How to clean up 20 year old paint.

[Nick_S]

If you really want to bring the paint back. You need to polish the paint. First claybar to remove the imbedded sediment so you have a nice smooth finish. The thing about claybars is they can actually be slightly abrasive and can leave fine swirls and scratches while cleaning the paint. If you're not comfortable with a machine polisher and/or don't want to spend the money for a decent one, go with a nice hand polish. I've always been really pleased with Griot's polishes and they sell an inexpensive hand polish kit that gives you great results. Here's the kit:

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/hand+polish+kit.do

Follow up the polish with a good wash to remove any residue then apply a wax of your choice. Again, Griot's is one of my current favorites for a cheaper wax that has great shine and longevity.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+care/car+waxing/car+waxes+and+sealants/best+of+show+wax.do?

Griots stuff is all available at Advance Auto now. The write up posted earlier is a great reference for how to really bring life back to your paint.
When I bought my car two years ago it was in desperate need of correction and spent probably 3 days wet sanding, polishing and waxing to bring it back to a suitable shine for me. It's a lot of work but the pay off it worth it.

[Wild Ride]

Top half of the first picture is before bottom is after. Second picture shows deep scratching from a roof spoiler last pic is after is with hand polishing with Meguiars scratch remover.

[rev3030]

I agree, claybar all the way home

[Gregs///M]

I've been practicing paint restoration since I was 16 but I'm 32 now. I learned a lot along the way. And now, with my M3, I've got the process down 100%. Its paint is nearly swirl free and has an amazing deep gloss to it. Here are some tips that I recommend:

-Always wash your car using the least amount of ""physical touching" as possible. Foam guns work well.
-Always use nothing but microfiber on your paint. I never use anything else, no sponges, no towels, no nothing but microfiber.
-When drying your car, use a leaf blower or large microfiber towel. When drying, lay the town down on the surface and "pat" the water away. Do not swirl the towel around. Just lay down and pat.
-Clay bar is amazing and an important part of maintaining/restoring your paint. Clay in the direction of front to back and vice versa, no side to side.
-Once you clay, your paint will be vulnerable unless you protect it with wax. If your car has swirls, now is the time to get rid of them.
-I use a combination of rotary and dual action polishing machines on my vehicles. Learn how to use these, especially the rotary. Practice before using the rotary. DA polishers have a very simple learning curve and are pretty fool proof.
-Don't get polish on plastic, its a bitch to remove.
-Finally use a quality wax to finish. Don't trust any wax that is cheap. I started out with a trying many different budget waxes from your local parts store. They all suck. Now I use P21S 100% carnuba wax. Its about $60 for a can and can last for about 10 or so full waxes.
-My final advice is to check out Autopia.org. It is the premier website for car detailing.

Good luck

[LowR3V'in]

This has probably been said before but wetsand.

I've does the clay and polish but NEVER has it made my car so shiny.
Get a 2000 sponge from pepboys and start sanding.
Polished by hand, then waxed. It's silky smooth and definally breathed some new
life into the paint.

I was so impressed I took pic. :)
The color is grey btw.

[lolcantturn]

^can anyone vouch for this? my car looks plenty shiny, but I'm sure I can get more out of it.

[ZoomZoomBoom]

^can anyone vouch for this? my car looks plenty shiny, but I'm sure I can get more out of it.

Only wet sand if you want to knock down orange peel or defects that are too deep to remove with heavy compounding. It will remove a significant amount of clear coat, and will require multiple stages of compounding and polishing to remove the sanding marks and jewel the paint in the end.

[Mr. Tasty]

Only wet sand if you want to knock down orange peel or defects that are too deep to remove with heavy compounding. It will remove a significant amount of clear coat, and will require multiple stages of compounding and polishing to remove the sanding marks and jewel the paint in the end.

this, definitely not a newbie paint corrector's job. You really want to see how deep your paint is on the micrometer level

[LowR3V'in]

If you're paint is completely totaled it (like mine) it can only help.

[ZoomZoomBoom]

If you're paint is completely totaled it (like mine) it can only help.

You need to make absolutely certain that there is enough clear coat remaining using a paint thickness tool ($$$) as to not cause clear coat failure when wet sanding.