexpensive test you can do with products that work well, don't cost much and are easy to find.

Go buy one of these choices...

ColorX
or
Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner & NXT Tech Wax


After washing and drying the car, and after claying the paint if needed, simply take the ColorX and shake it well, then apply to a small section on the hood about a foot squared or so. Use plenty of product, (but don't be ridiculous you just want a wet amount of product on the paint because you want to take advantage of the chemical cleaners and if you use to little you'll have to little liquid on the surface), and work this product very well over the surface using a terry cloth wax applicator pad.

Allow the product to dry and then wipe it off and inspect the results as compared to the surrounding areas.


Or take the Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner and do the same thing listed above with the ColorX except don't let the paint cleaner dry as it's not a wax so it doesn't need to dry. After you wipe off the excess paint cleaner apply a thin coat of the NXT and do let this product dry and then wipe off the excess and then inspect the results as compared to the surrounding areas.


The above test will tell you if you can fix the problem by hand and what the problem is. If your test section looks better, that is the white paint looks whiter with good gloss and shine then the problem is just dirty, oxidized paint.

If the above doesn't help then the paint will require something more aggressive or can't be saved at all. Since you state that you've fixed it before then it's likely you can fix it again.

What you need to do after you remove the oxidation and staining is apply a quality wax and then take ownership of the washing process and wax your car's paint on a regular basis is the car is exposed to the outdoors all the time.

Did you post this to any other discussion forums besides Autogeek? We would like to read what others on other forums are suggesting also as discussion forums are always evolving into where you can get the best information and we're always ready for that challenge.

Thanks,

Thanks for your reponse. I truly appreciate it. I read over your article about white paint and your wifes car and I was hoping you would contact me. You seem to be more knowledgable than the body shop I have been dealing with about my paint.

As for those pics of my car, they are from April of this year and I was just trying to give an idea of what my car looked like back then. Since then I was able to clean up the "dirty" look but my new issue is every time it rains, my car gets these really bad rain spots on it. I had the car compounded, clayed, glazed, polished and waxed 3 1/2 weeks ago. Since then we had some rain and I would rinse my car down as the detail guy informed me too and dried it. But we had torrential downpours this past Sunday and now I have these rain spots stuck on my car (hood, roof and trunk). I washed my car on Monday night, after work, and the spots won't come off. This morning they were really faint and I could tell b/c well, I've seen them before but it is raining right now and I know when I leave work, the spots will be worse. Anyway, would the stuff you recommended, colorx or deep crystal paint cleaner take these off? Last night I used my Meguiar's Quick Detail spray to see if that would get them off and it won't. It's like their stuck on my paint. Would you still recommend using the same products to remove the rain spots? Also, since I got that detail done 3 weeks ago, shouldn't my car have held up better during the storm? I feel like I paid so much money for nothing.

On another site I was referred to use an oil based glaze/sealant on my car to close the pores and then use Collinite 476s b/c they said that wax was really durable. Is it possible the pores on my car are open? If so, how do you close them?

My paint still holds a really nice shine and that's what's throwing me off here about the rain spots. Is it possible that when they compounded and clayed my car 3 weeks ago, it hid the current spots and now they are back again?

I'm sorry for all the questions but I truly appreciate all your help.

As for the other sites I've gone too, I think I went to Autopia at the same time I registered with autogeek and I have also been chatting on detailingbliss.com this past week. Some people are telling me I need a paint contamination system done. I've never heard of this. Any info?

Again, sorry for all the questions.

Oh, btw, if I use the above products, I will probably be doing it by hand, is that okay or do i need to have it done with a buffer? Also, since I had my car done with a pre-cleaner wax 2x in teh past year and compounded iwth a buffer 3 weeks ago, do you think it's safe to use harsh products on my paint again? I am worried I won't have any paint left.

One more thing, I've heard about using distilled vinegar mixed with water on water spots. What do you think of this?

[new2detailing]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

Distilled vinegar will work for water spots. Either apply directly or if the spots are really bad then place some vinegar in a rag and have the rag sit directly on top of the spot (for several minutes). Do this in the shade.

[trishydishy]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

Distilled vinegar will work for water spots. Either apply directly or if the spots are really bad then place some vinegar in a rag and have the rag sit directly on top of the spot (for several minutes). Do this in the shade.

Thanks for the tip. Will this stuff remove whatever wax is left on my car? Also, if I am able to remove the spots with the vinegar, do you think they'll come back later on?

I am confused as to whether the water spots my car has developed since my last detail are "original" spots (which were there prior to my detail (compound & clay) or if they are "new" spots after our current rain storm on Long Island. When I got my car back from being detailed 3 weeks ago, the paint was in pristine condition.

By any chance, do you know if water spots that get etched into the paint are able to ever be fully removed? I am really curious as to know if these spots on my car are existing spots or if their new spots.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

On another site I was referred to use an oil based glaze/sealant on my car to close the pores and then use Collinite 476s b/c they said that wax was really durable. Is it possible the pores on my car are open? If so, how do you close them?

Surface coatings are not completely flat or solid when looked at under a microscope, they have imperfections, pockets, pores, swirls and scratches and interstices, (interstices means microscopic cracks and fissures), it's just how paint is and you cannot close pores, if a paint job has pores or is porous there's nothing you can do about it except the basics,

Wash
Clay
Clean
Polish
Protect
Maintain

This is called the 5 Step Paint Care Cycle and I think someone already posted the link to this article for your reading pleasure.

