A Question about oxidation

[Marc08EX]

Hi guys, how are you all doing?

I just have one question about oxidation.. We had a red car before and the paint was more than 10 years old already and as you expect from normal paint wear, there were panels that were faded (lighter red color, turning white actually). This was evident in the roof, trunk lid and the front fenders (hood was repainted). What I would do is just wax them with Gold class wax and it would give back its original color and now, the paint is uniform throughout the entire car. The only problem with it is after a month, it would return back to it's previous condition and I just kept waxing the car every month for it to look good. I still wasn't aware about polishes and paint cleaners at that time since I was just like 14-15 and didn't have access to a lot of products.

Anyway, here comes a big question.. I've seen a MR2 with before and after shots.. The before shots were really similar to my paint condition that I was talking about above. Here are his before shots:



And after shots:



He said that he used diamond cut compound so this probably removed a thin layer of clear coat, right? My big question is, after doing what he did, is it like a brand new paint job condition? (removed the top oxidized clear coat layer leaving a new lower level of clear coat that has no oxidation --> does it work that way?) I mean it won't go back to the oxidized paint condition like what I used to get back just after a month?

Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to clarify things up. TIA guys!

[Vandelete]

i say NO if you maintain the car every week then it won't fade away.. but if you don't keep up the work especially with red, then you will get the same fading as you where starting with. and offcourse i would do a polish job more then once so the underlying level keeps maintained either. and after a good wax job for protection it should be good for long.. but i say again... red is a colour that needs to be maintained every week at least month.. but i guess this goes up for every one of us wich is a crazy detailer

[Marc08EX]

So, what you're saying is the oxidation is still there even though you've removed the top layer of the clear coat? That it's not going to be like a brand new car where when you just don't have time to wash it for like a week, it would still look like brand new when you wash it.. I hope you understand what I'm saying.. hahaha! sorry.

Thanks anyway!

[jfelbab]

I can relate to that issue as I own a 91 Red MR2. The red paint is not clear coated. After 14 years of environmental exposure the paint was starting to oxidize, especially at the surface and maintenance became more of a regular problem.

My procedure for controlling oxidation was to wash, clay once or twice a year, MPPC, #7 and then #26. To maintain the look I'd re-polish and wax monthly.

NXT arrives...NXT is better at this oxidation control. I now apply NXT and maintain with the NXT booster wax after every wash or two which means every week or two. NXT booster take only about 30 minutes to use on the MR2.

I'd also strongly suggest a garage and a car cover to prolong the life of the paint.

Check out my gallery for the results.