Maserati in need

[huslo315]

I bought this car about two years ago, and at the time the red finish was almost pink from oxidation. I used a light "other brand" polish and wax, which removed the pink and it looked pretty good. Unfortunately, I left it parked outside for several months, during which time the paint re-acquired heavy oxidation and water spots.

The original paint on these cars was two-stage, but the previous owner had the car repainted in 1995 by a collision center. I recall him saying it had not been clear-coated, but I have no idea if it was a single-stage paint, or a two-stage with no clear coat. The paint job was cheap, I know that. But, it looked decent the first time I brought it back.

I would like to restore and preserve the paint as much as possible, as the car is not worth the cost of a new paint job. From reading these forums and the products, I am still confused what to use, as there are many different polishes, glazes, waxes, etc. Help!

[Murr1525]

Re: Maserati in need

Keep it simple at first, then can go from there. Due to the defects (working by hand?), and being single stage, I would consider:

1. Wash - Gold Class soap, 2 buckets, good mitts, towels, etc.
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit
3. Clean - SwirlX for a mild cleaner, Ult. Compound for a strong cleaner if needed. You would try the mild cleaner on a small area, see how it goes. Then try stronger if needed.
4. Polish - Deep Crystal Polish. A single stage paint will do well with a pure polish.
5. Wax - Sort of personal preference here. Ult. Wax or nxt 2.0 would be more durable. #26 Yellow-Wax would be a more traditional carnuba wax.
6. Wax - 2 thin coats are best.

7. Maintain - Ult. Quick Wax for after future washes.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Maserati in need

Well, we were going to give a list of what we'd recommend using but Mat has spelled it out quite well (as he so often does!).

We will make a couple of comments though:

• From the sounds of it (we can't see your images as your website appears to be inaccessible at the moment) the oxidation is bad enough that we'd go straight to the Ultimate Compound and skip SwirlX
• Don't skip the pure polish step - M07 Show Car Glaze or Deep Crystal Polish will do wonders to really bring back the color and gloss after UC pulls the oxidation. Single stage paints love pure polishes and the benefits are usually substantial.
• Finish off with a good synthetic like NXT or Ultimate Wax as they'll last longer than carnauba will, especially if the car will continue to live outside