Please help me with 17 year old black paint.

[That Classic 98]

Hey guys, I own a black 1998 f150 and am in desperate need for help with my paint. I'm 20 years old and ready to increase my knowledge into the world of detailing. Please do not be intimidated by my long paragraph. I'm ready to learn and just need guidance. Any help will be used immediately and will be extremely appreciated.

Heres my situation, when I first bought the truck, the paint had not been taken care of at all. It had 15 years worth of swirl marks and scratches that are so very easy to see on black paint. I immediately bought meguiars paint restoration kit (which was about 2.5 years ago) and went to work (by hand). The truck has looked pretty good, until just after my last clay bar and wax. Which was about a week ago. I noticed all of the swirl marks and scratches have completely resurfaced. Honestly, they stand out like a sore thumb if the sun hits the truck dead on and like crazy if any light hits the paint at night. I have consistently waxed the truck every 2 months with meguiars black wax over the course of those years and have clay barred it every 6. I've only used meguiars soap and their soft wash mitten. I've also noticed in broad daylight that if the sun is directly hitting my paint, it looks almost milky. Like lake water when the sun hits it dead on. If that makes any since? My clear coat is not bad and I'm sure its time for a really, really good polish and waxing.

Thats my situation and to those who have read up to this point I sincerely thank you. Which leads me to my one big question. What do I need to do, to get my truck back to a deep, swirl free, showroom shine black? At least as close as possible

I am ready willing and able to buy a buffer and go at it. Although in all honesty they do kind of intimidate me a little, but thats never stopped me. I just don't know anything about the products I'll need or what products to use. I need help picking out a forgiving buffer that won't burn my paint / all the car care products to achieve my goal. I'm fine with spending more money on better products to get the shine and swirl free look I so desire. I'm looking at around a $350 budget to buy a buffer, polishes, waxes and whatever else I need to get me going. One last note, I don't have a garage, so I need products that will withstand the elements a little better. Please help me guys, I need it.

[originalgoods13]

I have had good results with Menzerna FG400 and Lake Country Orange foam pad. On your case you would want to use Yellow foam pad, finish it off with Menzerna SF4500

Seal it with a nano coat (Gtechniq, CQuartz, 22ple, etc)

I use Griot's Garage 6 dual action rotary polisher Gen 2 and Gen 3

I prefer the lightness and new features of the Gen 3

I just finished a BMW X5 with Black Sapphire with above recommendations

I used GTechniq C1 plus 2 coats of EXO v2 and the paint is as dark and glossy as it can be on all lighting conditions

[originalgoods13]

...all for about $400 Canadian

[brettS4]

:welcome:
First of all, most likely your work in the past was mostly just masking the defects in your paint. By clay barring it, you were uncovering the swirls that were hidden by the fillers you applied. What you need to do is polish out those swirls completely. That should be pretty easy within your budget.

You'll need a polisher. I'd recommend the Griots GG6. That with a few pads and compounds and a bunch of MF towels should do the trick. DA polishers like the GG6 are pretty easy to figure out. You just need to understand the polishing process. There are plenty of threads and videos here to help you out.

FG400 is a good compound that might do everything for you in one step. Sometimes a second round with a finer polish is necessary, but not always. Of course there are other brands, too. Meguiars and Wolfgang (which is nearly identical to Menzerna) are probably the other most popular names.

And there are many options for final protection. A lot of people here like to experiment with different types and brands. If you ask 10 people what to use, you'll get 11 opinions.

[That Classic 98]

First off, thank you guys for taking the time to reply. Now based off of what you guys have told me and taking the last few hours on the site, I came up with this kit.

Menzerna Porter Cable XP Maximum Shine Kit FREE BONUS (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-porter-cable-maximum-shine.html)

Granted it is not the buffer you've told me about, it seems to be pretty beginner friendly (as reviewed anyways) and leaves me the capability to get a smaller backing plate for use with smaller pads. I would still like your opinion of course, It just seems to be a pretty good deal. I will add I've had quite a bit of experience with power tools in my lifetime, but still have never used a buffer.

After doing more research too, it seems collinite 845 might be a great wax to use because its so durable. My trucks sits in the weather 24/7 a day baking in the sun. Especially in the summer with the temperature averaging around 95 degrees, it sounds like this collinite 845 will hold up really well.

Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845, liquid wax, heat-resistant wax, car wax (http://www.autogeek.net/collinite-insulator-wax-845.html)

Can I use the wax included in the buffer kit with the collinite, either before or after applying it, or do I just need to choose one or the other? Will they go together to make an even more protected and intense shine?

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the collinite would be like the final thing to be put on the paint for complete and long lasting protection? Or is there something else I can add after it for even more shine and protection.

If the buffer kit gets the okay from you guys, is there anything else I should add with it? More pads, microfiber towels, or anything else? I know I'm asking a lot of questions here, so please keep bearing with me. :buffing: