looking for some help, black car woes!
looking for some help, black car woes! got a 02 z with 9200 on the clock. the front end looks like its got 90,000 plus! i look at the car from the side and am in love but the front makes me vomit!!!!!! i probally counted 2 dozen white spots (small chips) and 1000 bug gut stupid *** residue's on the front facia, westwings grill and hood.
what is the best approach to this? in 2003 i probally had the car detailed twice but wasnt overly estatic with the results. i need to get a coat of wax on her bad but dont want to over all those imperfections. any advice from the pros? im contimplating ditching the w/w grill for another that may be easier to deal with like slps or something. i also have a xenon g/e kit not that its importantant. the best thing about that w/w grill though is it acents my hood perfectly!(mesh inserts) if i can get her cleaned and waxed ill post pics. any advice for the chips? or bug cocka? im trying to advoid buffing it as i have never done it and that its still way young!(dont know if the detailers buffed it though). any insight would be most helpful.
i dont know who can have a black daily driver as a show car!
what is the best approach to this? in 2003 i probally had the car detailed twice but wasnt overly estatic with the results. i need to get a coat of wax on her bad but dont want to over all those imperfections. any advice from the pros? im contimplating ditching the w/w grill for another that may be easier to deal with like slps or something. i also have a xenon g/e kit not that its importantant. the best thing about that w/w grill though is it acents my hood perfectly!(mesh inserts) if i can get her cleaned and waxed ill post pics. any advice for the chips? or bug cocka? im trying to advoid buffing it as i have never done it and that its still way young!(dont know if the detailers buffed it though). any insight would be most helpful.
i dont know who can have a black daily driver as a show car!
Copy & Paste Moderator
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 9,764
Likes: 208
From: Eastern MA
To start off:
* Give the car a good wash (probably with a good car wash soap or with Dawn, but you must be sure to wax)
* Use Bug and Tar or some other stronger, yet clear-coat safe, cleaner to get the left over bug bits and other stuck on stuff.
* Use a clay bar (I use Mothers)
For the rock chips and pits, this is what I do:
* I use the small bottle of touch-up paint that came with the car (it has a built-in small paintbrush)
* You want to layer the touch-up paint until it matches or exceedes the level of the surrounding paint. It may take 2 or 3 layers. Dont glob it on all at once. Put on a layer and let it dry for 30-60 minutes before the next layer.
* Let it dry overnight
* Wet sand the touched-up spot with 2000 grit sand paper to make it smooth and less noticeable. Make sure not to burn through the paint! The point is to make the damage less noticable. Most of the time you will not be able to make the repairs invisible (but they will be less noticable). This takes some practice, so be careful. Try somewhere inconspicuous first. This step is difficult to explain.
* Then buff the wet sanded area by hand back to a shine. I am using 3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound followed by a Meguiar's polish.
* Wash the repaired areas again to get rig of and left over compound/grit/etc.
Now onto the waxing:
* 1-2 coats/passes of Meguire's ScratchX (optional, maybe only to areas that need it, really only for scratchs/scuffs)
* 1-2 coats of Meguire's ColorX
* 1-2 coats of Meguire's NXT Wax
Other Notes:
* Use a a soft terrycloth coverd sponge or washmit to wash the car.
* Dry the car with soft white terrycloth cotten towels or microfiber towels.
* Use soft-foam or terrycloath cpplicators or terryclothtows to apply the compounds and waxes.
* remove the wax with soft terrycloth towels or microfiber towels (the microfiber towels do a great job of removing the wax haze)
* If the paint all over the car looks faded or otherwise damaged, then maybe you should buff the whole car with some clear coat safe compounds before waxing. This is something that I have not delved into yet, so I cant recommed what to use or how to do it.
* Give the car a good wash (probably with a good car wash soap or with Dawn, but you must be sure to wax)
* Use Bug and Tar or some other stronger, yet clear-coat safe, cleaner to get the left over bug bits and other stuck on stuff.
* Use a clay bar (I use Mothers)
For the rock chips and pits, this is what I do:
* I use the small bottle of touch-up paint that came with the car (it has a built-in small paintbrush)
* You want to layer the touch-up paint until it matches or exceedes the level of the surrounding paint. It may take 2 or 3 layers. Dont glob it on all at once. Put on a layer and let it dry for 30-60 minutes before the next layer.
* Let it dry overnight
* Wet sand the touched-up spot with 2000 grit sand paper to make it smooth and less noticeable. Make sure not to burn through the paint! The point is to make the damage less noticable. Most of the time you will not be able to make the repairs invisible (but they will be less noticable). This takes some practice, so be careful. Try somewhere inconspicuous first. This step is difficult to explain.
* Then buff the wet sanded area by hand back to a shine. I am using 3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound followed by a Meguiar's polish.
* Wash the repaired areas again to get rig of and left over compound/grit/etc.
Now onto the waxing:
* 1-2 coats/passes of Meguire's ScratchX (optional, maybe only to areas that need it, really only for scratchs/scuffs)
* 1-2 coats of Meguire's ColorX
* 1-2 coats of Meguire's NXT Wax
Other Notes:
* Use a a soft terrycloth coverd sponge or washmit to wash the car.
* Dry the car with soft white terrycloth cotten towels or microfiber towels.
* Use soft-foam or terrycloath cpplicators or terryclothtows to apply the compounds and waxes.
* remove the wax with soft terrycloth towels or microfiber towels (the microfiber towels do a great job of removing the wax haze)
* If the paint all over the car looks faded or otherwise damaged, then maybe you should buff the whole car with some clear coat safe compounds before waxing. This is something that I have not delved into yet, so I cant recommed what to use or how to do it.
Last edited by VIP1; Aug 20, 2004 at 06:13 PM.
Staging Lane
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Orlando, FL
Black DD as a show car!!! Ha, thats funny. I drive mine all over and I'm lucky to have the paint as decent as it is. The only good thing is I have a couple hundred coats of Zaino on my car so when it starts to look brown I'll strip it, clay it, and start over with the wax. That works until I can afford to get it repainted.
TECH Addict
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,065
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta, GA
i've found the toothpick method of applying several small coats works a little better than a brush. You can apply several layers of small amounts of paint and let it dry in between. but thats a good tutorial up there. i'm just lazy 
if you're really lazy you can toothpick a layer of paint on a day (clean area) and it will build up to the same level as the original paint.
if you're really lazy you can toothpick a layer of paint on a day (clean area) and it will build up to the same level as the original paint. thanks for the tips. i got the jist of it, just so we are clear on the bug spots..... ican get the bugs off its the little (stains?) marks they leave behind. will bug remover remove those? thanks alot guys.
