Discussion
i had a '96 Golf in red, didn't fade at all just rusted...
Now I have an '02 Ibiza in red, no fading at all.
Also have a '96 Polo SDi in red which has faded, probably through a lack of care for the paint.
Keep on top of it and it will be all good, red looks amazing when polished and waxed, makes a nice change from white or silver on modern cars. Still laugh when I see a pink Corsa though!
Now I have an '02 Ibiza in red, no fading at all.
Also have a '96 Polo SDi in red which has faded, probably through a lack of care for the paint.
Keep on top of it and it will be all good, red looks amazing when polished and waxed, makes a nice change from white or silver on modern cars. Still laugh when I see a pink Corsa though!
Civics of the EP3 style, can be prone to pigment fade on the roof, and that's under a clearcoat - the others that are notorious for it, were all singlestage paint.
Basically, it stems from insufficient UV inhibitors in the paintwork or clearcoat depth - accelerated by aggressive chemicals during washing or too much polishing.
If you go for a metallic red, which will be clearcoated, then you'll have no issue bar the polishing, which affects any colour the same way if you get carried away.
Basically, it stems from insufficient UV inhibitors in the paintwork or clearcoat depth - accelerated by aggressive chemicals during washing or too much polishing.
If you go for a metallic red, which will be clearcoated, then you'll have no issue bar the polishing, which affects any colour the same way if you get carried away.
SMcP114 said:
SD1992 said:
Is it not just a case of spending a day polishing it to get it back to normal?
I did an old MR2 recently that was pink, looked lovely when I was finished with it
No, that's only a temporary measure and after a week or so it'll look as bad as it ever did.I did an old MR2 recently that was pink, looked lovely when I was finished with it
It's a permanent measure. Bilt do a good paint restoration "polish" for this type of thing.
SD1992 said:
SMcP114 said:
No, that's only a temporary measure and after a week or so it'll look as bad as it ever did.
In my experience, a polish and wax did the job just fine. Car still looks great today 
All the polish does is remove the oxidation, and the wax protects it from happening again.
Sump said:
SMcP114 said:
SD1992 said:
Is it not just a case of spending a day polishing it to get it back to normal?
I did an old MR2 recently that was pink, looked lovely when I was finished with it
No, that's only a temporary measure and after a week or so it'll look as bad as it ever did.I did an old MR2 recently that was pink, looked lovely when I was finished with it
It's a permanent measure. Bilt do a good paint restoration "polish" for this type of thing.
Ok, case in question. Six year old Corsa with 18,000 miles from new.
So you could polish that out by hand, then a drop of wax to make sure it doesn't happen again?
What products would you use?
Would you use any compound? Or just 'Bilt' colour restorer?
Ok, I don't have photos of my work but I can tell you the methods.
I first put 3 layers of AutoGlym super resin polish on by hand (I say I did it, there were 4 of us so my wrists still work). You could do it by machine, it would produce the same result but with less work. I mean apply polish, leave for 20 mins, buff off, repeat.
After that, I put a layer of AutoGlym extra gloss protection on, followed by 2 layers of AutoGlym HD wax.
If you wanted to, you could also clay the car before the polishing stage, that would help a lot too.
Car still looks fantastic now - the reason for fading paint is because some red paints oxidise (rust, if you like), so you are essentially removing that oxidation.
The extra gloss protection and HD wax are there to act as a barrier to prevent it happening again. If you wanted to keep the car looking its best, I would suggest waxing it at least once every month, and polishing / using the extra gloss protection followed by a wax every 6 months.
Hope that helps!
ETA - the trick with the polishing is to focus on one area at a time. Use 3 pea sized drops on a cloth / buffer for, lets say, the front wing. Make sure you rub it in properly until you can't really see the polish any more. It is very hard work - and just wiping the stuff all over the car will not work. A machine polisher would be a lot easier, but if you get some mates round for an afternoon it is not as bad as you may think.
I first put 3 layers of AutoGlym super resin polish on by hand (I say I did it, there were 4 of us so my wrists still work). You could do it by machine, it would produce the same result but with less work. I mean apply polish, leave for 20 mins, buff off, repeat.
After that, I put a layer of AutoGlym extra gloss protection on, followed by 2 layers of AutoGlym HD wax.
If you wanted to, you could also clay the car before the polishing stage, that would help a lot too.
Car still looks fantastic now - the reason for fading paint is because some red paints oxidise (rust, if you like), so you are essentially removing that oxidation.
The extra gloss protection and HD wax are there to act as a barrier to prevent it happening again. If you wanted to keep the car looking its best, I would suggest waxing it at least once every month, and polishing / using the extra gloss protection followed by a wax every 6 months.
Hope that helps!
ETA - the trick with the polishing is to focus on one area at a time. Use 3 pea sized drops on a cloth / buffer for, lets say, the front wing. Make sure you rub it in properly until you can't really see the polish any more. It is very hard work - and just wiping the stuff all over the car will not work. A machine polisher would be a lot easier, but if you get some mates round for an afternoon it is not as bad as you may think.
Edited by SD1992 on Sunday 29th January 14:30
Sump said:
If by hand I would go for BH autobalm all over and then 2 layers of AS WAX.
Or I would get the rotary, go over with Menz finish, and then wax.
The paint will not be faded again after a couple of weeks
If you genuinely think you could have achieved these results polishing a car by hand then I see no point in wasting my time arguing with you.Or I would get the rotary, go over with Menz finish, and then wax.
The paint will not be faded again after a couple of weeks
But what would I know
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