Things You'll Need:
- A shaded area.
- Rubbing Compound
- An applicator
- A soft cloth or microfiber rag
- Plenty of elbow grease
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Step 1
Before you begin, try to determine what type of finish is on your car. This can be accomplished by identifying the year, make and model. With this information in hand, contact a local Automotive paint supply store or Dealership, they should be able to provide the information.
Inspect your car carefully to determine if the paint is original or a "Repaint". Carefully pull back rubber weatherstrips and inspect the paint. Also, look around the emblems and trim. Open the doors, hood and trunk. You are looking for overspray, peeling paint with paint underneath and areas that were taped or masked off.
A general rule of thumb: Cars and trucks from the 1960's or older are most likely Lacquer, From the Late 60's to Early 70's ENAMEL, and from the Early to mid 1980's to current: Base Coat/ Clear Coat (2 stage).
Removal of wax and tecniques vary depending on which type of paint your car has. -
Step 2
Some older cars will respond well to solvents, wax removers or other chemicals, But Most vehicles will require that you remove a thin layer of paint with an abrasive. Rubbing compound or wet sanding and buffing work well.
Apply rubbing compound to a small area, and buff it off like wax. It will be difficult to work with and require lots of hard work, but this is the tried and true old fashioned method. On older vehicles, you may notice some of the paint color on your rag. This is normal, as the compound is scuffing away microscopic amounts of your paint and anyhting on it.
You can rent or buy a motorized buffing wheel to reduce the hard work, but BEWARE... You can burn right through the paint easily.
Once all of the wax residue is gone, you should follow with a polishing compound, then at least 2 coats of wax.
Liquid waxes with color in them work well and fill in minor imperfections.
Clear coat finishes are exactly the way it sounds. A layer of color with a clear top coat. If the clear coat is damaged or worn through, it will likely be time for a new paint job. -
Step 3
With newer cars, you might have an easier time removing the dried wax or residue. If the finish is old or faded, removing the wax could remove whatever paint is left.
On newer vehicles, detailer's clay and solvents work well. These techinques are however, best left to the professional. If you decide to attempt it, seek the advice of a body shop or Automotive paint supply.
In any case, you are attempting to fix a mistake with all hopes of not needing a new paint job. Give it your best shot! -
Step 4
If you decided to wax your vehicle because the paint was dull or discolored, and the wax will not come off, you likely needed a re-paint before you waxed it. It is a common mistake, and you didn't do anything wrong. The paint was dull and thin and possibly chalky.
All is not lost. If you are handy, there are ways to save some money on a new paint job.
Small things such as removing emblems, trim, etc. yourself, can save money on labor. You might even be able to do some of the bodywork yourself. There are plenty of books available at the store or library, or Ehow articles.
If the sides of your car are in good shape (Just the hood, roof and trunk are shot) Try to find someone to spot in the paint on the top surfaces. You might also consider picking a complementing color. For example, if the car is Beige: Try a darker Brown or Black on the topside with a thin pinstripe to seperate the colors.
This allows the shop to paint with a smaller quantity of paint, materials and less labor.
Get a couple of estimates and if possible, referrals.
Just remember, with the cheap places you get what you pay for.
You can also try to paint it yourself if you are up to the challenge!
Good Luck!
Comments
eabrennan said
on 4/2/2009 Excellent article. thanks.