Is there any clear coat left?? What to do?

[drdonelson]

Hey Mike!

I took your detailing course in Stuart FL probably 2012. I ended up moving abroad for 8 years and just got back to the USA. I have a bunch of supplies that I bought at the workshop that have had in storage all that time. (pic below, could they possibly still be good?) I recently bought a 2004 Titan that has been outside most of its life. I would love some advice and direction of what I should buy to try to bring this car back to life. I am not really sure where to start and I understand I may need to sand and spray paint areas that are to the metal. Thank you in advance!!!

[Rsurfer]

Sixteen years outside with little to no care equals a repaint.

[drdonelson]

I bought that car for 6k so a repaint isn't an option but I appreciate your insight

[Mike Hoekstra]

Like Rsurfer said, that poor paint is roached. Since a repaint isn't in the budget, maybe try Meguires #7 polish/show car glaze to restore the pigment of the paint underneath and wax it. Hand apply everything, don't use a machine because it will burn through/off what's left of that paint. I'm not exactly sure how modern urethane paint would react vs. old lacquer paint. Here's a link to Mike's How-To article and a link to the Packard he recently did.

The #7 Rub Down Technique by Mike Phillips

Original Single Stage - 1937 Packard - The Number #7 Rub Down Technique

[WillSports3]

Honestly, for a Nissan, the paint is basically done. Seems like this would be a great use of the optimum clear coat product they just came out with.

Basically scuff up whatever is left with a wool pad and some compound, then wipe with a strong body shop panel prep and then ya, apply carefully over affected area.

[drdonelson]

Meguires optimum clear coat product? I was actually thinking to detail the car with the Meguires ultimate compound and polish on one side and #7 on other and see what does the best job. In regards the side of the pickup bed where the paint it to the metal I was going to sand it down and use Duplicolor's Perfect Match and Eastwood's Professional 2K Aero-Spray Clearcoat.....

[WillSports3]

No not Meguiars, just Optimum Clear Coat. The guy who helped develop modern clear coat started a company for protecting clear coat finishes, and one of their new products is a self levelling home applied clear coat.

[The Guz]

Optimum Clear Coat Restorer is not going to work on clear coat failure. It is not designed to do that. I applied it to a vehicle that had signs of clear coat failure and it has not helped or stopped it.

[Bruno Soares]

Vinyl wrap it.

[Mike Phillips]

Hey Mike!

I took your detailing course in Stuart FL probably 2012. I ended up moving abroad for 8 years and just got back to the USA. I have a bunch of supplies that I bought at the workshop that have had in storage all that time. (pic below, could they possibly still be good?)

Long time no see....

Of course the polisher and the pads are are still good to use.

Shake the liquid products up really well and if they have a UNIFORM CONSISTENCY and APPEARANCE then they are likely okay to use, at least the Menzerna products.

I understand I may need to sand and spray paint areas that are to the metal.

The sides may buff out simply because they are the vertical panels and have not had the sun and the world beating down on them for 16 years.

For the horizontal surfaces, nothing is going to fix the paint on these panels. This paint is cooked. Stick a fork in it and call it done.






At this point it wouldn't harm the paint to "try" to buff it out but from experience, no amount of paint correction is going to undo the years of damage.

If a re-paint by a body shop is out of the question, take a look at doing a Roll-On paint job wit Rustoleum outdoor enamel paint. The type that comes in a can, not the aerosol. I'm pretty sure there's a website and probably a forum and facebook group for this technique.


I actually used this approach to a small area a long time above, before it became a "thing" on the Internet. I applied a thick layer with a brush. Let it dry for a week and then sanded it and the buffed it out. Results looked good.