What do I use?

[Alan]

I have a 98 Corolla, it has never been waxed, has water marks on it, spots, knicks and scratches. It is black.
I have some pictures of the car..

I went to Advanced Auto Parts and they said that the Meguiar's Step 1, 2 and 3 will be enough to use. I want it to be shiny and almost look like new.

What products should I use?

[rusty bumper]

Hi David...Welcome to the forum!

Megs 3 step works well, but I think you need to use #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish if you have a PC to apply it with.

If not, then I would suggest Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner.

Be sure to clay the finish after washing the car...This will remove any bonded contaminates and make the paint smooth as glass before applying the cleaners.

Be sure to follow up with a polish (Deep Crystal #2) before waxing (Deep Crystal #3, or NXT)

[Mike Phillips]

Re: What do I use?

Originally posted by Alan
I have a 98 Corolla, it has never been waxed, has water marks on it, spots, nicks and scratches. It is black.
I have some pictures of the car..

I went to Advanced Auto Parts and they said that the Meguiar's Step 1, 2 and 3 will be enough to use. I want it to be shiny and almost look like new.

What products should I use?

If you are planning to do all of your work by hand, then ScratchX is more effective at removing swirls, scratches, etchings and stains than the Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner.

The Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner is Meguar's least aggressive paint cleaner and relies only on chemically cleaners for it's cleaning strength while the ScratchX uses microscopic diminishing abrasives and chemical cleaners.

Here's a how-to article for using ScratchX

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

Check out the before and after pictures of the bird dropping etching...

How to remove the etching left by a bird dropping with ScratchX

At the recent San Diego Viper Detailing Clinic here at Meguiar's in Irvine, one of the club members showed me where a bird left him a little present on the hood of his black Viper. Below is a picture of the car after the Meguiar's polishing system...



Before ScratchX


After ScratchX


Note: The above after picture was taken after three applications of ScratchX that were thoroughly worked into the finish. Each application removed a little more paint and thus removed a little more of the etching. After three applications the etching was no longer visible from a couple feet away.

You might also consider the Meguiar's Detail by Hand Holiday Package Deal! as it contains everything you need to remove the defects and restore a show car shine to your Corolla.

[Airborne Ranger]

That car almost looks like a perfect victim for a DACP + rotary job and it would make that car very sweet looking again. Since there is alot of imperfections, a rotary would be the ideal tool but since most people don't have one, then a PC would work too. Here's what I would do on your car.

Wash-NXT Wash or Hyper Wash(Detailer Line)
Clay- Quik Clay or Detailer Clay(Mild)
Polish-DACP + #81
Wax-NXT, MPPP or Deep Crystal Carnuba Step 3 Wax

These steps should help you bring back that Neglected rolla,,,,,AR

[Alan]

Re: Re: What do I use?

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
If you are planning to do all of your work by hand, then ScratchX is more effective at removing swirls, scratches, etchings and stains than the Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner.

I dont want to spend $90.

Where can I buy the clay bar seperately?
Advanced Auto Parts had a Mother's clay bar, with their wax for $16... but they didn't just have a single clay bar to buy.


Airborne Ranger--
What is the PC? How much?
Whats a hyper wash?
What is DACP and what is product #81? (I asked advanced auto parts guy... he didnt know )
They have the step 3 wax for $5.

[RamAirV1]

The Scratch X will be the easiest to find locally as far as hand applied scratch removers. If you can't find a Meguiars Clay bar get the Clay Magic bar. It comes with the lube, is very easy to use, and works very well. The DC polish and NXT Tech Wax would be the best polish and wax to use.

This is going to take a long time doing it by hand. If you can afford it I would suggest getting a PC at Lowe's for about $100 and some #83 DACP like the others have said. This will give you the best results and save a lot of time. If you go the machine route be sure and read Mike's and Tims pointers on using DACP.


RamAirV1

[Alan]

What is DACP? What does it stand for?

What is #83??

Look at my hood..

[RamAirV1]

What Do I Use?

#83 is the formula number for DACP, the Dual Action Cleaner Polish. It is Meguiar's most aggressive cleaner-polish designed for Dual Action or Orbital Buffer use. It would be my first choice for the kind of paint damage shown in your photos.

RamAirV1