1999 Camry bumper needs help?

[Weekend Detailer]

These images are from a friend's 1999 camry. (User: toyotacamry99) He asked me to take photos of his bumper and side mirrors because he no longer knows what he can do without help from a rotary buffer which he does not own. He has been detailing his car by hand and owns a vast number of meguiars products for hand use. He has been waxing his car almost every week for the past two months. He's reached a plateau and only has these two spots on his car that needs help. Please let us know what we can use and methods on how to fix his bumper and side mirror.

I have a PC and recently got #80. Will that help or will #83 be a better product to purchase and use on these trouble spots? We've tried Scratch X and NuScratch Doctor to remove some paint, along with the clay bar, #81 Hand Polish, NXT, and #26. We'd like to hear your recommendations. As always, thank you all for you help and support.


- Julius

[soonercivic]

#80 and #83 may or may not do the job. Before you go that route you may want to try some ColorX. On the rear bumper it looks like he may have some clear coat problems. If thats the case, the only fix is to sand and re-clear the paint or repaint the whole bumper. Clay will not remove any defects and is not abrasive, it will only remove surface contaminates. This is a side by side comparison of a Bronco that Mike did

if you wanna read about it go here

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=88&highlight=colorx

Good job with the #81, NXT, and #26 though, good choices.

[Buellwinkle]

I would try the #80 and then #83 if the #80 doesn't do it. If after a few attempts it still looks bad, then a repaint will solve the problem. It's the flexing agent they use on plastic, it's pourous and soft and oxidizes and deteriorates much faster than the paint on metal. The problem with using something more aggresive than #83 or a rotary is because it's a lot easier to burn this softer paint. Figure that the life of this type of paint for a car parked outdoors that is not regularly waxed is about 6-8 years, specially on Japanese cars.

[Mike Phillips]

The paint on the bumpers is dead. Nothing is going to fix the paint on the bumpers. You might be able to temporarily improve it, but for the most part it has deteriorated to the point that it is dead, or unstable and will not restore to good condition. The correct fix would be to repaint.

The paint on the side view mirror doesn't' look bad, maybe it's just the picture? Maybe you can describe the problem with the paint on the mirror?

[toyotacamry99]

thanks for the responses.

yes ive thought about getting the front and read bumpers repainted, thing is i dont want a cheap paint job that it will just look crappy. so i guess i need to start saving my lunch money soon. hehe cause it aint cheap.

thank though for the input its always appreciated.

the car now looks nice except when u look upclose on the front bumper and when u see the rear bumper.

the side mirrors are also plastic same material as the bumper. i dont think its as bad as the rear bumper but its on its way there. maybe a good polish and cleaning might restore it somewhat but not the best one im sure.

any other ideas are welcome and as always thanks