Other than the obvious re-paint, which I'm not really inclined to do. This car that I am talking about is NOT my current Max, just a beat around car that has really no clearcoat left on the hood, roof, and trunk. I'm not real familiar with paint work, sanding, rubbing compounds, etc, so I'm hoping to get some advice.

Basically, I'm not thinking it's going to look brand new or anything, just wondering if there is some combination of sanding/compounds/buffing that might make it look a little better- or am I wasting my time?

 

If the clearcoat's gone, then there is really nothing you can do. U can put a coat of polish on there in hopes that it will help protect the paint but well your SOL on this.

 

How do you know that the clear coat is really gone?

Just checking here, since sometimes people confuse "gloss" with "clear coat".....

 

That's a fair question, but in this case you can see where it's bascially all peeled off on the flat surfaces, and then it picks up again as it goes down the sides. The Texas sun has just beat the crud out of it, and it was never really taken care of prior to my getting it. The clear is definitely gone, at least on the hood, trunk and roof.

Just trying to see if I can make it look a little better with some work and a buffer...or something similar. I've tested a few small spots with some polishing compound, but only by hand- seems like it takes some oxidation off, but the pad gets pretty dirty only after a small spot. It's a light blue car, and the pad is dark grey or black. The paint does get a little shine to it, though, but since I don't really know what I'm doing, I thought I'd ask first about what to use, or not.

 

If the clear has indeed peeled off, it will never have the shine it once had ever again. The basecoat is naturally a flat finish, and all the gloss comes from the clear. You might be able to get a bit of shine like you said, but be careful how much buffing you do as the basecoat is generally very thin, only enough on the car to give an even finish. The film build is in the clear. It might burn through fairly easily. If you can live with the finish, keep lots of wax on it to keep it from oxidizing again, because all the paints uv protection was in the clear coat. Good luck!

 

^^ What he said.

 

OK, thanks for the info guys- I figured it was pretty much a lost cause, but wanted to check with some of you experts first. One last question-

Let's say I DO want to try and buff it out some- what would you guys reccommend I use- rubbing compound, polishing compound, wet sand, ??? I don't currently have a buffer, but I was thinking of getting one anyway. So, what's the best process to use in my situation?