-Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

[CyberManiaK]

Hi guys first sorry for the vague title but I don't know how to call this mess well I just bought a 2003 toyota avalon black however the paint on the roof/hood/trunk is in very bad shape. I got the car because interior is in great shape, good miles, 1 owner and was on my price range, BUT the owner told me that they only wipe the dust of the car, instead of washing it because they were scared to scratch the whole car.

So after reading a lot of threads and finally think i got everything straight, I went to Walmart and got a Smooth Surface Clay kit, Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish and Gold Class Carnauba Plus paste wax. I did a hand test spot using first the clay bar, then used ultimate compound on a 100% cotton terry pad, then ultimate polish on a sponge pad, and then the wax and sure it brings a bit of shine again but those swirls are not gone, not even are minimized.

Here are some pics I took of the car today, after washing it using Ultimate Wash & Wax.

This is part of the hood/fender driver side


Again the hood


roof


This is a closeup of the previous picture (between the windshield and the moonroof)


The trunk


Another one of the trunk.


*BTW: if the pics are to big let me know and i will switch them for a smaller version.

So I have some questions.

1. If I buy a dual action polisher could this be fixed by a newbie if so, then which pads you suggest ?

2. The products I bought are the right ones for this task ?

Thanks a lot, i really appreciate any input.

[The Guz]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

That looks pretty bad and would require a lot of work. A DA would definitely be needed. You are not going to do too much by hand. Hard to tell how much damage was done without doing a test spot with a DA.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

1st of all, howdy. Welcome to MOL!

As far as the car, I think they're full of it... For those kind of severe scratches to only be on the horizontal surfaces but not so much on the vertical panels tells me that they most likely frequented the do it yourself car wash and used the dreaded brush to scrub it clean. [I've done it before, and that's what they look like] It's easy for someone to get aggressive with that brush on the top, but it takes a bit more effort for the average lazy person to do it on the sides of the car. [which might explain why it isn't so bad on the sides]

Plus, why would anyone say they only wiped the car down because they were afraid to scratch it? [when all it takes is 1 look to see it's riddled with scratches]?

From the looks of it, the best way to handle that would be to wet sand it 1st.. But since you're not prepared to do something like that quite yet, a more doable process would be using a DA polisher with Megs 5" Microfiber cutting/Extra Cut pads. Good luck. It'd be awesome if you could turn that around.

Btw, you might want to give 1 more try with the compound by hand using a microfiber applicator instead of the terry applicator, just to check all bases.. How much did you pay for the car?

[Meticulous-Detail]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

Ah the dreaded Toyota black, super soft, swirls up if you look at it funny. This is a ton of work for a newbie, but it can be done. For soft paints I like the m105/m205 Kevin Brown method. Pick up the new MT300 or Griots with a 5 inch backing plate and some Megs MF cut and finishing pads along with an ultra fine foam finishing pad. Watch the KB method on youtube.

[CyberManiaK]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

That looks pretty bad and would require a lot of work. A DA would definitely be needed. You are not going to do too much by hand. Hard to tell how much damage was done without doing a test spot with a DA.

Thanks, I will grab a dual action, then.

1st of all, howdy. Welcome to MOL!

As far as the car, I think they're full of it... For those kind of severe scratches to only be on the horizontal surfaces but not so much on the vertical panels tells me that they most likely frequented the do it yourself car wash and used the dreaded brush to scrub it clean. [I've done it before, and that's what they look like] It's easy for someone to get aggressive with that brush on the top, but it takes a bit more effort for the average lazy person to do it on the sides of the car. [which might explain why it isn't so bad on the sides]

Plus, why would anyone say they only wiped the car down because they were afraid to scratch it? [when all it takes is 1 look to see it's riddled with scratches]?

From the looks of it, the best way to handle that would be to wet sand it 1st.. But since you're not prepared to do something like that quite yet, a more doable process would be using a DA polisher with Megs 5" Microfiber cutting/Extra Cut pads. Good luck. It'd be awesome if you could turn that around.

Btw, you might want to give 1 more try with the compound by hand using a microfiber applicator instead of the terry applicator, just to check all bases.. How much did you pay for the car?

Yeah, I don't know how the hell the paint,really ended like that, I paid $3200

Well did a test spot using a microfiber pad and no luck, by hand I only make the paint shine but those scratches are not going anywhere. So, in your opinion, wet sanding would be best to do it 1st. Are you referring to just a light pass or sand until the scratches are gone and then use only polish ?

So tomorrow I will go to harbor freight and use the 25% coupon and grab the dual action polisher, but want to match with quality plates/pads so i guess the Meguiars 5" Backing plate (DBP5) is what I need right ?. Now to do the initial process should I just get the Microfiber Cutting Discs DMC5 or the red foam pad ?

So to resume, the process should be something like, right ?
1. Wash
2. use the clay bar on entire car
3. use either the microfiber cutting disc (with ultimate compound) or red foam pad.
4. use foam polishing disc with ultimate polish.
5. use foam finishing disc with gold class wax.
6. enjoy or cry lol..

Ah the dreaded Toyota black, super soft, swirls up if you look at it funny. This is a ton of work for a newbie, but it can be done. For soft paints I like the m105/m205 Kevin Brown method. Pick up the new MT300 or Griots with a 5 inch backing plate and some Megs MF cut and finishing pads along with an ultra fine foam finishing pad. Watch the KB method on youtube.

