Why can't I keep my paintwork looking good?
Discussion
Car is from 2001. A couple of years ago I had to park it outside for the summer in temperatures regularly over 30c and since then I've not been able to keep the paint up to a decent standard.
The paintwork all over was very dull and no amount of waxing would get it to shine, so I had it professionally polished for about £275:
It looked spectacular. The same place offered a ceramic coating for £1,000 but I wanted to investigate if there were any cheaper alternatives. In the two weeks since the car has been used but is parked inside. it seems you only have to touch the car for it to damage the paintwork. The detailing place told me that the paint was soft/not great quality.
I had one of those silver covers over it and when I removed it the cover had rubbed against the paintwork leaving a mark. The scuff in this picture must have happened another time but I don't remember anyone brushing against it:
And it has lost virtually all of its shine:
To me there's no obvious need to have it resprayed, apart from some stone chipping on the bonnet. How did this happen? Do I need to get the clearcoat redone, or would a ceramic polish on its own fix the issue?
Help much appreciated.
The paintwork all over was very dull and no amount of waxing would get it to shine, so I had it professionally polished for about £275:
It looked spectacular. The same place offered a ceramic coating for £1,000 but I wanted to investigate if there were any cheaper alternatives. In the two weeks since the car has been used but is parked inside. it seems you only have to touch the car for it to damage the paintwork. The detailing place told me that the paint was soft/not great quality.
I had one of those silver covers over it and when I removed it the cover had rubbed against the paintwork leaving a mark. The scuff in this picture must have happened another time but I don't remember anyone brushing against it:
And it has lost virtually all of its shine:
To me there's no obvious need to have it resprayed, apart from some stone chipping on the bonnet. How did this happen? Do I need to get the clearcoat redone, or would a ceramic polish on its own fix the issue?
Help much appreciated.
If you like keeping your paintwork shiny, I'd recommend investing in a large bucket, some decent car wash detergent, good orbital polisher, some firmer velcro-backed pads (smaller is better than larger), some good polishes (Autoglym Super Resin Polish is a pretty good all-round polish, but there are better, more expensive ones) and a big pack of microfiber towels. A good hydrophobic quick-detailer is also useful. These are just the bare basics. It can get quite technical and geeky, but all depends on how far you want to go. Repainting, or adding a coat of lacquer isn't likely to be the answer unless there's something wrong with the car's paint.
There are forums for this sort of car detailing and its actually quite fun & rewarding to do.
Orbital polishers make the process of polishing a lot quicker and more effective.
Might be more difficult to do if you park your car on the street. Ideally don't park it outside when not in use and never under trees where it'll get pooped on.
I have quite a lot of cars (& bikes) and they're all lovely, including a few black ones (worst colour to keep clean and always shows imperfections).
I wouldn't be able to keep them all nice, if I didn't use an orbital polisher.
There are forums for this sort of car detailing and its actually quite fun & rewarding to do.
Orbital polishers make the process of polishing a lot quicker and more effective.
Might be more difficult to do if you park your car on the street. Ideally don't park it outside when not in use and never under trees where it'll get pooped on.
I have quite a lot of cars (& bikes) and they're all lovely, including a few black ones (worst colour to keep clean and always shows imperfections).
I wouldn't be able to keep them all nice, if I didn't use an orbital polisher.
Edited by Petrolism on Friday 14th August 06:54
Petrolism said:
If you like keeping your paintwork shiny, I'd recommend investing in a large bucket, some decent car wash detergent, good orbital polisher, some firmer velcro-backed pads (smaller is better than larger), some good polishes (Autoglym Super Resin Polish is a pretty good all-round polish, but there are better, more expensive ones) and a big pack of microfiber towels. A good hydrophobic quick-detailer is also useful. These are just the bare basics. It can get quite technical and geeky, but all depends on how far you want to go. Repainting, or adding a coat of lacquer isn't likely to be the answer unless there's something wrong with the car's paint.
There are forums for this sort of car detailing and its actually quite fun & rewarding to do.
Orbital polishers make the process of polishing a lot quicker and more effective.
Might be more difficult to do if you park your car on the street. Ideally don't park it outside when not in use and never under trees where it'll get pooped on.
I have quite a lot of cars (& bikes) and they're all lovely, including a few black ones (worst colour to keep clean and always shows imperfections).
I wouldn't be able to keep them all nice, if I didn't use an orbital polisher.
Do NOT follow this advice.There are forums for this sort of car detailing and its actually quite fun & rewarding to do.
Orbital polishers make the process of polishing a lot quicker and more effective.
Might be more difficult to do if you park your car on the street. Ideally don't park it outside when not in use and never under trees where it'll get pooped on.
I have quite a lot of cars (& bikes) and they're all lovely, including a few black ones (worst colour to keep clean and always shows imperfections).
I wouldn't be able to keep them all nice, if I didn't use an orbital polisher.
Edited by Petrolism on Friday 14th August 06:54
You definitely do not want an orbital polisher!
