Dull Finish

[riles32807]

My story
I've never payed too much attention to my car's finish, just washed it on a fairly regular basis and occasionally waxed it. The other day I was admiring a friend's new car and the mirror image luster. As I said good by and turned to my 2005 Toyota Corolla, the difference in the finish was striking. So I stopped by an auto supply store and started looking through the different products & realized I needed to do some research. After reading on-line (not autogeek, I just found you guys recently) I decided a wash, polish, & wax would be best to take out years of minor scratches & blemishes. The results after polishing were great! Other then a couple small paint chips & a door ding or 2 I have a white car again!

My Problem
About 2 years ago the hood, front bumper & passenger quarter panel were replaced after a minor accident where somebody decided to change into my lane without looking. There's a noticeable difference in the lustre between the old panels & the new. Even after the polish & wax the old panels have a slightly matte look compared to the new panels.

My Questions
Any suggestions on how to bring back the shine?

My next project is going to be claying, then maybe filling the deeper chips & scratches.

Thanks in advance for any advice. =)

[Birdhunter]

First, welcome!!!

second, by polish do you mean by machine or by hand?

I would think other than a slight color difference yo should be able to match up the "shine" of all the car.

[O.C.Detailing]

Sounds like you're experiencing a little bleaching from the sun on the old paint or oxidation that will probably need to be removed by machine unless you have huge arms and tons of patience. Heh

I'd try hitting the old paint a few times with a compound to see if it clears up. If not, then I'd say your old paint is just bleached and discolored by the sun due to age. Not much you can do about that. If it does clear up, then it's probably oxidized. A hardcore machine polishing should clear it up. Good luck. White is a beautiful color when properly polished.

[riles32807]

Thanks for the welcome!
I'm doing it by hand, so yah, I realize my results aren't going to be pro.
O.C. what do you mean by compound? Go over it again with polish or should I try something more abrasive?

[PAR Detailing]

Riles what "Polish" are you using. This will help us determine if you are using something agressive enough. polishes and compounds are often terms that are interchangable but to different people they can mean very very different things. Compounds are aggressive "polishes" used to remove deeper scratches and oxidation.

[riles32807]

I used Turtle Wax Polishing Compound.

[Mike Phillips]

Check out this thread to see what a compound can do to restore clarity and gloss...


The power in the after shots is created in the before shots


The secret to success when working by hand is to only work small sections at at time and work them thoroughly during the compounding and polishing steps.

See this article for some tips on techniques

Man versus Machine


See links in my Signature Line for videos and more articles...


Welcome to Autogeek Online!

[Mike Phillips]

I used Turtle Wax Polishing Compound.

There's a huge difference in the quality of abrasive technology used in car care products... be careful and always do a Test Spot to a small section before rubbing out the entire car and make sure you're getting the results you want and hope for.

The SMAT Pack - Everything you ever wanted to know about Meguiar's SMAT products...
The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!

This is a Test Spot by machine but the same idea applies no matter how you do your work and that is to test to one section and then inspect in good lighting...

How to do a Test Spot using the Flex 3401