Ever wax your paint right off????

[ANDYS87]

My first car was a black, 1981 Monte Carlo. Since it was black...and I was young and had the energy and time...I'd wax it all the time(sometimes every week).....maybe too much. After a few years, the paint on the body lines and edges started to fade...then went down to primer! I didn't realize until it was too late. Yeah, no clear coat on that car. Really upset me, because the rest of the paint is in nice shape! I guess I was too crazy about keeping a spotless car and the waxes I used back then were pretty harsh. Also, no quick detail spray or micro fiber cloths either(that I knew about anyways). I just wanted to know if anyone else ever loved thier cars too much....and did damage to the paint by waxing/polishing too much????!!!! I did learn a lot from that car...from waxing/detailing to mechanical. Can I blame GM for crappy 1980's paint jobs??? :) I still have that car. Can the body lines be airbrushed...or do I need a complete re-paint? The car's not worth a repaint...but it does have sentimental value. It was my father's car...he gave it to me in 1990... he passed away three years ago.

I recently bought an 87 Grand National(hence my screenname)....I'm now so paranoid with these one-step-paint 80's GM cars that I'm afraid to wax it!!!!! I just use quick detailer with a micro fiber cloth. Any recommendations for a gentle cleaner and wax, so I dont do any damage???

Thanks.

[tempter927]

Hmm, have you tried searching some of the existing threads regarding one step paint care or older paint jobs. I know I've come across a number or threads about paint with no clear coat, etc.

[ANDYS87]

I'll have to do a search when I get more time.

[2old2change]

A paint thickness gauge may help give you some peace of mind.Not being the original owner or knowing the complete history of your GN's paint might be of some concern.Do a search on this and some of the various forums for more detailed info .

[Blackthorn One]

It sounds like you were using cleaner wax every week, which means that you were polishing the paint off the car rapidly with the polish in the wax. You only need a cleaner wax to get the oxidation off of a neglected car, but your car was anything but. :) Had you used a pure wax with no cleaners, this would not have occurred. You would just have a lot of wax on the car, probably to the point of losing the paint's clarity. :) What you were doing was removing the old application of wax at the same time as you were applying the new one and polishing the paint itself at the same time. As a result, the wax never got thicker, which is what you wanted to do.
I think what you want to do is apply 5 coats of wax, and then use a 5 minute detailer after every weekly wash, to maintain the freshly waxed look, without harming the paint, or stripping off the wax. From there you can reapply a coat of wax every 3 or 4 weeks, and see how that goes for you. Pure wax only, of course, ie no cleaners(polish)in it.

You CAN fog in the areas of the car where the paint is worn off without repainting the whole car so long as you have an exact match for the black, since it's a solid black, and not a metallic. The edges of where the fogged in paint meets the rest of the paint will have to be wet sanded to blend in. It will look a LOT better like that, but it won't be perfect. Frankly, considering how the paint got so thin in the first place, the paint on the rest of the car where the paint hasn't completely gone away can't be all that thick either, so long term, a complete repaint is the only right solution. I have to ask, didn't you SEE the waxing pad looking black every week you waxed it? That means you are polishing off paint. I'm not trying to give you a hard time, just trying to get you to better realize what was going on while you were doing this.

There are a lot of waxes out there that don't have polish in them that you can safely use regularly. Most waxes attract dust, which makes it hard to keep the car looking clean, but Poorboy's waxes resist dust a lot more, as does Wolfgang Fuzion, which is a wax and a polymer.
Incidentally, I just picked up some Poorboys Natty's Red paste wax, and put it on a black car, and it wax stunning. It really makes it pop.
Souveran wax helps black to look very rich, but only lasts weeks, and attracts dust, but considering how much you like to wax your car, maybe that's the wax for you. :)
You could also try a sealant instead of a wax, or put a wax on top of a sealant. I suggest Wolfgang's Deep Gloss paint sealant, for it's rich look.

If you DO repaint, I highly recommend getting it painted in Acrylic Urethane, like Deltron, which my car is painted in, if you can. Acrylic Urethane is a LOT more durable than Acrylic Enamel or water based paint, AND it has a better gloss. It DOES make a difference.

[ANDYS87]

I was a kid back then. Used every kind of wax/polish on it. When the applicator was black, I thought it was dirt coming off the paint...not the paint itself. Fast forward almost 20 years and I know better now!

I also don't have the time or energy to wax a car once a week....maybe a few times a year now!!! :)

[Emile]

Klasse AIO applied by hand, and then Optimum Car Wax (spray-on wax) and you should be good to go. The Optimum Car Wax is so easy it's like applying a quick detailer, but it's really a car wax. And even if you're too lazy to wax often, the Optimum Car Wax can and will last for up to 5 months.

I suggest starting with Klasse AIO because it's a chemical-only cleaner (no harsh abrasives) and it only has to be re-applied once every 6 to 8 months but you can probably get away with Optimum Car Wax all by itself if you wash your car really well. :D

[ScottB]

never have ...but my neighbors still swear I will one day !

[Larry A]

When I was a kid I polished my dads maroon 1946 Dodge all the time , and rubbed the color of the hood and roof.

[redboost10]

im jelous of your car. my grampa just sold his...which i think i put most of the miles on, haha. one of my favorite cars to say the least

[CBX Carl]

Years ago, I had a neighbor that painted his car body and all bumpers every spring with a brush
:rolleyes:

[Harleyguy]

When I was a kid I polished my dads maroon 1946 Dodge all the time , and rubbed the color of the hood and roof.I remember when i was a kid my parents had a buick skylark that they wantd to sell.The car was never really waxed as far as i can recall.My Mom took some spray furniture polish and covered the whole car with it.First person that came to look at the car laid down the cash and drove away in less the 20 mins the car looked awesome.And smelled great also that was an old memory LOL

[D_Nyholm]

My buddy had a 87 Grand national and I believe his was a 2 stage with a clear. Are you sure yours is single stage?

[ANDYS87]

Yep, all GN's are single stage paint from the factory. He must have had his repainted.

[oldmodman]

Using Meguiars Cleaner Wax I went through the paint on my old 77 LTD 11 Wagon. It took about five years of waxing every week. Paint looked great until it started getting thin. Then I spent two weekends in a buddies paint shop prepping the body. Another week block sanding off three coats of primer. And the final weekend putting on two coats of base, one coat of tinted clear with pearl, and a final three coats of clear (high build). After the final buff out it was like a mirror.