Well I was thinking this was a hard paint because by hand I can't remove anything.. How can I tell if it's soft or hard paint ?

[Eldorado2k]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

As far as wet sanding goes, it's a step an experienced detailer would consider based on what your pictures look like.. But pictures are 1 thing, seeing and feeling the paint up close is another. I wouldn't recommend attempting to sand for the 1st time on your own vehicle. It's not a technique you just learn how to fully do on the 1st try. Research it, then try practicing on a test panel if you can get your hands on 1 for cheap.

Your steps seem in order. But you might consider stepping up to D300 to pair with the DMC5 discs as they just seem to work optimal together.

You're on the right path as far as the backing plate you're looking to purchase to go with your new DA. 5" Foam Discs or DMC5 will ultimately be your call. Good luck!

[CyberManiaK]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

As far as wet sanding goes, it's a step an experienced detailer would consider based on what your pictures look like.. But pictures are 1 thing, seeing and feeling the paint up close is another. I wouldn't recommend attempting to sand for the 1st time on your own vehicle. It's not a technique you just learn how to fully do on the 1st try. Research it, then try practicing on a test panel if you can get your hands on 1 for cheap.

Your steps seem in order. But you might consider stepping up to D300 to pair with the DMC5 discs as they just seem to work optimal together.

You're on the right path as far as the backing plate you're looking to purchase to go with your new DA. 5" Foam Discs or DMC5 will ultimately be your call. Good luck!

Cool I will do more research on wet sanding I can practice on a Concorde 2000 (that is going to be sold to the scrap yard), in fact I was thinking on practicing there, before doing the real thing.

is D300, way better than using Ultimate compound on microfiber discs or red foam pad ? (I already bought the Ultimate Compound)?

[Eldorado2k]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

IMO they're almost similar as far as cutting ability, with D300 being slightly a step above Ultimate Compound.. However I've never tried UC on a microfiber pad as I've had plenty of D300 on hand. I have tried M205 on a microfiber pad and it seemed to do just fine. [M205 is similar to Ultimate Polish]

Lots of people have reported good results when trying out different Meguiars compounds/polishes with them. The most popular ones that come to mind are M100 and M205, along with M105. Havn't heard too many people who've reported using UC with microfiber, but it should be just fine.

Practicing on the Concorde 2000 sounds like a great idea

[CyberManiaK]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

ok well today I got the harbor freight dual action, and also got some pads from there just to give a test. And damn this scratches don't want to go anywhere, just got a shiny paint. i used the clay bar , then used ultimate compound on a cutting pad, then ultimate polish on a polish pad (blue) and then used the gold class wax.

Here are the results..





So you guys think D300 on microfiber pads will do the trick or I should better go with M105, or which compund/pads should i use ? BTW: They are not deep enough, if I try to feel them with my nail i don't notice them so this is kinda weird :/

I'm starting to feel that this is something I wouldn't be able to "fix" or at least minimize by my own..

[Eldorado2k]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

M100 w/DMC5. Might even consider picking up a set of DMX5 discs. You made some progress.. Now stop using your DA with that backing plate & pad before they disintegrate while you're polishing. Lol.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

This site mentioned by BillyJack in the other thread has a good selection of products and great prices. Best of all they offer flat rate shipping of only $4.95 for your whole order! That's insane.

http://www.autoality.com/store/pc/home.asp

[CyberManiaK]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

M100 w/DMC5. Might even consider picking up a set of DMX5 discs. You made some progress.. Now stop using your DA with that backing plate & pad before they disintegrate while you're polishing. Lol.

Cool thanks you very much, you are correct, those pads are all ready destroyed lol..

So far my order then, is:
1* Backing plate DBP5
1* DMX5 5" Microfibers Xtra Cut
1* DMC 5" Microfiber Cutting disc
2* DFP5 5" Foam Polishing disc
2* DFF5 5" Foam Finishing disc
1* M100 32oz

for the polishing/finishing pads, should be ok if I get those foam pads right ?

Oh yeah... the side panels/bumpers of the car are not in the same condition, then should I use just polishing pads ?

Thanks for the website but I will get them on Amazon they are cheaper and i have prime, so 2 day free shipping

[Eldorado2k]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

Your order looks great. You'll probably only need 1 foam finishing disc though. But nothing wrong with having 2 on hand in case you choose to polish with 1 and wax with the other..

Yea that's a great choice of pads to follow up the microfiber/compound step with.

As far as the sides, you could try a test spot using UC on a polishing disc and see if that eliminates all the swirls. But if it doesn't then you can always step up to M100 on a DMC5 disc.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

I forgot to add, you're going to want to pay extra attention to keeping your microfiber pads clean while using them. Unless you have access to compressed air, the next best way to clean them is a folded terry towel pressed against the DA and turning it on and letting it pick up the excess product.. Then following that up with a nylon brush pad aka Pad Conditioning Brush to fluff the microfibers back up. Clean on the fly after every section pass for best results.

Btw, those 'official' pad brushes can be a bit pricey. I use 1 of these nylon brushes that I bought at the local detail supply store for only $4.



And you also need to remember to prime the microfiber pad with product prior to using it.. But you probably already read about the how to do, right?

[The Guz]

Re: -Newbie here- Can this be fixed ?

Order looks good. I would probably drop the quantity of finishing discs to 1 and add 1 more polishing foam disc.

These guys are offering free shipping for another day.

http://www.detailedimage.com/