How can I get the shiny looking back?

[skylinelks]

Here are two cars shown above..(just for an example)
One is shiny, and the other one is not..
I know the first one is clearcoat Failure..
But for a car have not done any polishing for 4 years(the car is 2004)
It is just not as shiny as a new car..,especially the bumpers
What products should I use?
Thanks!

[Tuck91]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

are you working by hand or machine

[Murr1525]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

Here are some of the basics you'll need...

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

How to Wash Your Car Show Car Style

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

How to correctly apply ScratchX to remove swirls and scratches

Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

[skylinelks]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

I know the basic stuff..already..
Thanks..

machine..

[Nappers]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

What model is your car?

What products do you have?

What type of machine do you have?

[roushstage2]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

The basics pretty much cover what you are trying to do? Wash, Clay, Clean, Polish, and Protect. From there it is just going to come down to what products you have or are going to buy. A PC, M80 and a polishing pad followed by wax would do the trick for the most part. There are many factors that play into how easy or hard it is to do so. Nappers has some good questions to be answered.

[skylinelks]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

Corolla(white)
M80&NXT WAX
G100

Maybe I did not do the polishing/claying part good enough?
Or Once the car is not shiny, it is hard to get it to be shiny again?

I mean my car is a little shiny, but just far from a brand new car..
I want the crystal/deep finish/glossy feeling back..(90% should be ok..)

Am I able to get the great shiny looking after polishing or after waxing?

[skylinelks]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?



1956 Ford ...
It looks better than mine,,lol

[Nappers]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

Anyway you can get a photo of your vehicle?

That would help us see what your up against.

[roushstage2]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

Corolla(white)
M80&NXT WAX
G100

Maybe I did not do the polishing/claying part good enough?
Or Once the car is not shiny, it is hard to get it to be shiny again?

I mean my car is a little shiny, but just far from a brand new car..
I want the crystal/deep finish/glossy feeling back..(90% should be ok..)

Am I able to get the great shiny looking after polishing or after waxing?

First off, white is a hard color to make look as good as black, if that's even possible! White just doesn't really have the ability to be "deep" as light colors are more "shiny."

Photos always help, as they can show you what can't be described in words sometimes.

What was the weather/temperature like when you detailed it?
How long did you work the M80?
How much pressure did you use?
What speed did you use?
What pad did you use?
Also, what year is the car?

As you can tell I'm sure, there are many factors that can change the outcome.

[akimel]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

If the problem is not swirls and scratches, you might wish to purchase a bottle of Duragloss 501. Al-53, who posts on a couple of detailing forums, swears by this stuff, especially for white and light-colored cars. It is apparently a very powerful chemical paint cleaner, which also leaves behind a layer of sealant protection. In Al's words: "501 cleans paint very deep ... makes white so white." Wait 24 hours before topping it with NXT.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

Following the basics is the key. White cars will never have the deep, dark reflections like a black or dark colored car because white is a light color, (the lightest in fact), and light colors don't offer this feature.

Usually with a white car you want to aim for clarity (of course), but also gloss and gloss comes from a smooth surface. This means you want to do a great job of claying the paint and then do a great job of cleaning the paint and we have paint cleaners that works just as well as anything on the market and have since 1901

Also note, if your car has a clear coat then you're not actually working on white paint you're working on clear paint, same thing goes for Al-53

So the color of the paint has nothing to do with whether a product will work great or not as you're working on the clear layer that is sprayed over the top of the color coat.

Troubleshooting
If you've already clayed the paint then when you feel the paint with your clean hand it should feel smooth and slick or slippery. If it doesn't then try claying just a section of the hood again and do a really great job of claying just this section and then wipe off any residue and using your clean dry hand, feel the section you just clayed for a second time and a section around it and see if you can feel a difference.

If you can feel a difference then re-clay the entire car. If you can't feel a difference then chances are you did a good job of claying the first time.

Thorough Cleaning - Focus on the task at hand
Next would be the cleaning step. Claying makes paint smooth and restores clarity by removing bonded contaminants off the surface. A quality paint cleaner will further clean the surface by removing any impurities or contaminants that embedded 'in' the paint, not just on the paint. This acts to build on the results from claying and maximize the clarity of the clear coat.

To do this you could use any of these products,

Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
SwirlX
ScratchX
ScratchX 2.0
Ultimate Compound
M105 Ultra Compound


The trick to rubbing out a finish by hand is to only work a small section at at time, that is about a foot squared, and really do a good job of thoroughly working the product over and into the paint. Then wipe off the residue and move onto the next section and be sure to overlap a little into the previous section. Do this until you've gone all the way around the car.

After you have clayed and cleaned the paint, polishing and waxing will take your results to an even higher level but the majority of your end-results are determined by how well you clay and clean the paint.

Hope this helps...

[skylinelks]

Re: How can I get the shiny looking back?

I have DC1, M80, M105 and colorX

&My car also has some swirls(some of them are little deeper)...(hv not done any detailing for 5years)

WHich product do u suggest me to use?
wash
clay
then...?

Thanks!