On another site I was referred to use an oil based glaze/sealant on my car to close the pores and then use Collinite 476s b/c they said that wax was really durable. Is it possible the pores on my car are open? If so, how do you close them?

I gave you two rather inexpensive options to try that will enable you to test your paint and then check your results.

If you want to, and we would love to see you do this, try either of my suggestions for products and procedures and the one you posted that you were recommended. Not sure if they explained to you the value of first testing products to see if your getting good results but please not we did suggest you do this.

The reason why is because if the products you've chosen and your process, (how you apply, work and wipe off the product), doesn't work you certainly don't want to have wasted your time doing the entire car.

The bigger point being is to see if a 'quality' cleaner/wax, (that would be ColorX at about $8.00 for a bottle), or if a 'quality' paint cleaner and a 'quality' wax, (that would be the Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner and the NXT Tech Wax for a about $25.00 for both), will clean the paint which will restore the full richness of the color and make the surface glossy and shiny, and restore that new car look you're looking for.

If you can make one small area look good then you can have confidence that you can make the entire car look good.

As for the reasons your previous attempts have not lasted the only possible answers are,

• Low quality products
• Too harsh of an environment for any companies products to meet your expectations
• Something is actually wrong with the paint

So at some point in time you're going to want to push away from the keyboard and move into the garage to take the what you've learned and do some work on the car paint.

Hope this helps...

[the other pc]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

Vinegar couldn’t hurt but I wouldn’t hold my breath. It works best on hard (mineral) water spots from tap water, sprinklers, hose washing, etc. Rain water has no mineral content but does collect crud from the air, dust, soot, acids, etc. If the car was driven in the rain it will have all sorts of road crud spray caked on.

...I am confused as to whether the water spots my car has developed since my last detail are "original" spots (which were there prior to my detail (compound & clay) or if they are "new" spots after our current rain storm on Long Island. When I got my car back from being detailed 3 weeks ago, the paint was in pristine condition.....

Sounds like they’re new.

...By any chance, do you know if water spots that get etched into the paint are able to ever be fully removed? I am really curious as to know if these spots on my car are existing spots or if their new spots.

Etched spots usually look cloudy or white and are almost invisible on a white car. You’ll typically only notice them from off angles because they look dull.

My guess is that it’s new, stuck-on crud. Can you feel bumps? If so they’ll probably clay off easily.


PC.

[trishydishy]

Re: Please help with my single stage process white paint

Vinegar couldn’t hurt but I wouldn’t hold my breath. It works best on hard (mineral) water spots from tap water, sprinklers, hose washing, etc. Rain water has no mineral content but does collect crud from the air, dust, soot, acids, etc. If the car was driven in the rain it will have all sorts of road crud spray caked on.


Sounds like they’re new.


Etched spots usually look cloudy or white and are almost invisible on a white car. You’ll typically only notice them from off angles because they look dull.

My guess is that it’s new, stuck-on crud. Can you feel bumps? If so they’ll probably clay off easily.


PC.

I actually went back to the detailing place I got my car at recently b/c it rained hard here today and I knew my car would feel the effects. I went there to get my car cleaned and then I wanted to show them my car and what has happened to the paint. The man who detailed it was there and I showed him and he basically said my hood, roof and trunk need to be compounded again. He then got the owner of the car wash place and she had a hard time seeing the spots but when she noticed them, in the shade, she said "those spots are from a sprinkler". i told her a sprinkler doesn't hit my car in my condo development or at work. She then said well look, it's from your washer fluid. I said on the front of my hood, roof and trunk? She basically was at a loss. I asked her if she thought clay would clean it up and they both said it wouldn't and that my car would need to be compounded again. Anyhow, I told her I was skeptical b/c I don't want to remove my paint and I didn't know if this was a good idea. Besides, she wasn't giving me a deal, she wanted to charge me in full again. I told her I was thinking of buying a new type of wax and asked her if I paid them would they apply it for me. She said she would have to see what type of wax it is b/c it may be hard to apply. I basically walked out of there after getting my car cleaned, came home and got nervous that my car would look even worse after the next rain so I took my Liquid Glass Polish I had lying around the house and waxed the hood, roof and trunk hoping it will offer some type of protection in the meantime until I decide what my next step will be. I noticed when I polished it that the paint still wasn't bright white when I got done with it. I know I do need to do a paint cleaner or compound to get it white again but I don't know if it's a good idea. i also think a buffer would be the best way to go to compound to get it to it's whitest. I feel like after I got my car back 3 weeks ago, i should have applied another layer of wax. I guess this is my fault in a way for thinking the wax would last longer than it did. She explained to me that she waxes her car on a weekly basis b/c of the rain we have had lately and the sun beating down on the car every day in the summer time. Is this true? Does wax break down that quickly?


When you look at my car closely, you can totally see water spots but the white paint looks kind of like a dull black haze over it....I guess that's what you would call it.

Anyway, any comments on what the auto detailing place told me? Compound again? She told me they use top of the line products such as blue coral or something like that. Anyone ever hear of this stuff?