Whats up with my paint?

[be34st]

My trunk, and roof look like this

It looks more gray than black and has absolutely no luster whats so ever. Looks like this is starting to happen to my hood as well. What is going on here and how do i fix it? As you can see in the picture it darkens up when its wet but as soon as it dries it looks ashy.

Please help detailing gurus.


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[Vivek]

Polish it ASAP and seal it every month before your clear coat peels. That's about as heavy as oxidation gets before it starts to delaminate. I recommend Optimum Poli-Seal, and a Porter Cable random orbital. You'll be able to wax (seal) your entire car in 20 minutes.

[be34st]

LBV! You are on top of it tonight!!! Where do i get this stuff from?


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[Vivek]

I would recommend detailedimage.com but be prepared to spend $200+. You can buy stuff at a local auto parts store and do it all by hand. It'll be more work but not too significantly. This kind of oxidation is relatively easy to get great results from. Your paint is really close to the end of it's life at this point and you want to keep it waxed all the time. Unfortunately after the years of neglect it's seen it's most likely gonna start to peel, but you can do what you can do prolong it.

If you go to a auto parts store, get a basic scratch and swirl remover. Make sure it's a polish not a filler. A polish will say something about rubbing it in on the directions, while a filler will basically say wipe it on and wipe it off. You can take your pick at waxes, but I would not recommend a very thin liquid wax. Meguiar's gold class paste should be okay, and Nu Finish is honestly fine, I just hate it because it's ignorantly labelled as a polish because it's not a wax......but it's a sealant. Anyways, that says it'll last a year which is frankly bullshit. I'd apply it every few weeks if I were you. But the Poli-seal I recommended is infinitely easier to work with, so it may be worthwhile to order online.

[DetailAddict]

yep, time for clay, polish, and keep up the wax!

Leo

[be34st]

I clayed and waxed it when I first got the car and every month or so, never polish though. Time to invest in a porter cable.

[Buzztt]

my friend just polishedmine, really brought it back to life

[cabin]

Looks like clearcoat failure. I don't think polishing will do all too much for you.

My last delphin e30 had the same paint condition. Polishing (with a Porter Cable RO) did very little to restore the finish.

[nebulous123]

might need a wet sand if it doesn't come out like glass

[DetailAddict]

i'll give you some *hope*... not an e30, but similar condition... not saying you'll get the same result...

[chadthestampede]

e34's are notorious for clear coat. Expect it to start peeling soon.

[jo3y]

check out this polishing thread, you can omit the sanding portion just polish and it should put some life back into your paint

www.3seriestech.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=19

[Vivek]

might need a wet sand if it doesn't come out like glass

Without seeing it in person, I'd say wetsanding the OP's car is really playing with fire. There's too high of a likelihood that you'll cut right through the damaged clear coat.

[CrusherCurtis]

Polish it ASAP and seal it every month before your clear coat peels. That's about as heavy as oxidation gets before it starts to delaminate. I recommend Optimum Poli-Seal, and a Porter Cable random orbital. You'll be able to wax (seal) your entire car in 20 minutes.

You've learned a lot in a year!

[Vivek]

I've been detailing for quite a while ;)