Paint & Body Work - want to fix a cloudy,grey supposed to be black paint job

Hey guys, i had my car painted by a friend and his buddy two years ago. The buddy was supposed to do the final wet sand and buff and it was done totally half assed. The car is a 99 ta thats black with gunmetal metallic stripes. The hood looks great but thats it. The rest of the black on the car is very cloudy and even greyish in some areas. If i wax it with Meguiar's cleaner wax, its black again and stays that way for a little while but eventually turns greyish and cloudy again. What products can i use to get the finish where it needs to be and stay? I know 3m "finesse it" was great years ago and i know you have to go in steps with the compounds to get it where it should be but i'm looking for some exact good product names and which sequence to apply and buff. Thanks for all the help guys. I'm trying to get the car looking good.

Can you post pics? If the cloudiness is just spots in the clear that weren't polished well enough then a good detailed or a painter can help you bring the shine up. If its in the base that's a different story. If you wet it does it look better for a minute?

i would use some menzernas rubbing compound to buff them finish it off with 3m perfect it polish and then a good coat of wax, i use mequiars gold class paste wax

Its more than just spots, its the whole panel. The front fenders, bottoms of the doors, stuff like that. Getting it wet doesnt change how it looks. Waxing blackens the panels back up but you can still see some cloudiness and it wears off and greys again after some time and a few washes. Unfortunately i cant post pics right now.

Hard for anybody to say the exact cause without seeing, but it sounds to me like it was sanded, then buffed with a type of compound(parts store grade) that has a lot of filler in it. These grades of product can fool you during the buffing process, making it look like all the scratches are gone, when the truth is they are covering the scratches. A few weeks later --- the improperly finished product resurfaces. Sound like yours??? Meguiars cleaner wax will have this result on a sanded surface. Don't ask how I know. Cleaner wax is meant for general haze/dirt removal, not scratches. Also , The paint may have not been cured enough when first done, giving similar symptoms later.
You need a more professional grade of compound to get the surface smooth, then buff with a final glaze. Meguiar's diamond cut compound starts out with course cutting , then breaks down into a smoother glazing compound as you use it,giving more satisfying results from 1 product. Best done with low speed rotary buffer & foam pads. Pep boys & paint shops sell diamond cut.
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/meguiars-diamond-cut-compound-20-p-14832.aspx

That sounds exactly like what i have goin on with the paint. Do I need a variable speed buffer for that compound or will a single speed buffer work? Thanks for the info. I will definately look into that and give it a try.

Jlcustomz, I just reread the end of your post about the buffer. That's what I have. I think it's around 2500-2700 rpm's. Will that work? Also, the foam pads, those are standard as far as softness or is there something special to look for when I buy them?

Jlcustomz, I just reread the end of your post about the buffer. That's what I have. I think it's around 2500-2700 rpm's. Will that work? Also, the foam pads, those are standard as far as softness or is there something special to look for when I buy them?

3M makes a nice buffing compound to use with a wool pad. I do not thing a foam pad will get the job done. I would run the buffer between 1500 and 1800 RPM. Anything higher may burn the paint. You will be surprised how well it works.

Hope this helps.

I say go to the pro detailer thread,post pics and ask gofast98 what he thinks would be a good starting point,

My latest low cost buffer is a mccollugh(?CHAINSAW NAME) from a sears outlet store. It,s pretty decent, runs 600-2800 rpm. I probably max out at approx 1800 rpm. Slower is better, especially without experience & near edges.
as far as pads, wool was here first, not everybody has accepted foam yet. there are different grades & they DO affect the rate of cut. Different mfg's use different colors for grades. Meguiars has some clearcut different grade pads. I still like the expensive 3-m design for final glazing.
Buffing is just like painting in that there are certain rules ALL must follow & the rest will always be opinionated as to what is best or needed.Some methods quicker, some better, some BOTH.