You need a DA polisher, an orbital is very, very old school and you can cause serious problems; burning through the paint etc.
The reason your paintwork shine is not long lasting is the finish has not been sealed with a wax or ceramic coating.
You can DIY easily
nsa said:
Thanks. I bought an Si02 coating spray and will have a go with that this weekend to start. Is a proper ceramic coating really £1,000? That's about four days' work?
It is not as simple as applying the coating.There are steps that you need to adhere too so that the final coating is applied to a decontaminated, spotlessly clean surface. This will involve a washing, fall out remover, clay, correction, enhancement and finally the protection.
Yes £1000 is more than realistic depending on what products are used - it is like anything, you get what you pay for.
What area are you?
It seems you are after a one stop fix. Unfortunately, it is often not that easy. I find the following helps, I won't recommend products as there are many different opinions, except for one.
1. Wash and dry the car.
2. Clay the car (this removes any contaminants/ tar, I do this about twice a year) You can often 'feel' the difference after a panel has been clayed.
3. Polish the car ( this can remove or disguise fine scratches and remove some oxidation/ discolouration) I like Autoglym Super Resin Polish especially for darker coloured cars.
4. Wax the car (this protects your finish for longer and makes subsequent cleaning easier). I have recently tried ceramic based waxes and I am quite impressed with their performance/ longevity.
There are techniques which can be found on YouTube for each stage to ensure best results.
At this stage I wouldn't machine polish (DA or Orbital) and see what results you get. Do it by hand.
PS I am not an expert by any means, but the four steps outlined above work for my cars.
1. Wash and dry the car.
2. Clay the car (this removes any contaminants/ tar, I do this about twice a year) You can often 'feel' the difference after a panel has been clayed.
3. Polish the car ( this can remove or disguise fine scratches and remove some oxidation/ discolouration) I like Autoglym Super Resin Polish especially for darker coloured cars.
4. Wax the car (this protects your finish for longer and makes subsequent cleaning easier). I have recently tried ceramic based waxes and I am quite impressed with their performance/ longevity.
There are techniques which can be found on YouTube for each stage to ensure best results.
At this stage I wouldn't machine polish (DA or Orbital) and see what results you get. Do it by hand.
PS I am not an expert by any means, but the four steps outlined above work for my cars.
TROOPER88 said:
Do NOT follow this advice.
You definitely do not want an orbital polisher!
You need a DA polisher, an orbital is very, very old school and you can cause serious problems; burning through the paint etc.
The reason your paintwork shine is not long lasting is the finish has not been sealed with a wax or ceramic coating.
You can DIY easily
There's nothing "old school" about a Rotary Polisher. The fact is you can achieve a vastly superior finish with a rotary to a DA.You definitely do not want an orbital polisher!
You need a DA polisher, an orbital is very, very old school and you can cause serious problems; burning through the paint etc.
The reason your paintwork shine is not long lasting is the finish has not been sealed with a wax or ceramic coating.
You can DIY easily
What is true is that a DA is more suitable to most DIY'ers than a Rotary and yes, you can very easily burn through the paint, but for a professional or someone who is competent and confident enough, then Rotary wins every time.
DA is more suitable to 90% of DIY'ers though, but Rotary is still vastly superior if you know what you're doing!
Agreed that a Ceramic Coating would be the best way forward for OP (followed by a Hydrophobic Coating).
Unfortunately I'd say you're either committed to a good chunk of your time or money to rectify this and sustain the look you likely want. Assuming you've not gone through the clear coat you'll want a two stage machine polish followed by a decent ceramic coating to protect it against the car cover with regular spray wax top ups to keep the shine.
I say this from experience as I was faced with similar problems and went the DIY route. I'm quite task focused so having something new to learn has worked in my favour but its quite an investment to really take the clear coat down past all the marring then put some shine back into it. 3 solid days is what I'd commit to the task.
I say this from experience as I was faced with similar problems and went the DIY route. I'm quite task focused so having something new to learn has worked in my favour but its quite an investment to really take the clear coat down past all the marring then put some shine back into it. 3 solid days is what I'd commit to the task.
Shanksy87 said:
Unfortunately I'd say you're either committed to a good chunk of your time or money to rectify this and sustain the look you likely want. Assuming you've not gone through the clear coat you'll want a two stage machine polish followed by a decent ceramic coating to protect it against the car cover with regular spray wax top ups to keep the shine.
I say this from experience as I was faced with similar problems and went the DIY route. I'm quite task focused so having something new to learn has worked in my favour but its quite an investment to really take the clear coat down past all the marring then put some shine back into it. 3 solid days is what I'd commit to the task.
Agreed. I actually applied an Si02 spray this time. I've already had the polish so when this wears out I'll get a proper ceramic coating as a long term investment. I can't believe how good it looks now. I say this from experience as I was faced with similar problems and went the DIY route. I'm quite task focused so having something new to learn has worked in my favour but its quite an investment to really take the clear coat down past all the marring then put some shine back into it. 3 solid days is what I'd commit to the task.
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