car with front bumper bra, dark paint

[KidDetailer]

I have a car that I'm gonna see if I can fix. Its a car that has had a front bumper bra on it for who knows how long. But I can tell it has a cut off line from the point where it had the bra on to the rest of the car which it never had protection. It is of 2 different paint tones, one which is dark and one which is lighter. I was wondering if a Pure Polish or Ultimate Polish will bring the color back to even again?

[wifpd4]

Re: car with front bumper bra, dark paint

Are you removing the bra? Not sure Ultimate Polish will bring back the color you're after, but it's the least aggressive products to use as a starting point before trying something a little more aggressive (Ultimate Compound). Just remember, since Ultimate Polish is just that a gentle polish it's affects may not be "permanent". Better to get it looking the way you want it and then use Ultimate Polish before waxing.

If you are leaving the bra, remember to tape the edge of it to protect it from damage as you work on the unprotected (no bra area). I would be very careful with the bra, it can be damaged by working it with a compound. Marks in some bras are difficult, if not impossible to remove. Some bras have a surface that you can work, but still you much be careful.

[KidDetailer]

Re: car with front bumper bra, dark paint

the new owner of the car bought it used. The previous owner had a bra on it, and now the new owner wants to see if I can even out the colors of the car. I was thinking a polish would do because it was suppose to rejuvenate the oils and bring back the dullness of the color as I read.

[Stephan]

Re: car with front bumper bra, dark paint

What's the make, model, year and color of the car?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: car with front bumper bra, dark paint

From the sounds of it, the exposed paint has some UV induced color fade that you are not going to be able to correct since you can't directly impact the pigmented paint under the clear coat. We see this when people de-badge a car several years after buying it rather than right away. The "shadow" that is revealed once the badge is removed can't be eliminated even by wet sanding and compounding because the color loss is in the pigmented color coat, not the clear.

While many polishes and even waxes can and will darken the paint, the color loss usually found in these circumstances is too great to overcome. Besides, any gain in darkness by applying such a product is going to be pretty short lived and the color differential will return rather quickly.

Having said all that, it's at least worth a shot because sometimes very strange things do happen. Just understand that the odds of anyone actually correcting this mismatch is slim to none. Not 100% impossible, but close. Manage your customer's expectations.