1998 Civic Paint Correction (Newbie)

[kevin_1981]

Picked up a 7424XP over the winter, and have been dying to use it. This is my first attempt at paint correction, and decided to work on my dad's 1998 civic that looks like it was probably never waxed and was definitely parked on the streets of Chicago during its life. The paint was in terrible condition, and the bumpers are all scratched/cracked, so I didnt do anything with them.

These are the products I used to perform my work:


Porter Cable 7424XP with 5" hook/loop plate
Lake Country CCS Pads (5.5") - Yellow for cutting, and green for polishing, waxing by hand
Meguiars Ultimate Compound
Meguiars Ultimate Polish
Meguiars Gold Class Carnauba Paste Wax
Meguiars Microfiber Polishing Cloths


All pictures taken with Nexus 5 (sorry no hood shots... took them with my regular camera, and they werent coming out good, due to poor lighting)

Here goes.... hopefully i attach these files correctly
(high quality images here Paint Correction - Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/zKcqI) )

Trunk Before (pictures make the paint look a little better than it did in person):
26971
26969

Trunk After (I couldnt get rid of some of the scratches):
26972
26970

Top Before - It didnt look as bad as the trunk/hood were. I think the previous owner probably rested carboard boxes on the trunk, or used a gas station window squeegee as a car wash:
26973

Top After - the part past the weatherstripping was not done yet:
26974

Passenger rear before - This was spray painted at some point just over the wheel well, where the honda rust always happens:
26975

Passenger rear after - different angle:
26976

Drivers door before:
26978

Closeup of drivers door handle - bad!:
26977

Drivers door after:
26979

Final picture. Took me about 5.5 hours... this shot was taken at like 1:40AM.
26980

Overall, I was semi-pleased with results, since the paint was in awful condition. There was a noticeable improvement in paint quality, but I was disappointed that I could not fix some of the deeper scratches/swirls. Im not sure if a more abrasive compound would help, and would like feedback on if anyone has used Meguiars Ultimate before... I am assuming it is not as abrasive as some of the higher end compounds.

Please let me know your thoughts/suggestions on what I can do to improve the paint correction... or if its just too beat up due to age, and lack of maintenance in the past. Also - to do most of the correction, I had the 7424 XP at speed 6, and did 3-5 section passes with a good amount of pressure, followed by 2-3 passes at light pressure. The compound stayed workable.

[stemyx]

Awesome! Looks good. If you want deeper correction, people will recommend meguiars 105 since its more aggressive and has more cut. A microfiber cutting pad will also have more cut. But you'll get around by practicing your technique :) I've used ultimate compound before and it didn't remove the heavy defects, so its okay your not the only one. But awesome job you really rejuvenated that paint! :)

Sent from my Nexus 4 using AG Online

[kevin_1981]

Thanks, Stemyx. I thought about using the 105, but I figured I wouldnt be able to work with it fast enough, since im pretty new... I may try that on the next car I do... assuming its as bad as the Civic :)

[jamesboyy]

Very nice work you are off to a great start cause I see you have tamed that dark color paint and made it beautiful/shine the best way possible now you could go for more paint correction but I would leave it that way its enough skin for next time though don't stop here keep on detailing and correcting paintworks..good luck

[hernandez.art13]

I wonder (since the paint looked pretty bad before you started) If you are now noticing RIDS?

I think you did a great job and sometimes you might have to live with some of the end results. Just to be safe than sorry and (don't know if you did this) but did PTG readings to see with what your working with, just to give you an idea with what your working with. Just a couple of thoughts.

[Angus]

Nice work bringing that paint back to life! My DD is a black 98 Honda Civic coupe that sits outside 24/7. I also use Meg’s UC and UP topped w/ WGDGPS:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=727&pictureid=4272
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=727&pictureid=4275
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=727&pictureid=4274

The paint was especially scratched up from the harsh winter but I managed to get 90% of the defects out using UC on orange CCS pads, followed by UP on white CCS pad.

I would suggest picking up a few orange CCS pads and try UC followed by UP on green next time. Given how aggressive yellow pads are, by following up with an Orange pad you’ll get a slicker surface for UP to amp up even more.

[iron_worker]

I would say that the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is more a swirl remover than a true compound. I have used it and Wolfgang's swirl remover and found them to have a similar cut.

You did a great job on the civic. Some of those deeper marks may even be too deep to remove completely. The method you used was probably a good balance between revitalizing the paint and leaving enough clear on there to possibly polish more down the road.

IW

[Tato]

Come on, you're trying to be modest... You've done a great turnaround on that one!

Just found and odd reflection on picture #3, some bearded guy is showing up on your trunk lid! ;) And he's sharp!

Seeing this thread makes me miss my so loved 98' Civic EX...

I also have a friend with a 99' blue civic willing to detail his car, your thread encouraged me very much to look for the best finish on his Civic just like you did.

Thanks for sharing,

and congratulations on your work.

Kind Regards.

[Fat Mike]

Nice work! I'm going through the same process on my wife's DD and the paint looks almost the same as your before pics. Just did a test spot over the weekend with UC/UP and I'd agree that while it removed the swirls, most of the deeper RIDS are definitely more noticeable now. I may try to lose a few more, but being a daily driver, I can live with that level of correction.

[kevin_1981]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I did notice lots of RIDS after compounding. I thought about doing a few more passes, but I dont know how worn down the paint is, and to be honest, the paint was SOOO much better than before, that I was pretty happy with it. I'm thinking about doing my brothers 2000-something Grand Marquis, that is also black. If so, I will be posting pics, hopefully better pics, with better results.... his paint is also in awful shape.

Angus - Looks good!

[The Guz]

Nice job on bring the civic back to life. UC/UP are nice products to work with and learn with.