I have looked into this a great deal and got some opinions from a couple different people. I have a black 03 Maxima and the Florida sun has taken a toll on the paint. The hood is oxidized (not yet peeling) and I really want to do something about it. I have attempted compounding the hood and if anything, it seems to have gotten worse.

I plan on just taking it to have the hood painted, but are there any temporary fixes that may help cover it up a bit until then? Should I try to take it to a professional detailer and have them polish and compound it before resorting to having it painted?

 

Clay bar then sanding.. But that is a bit advance....you can polish out the hood with a very aggressive compound.

 

what compound would you recommend? The one I tried was made by Meguiars.

 

101 is pretty aggressive.. But it's best to use it with a machine.. Like a Random orbital polisher... you don't want to do this by hand.Search you tube people have gotten great results.

 

If your hood has fully oxidize, or in other words the paint clear coat has partially vanished, Dont waste your time or money. Get it painted...

 

I agree it is sometimes hard to determine how far gone it is. this is why i press people to put at least a cheap as wax on their car, it's better than having no wax ever hitting their paint. My brother did this to his car and now the clear coat has peeled away, LONG GONE, he has to get his car repainted....

 

It hasn't peeled, but I guess the missing clear coat is the only reason it would be dull and chalky looking in places.

 

its dull because of the oxidation....post a picture

 

can you buff and wax a dull hood yes..why would you I have no idea. If your just trying to get by until you paint it, and want it to look somewhat decent then sure go for it.

 

I agree, and again, I don't care what BS wax you put on your car.. It's better than NEVER putting wax on your car. That alone can prolong your paint life.

 

I agree as well!