Everything I've had newer than mid 90s has suffered this strange 'pitted' texture to the paint, a sort of rough feeling effect to the paint. I've tried normal wax, resin wax, teflon wax, colour magic, Mer... nothing seems to prevent this.
I'm trying to get the Beetle shiny before it goes, and I'm loath to use T-cut on it. Is it going to be the only sort of solution, some Farecla or something?
And why is modern paint so utterly crap? Water-based environmental stuff, or just applying much less of it?
Do you not quite hammerite look? Shiney enough, but reflections are all wibbly wobbly, been that way since new, not gone that way? I think it's down to waterbased paints, and AFAIK it's incurable. Bar taking off the lacquer, flatting the colour coat and relacquering.
Probably because 2-pack goes on shiny straight off, and so doesn't need cutting back or polishing, just oven-baking to make sure it dires with a shine. I can still get the glassy finish with celly but it's not easy! Also modern paint is harder anyway so doesn't cut down as easily.
What you need is Farecla G3 and an electric polisher. Keep it wet! use a hand spray bottle of some sort. It's a really messy job so old overalls are called for and do it in the middle of a field if possible - well at least away from anything else or you'll end up washing them all (my caravan usually gets spattered).
I start with a coarse mop if the paint is really rough or oxidised, or go straight to a medium mop on reasonably good paintwork. Work over about 1/2 metre area at a time, then move on to the next - you'll see the shine and smoothness coming through.
If it's a dark colour you need to finish off with Farecla G10 and a fine mop, to take out the tiny scratches the G3/medium will leave.
It's a long, messy job to do well, but the results are worth it.
There's a little of that, but this is more to the touch... the paint looks vaguely rippled as you describe, seems to be unavoidable on modern paint, but this is like... like when pollen lands on the car, but not visible. When you polish it, the car has loads of little dots visible, like miniscule dots of tar.
Clay? (Obviously, I know what clay is, but in this context?)
Richard (when I used to polish cars, like my Chevette, or even when I was a kid, my dad's Passat - I was happy when I could get a clean duster, and flick it across the roof and have it not only reach the windscreen, but slide right down the bonnet too).
Meguairrirusu make it, seen it for sale in Halfords. I'd never heard of it too - I think it's a yank thing, but it's supposedly the stuff for getting rid of bits like tree sap, overspray etc.
All these things are simply different degrees of abrasive. The finer ones may give a better finish but take far more work to remove the paint until it's smooth. Best is to use a coarse one followed by a fine one. That's been the secret of smoothing car paint for many a year.
I read up on the clay thing, and it claims to lift the contaminants off/out of the soft clearcoat. I think it's a load of rot, but I've also read a lot of forum posts from people trying it and basically going "bloody hell, it worked".
Instead of rubbing the cleacoat down to the level of the 'stuff', it lifts the stuff out and then you wax the car, presumably filling in the gaps. That's the marketing claim, anyway.
I think I'll google for the science of it, but the clay is definitely something I had never heard of before, and appears to be targeted at this exact issue with clearcoat.
I'm quite tempted to drive up to Halfords and get some to try - I'll test it on the Scorpio first. Heh.
Tried it. Scorpio hasn't been pampered in any way, shape or form - right now it's filthy, hasn't been properly waxed in 2 years, and has paint that feels like sandpaper even after a very thorough wash with a microcell sponge and all that crap.
Washed and rinsed one corner.
Sprayed the 'detailing spray' (distilled water and a bit of soap, basically, so I'm told), and with no pressure beyond that needed to stop it sliding off the front of the car, few passes with the clay.
Car now has paint which is smoother than the Beetle on that section. No abrasive per se - or rather, no reduction in clearcoat. Quick coat of cheap wax (the Meguiars stuff for properly finishing the car costing a bloody fortune - at least, for experimenting) and the Scorpio has one corner that looks 3 years younger than the rest of the car.
Witchcraft. Must be.
I tried it on one arch on the Beetle and the paint now feels like new, so when the weather warms up a tad, I'll wash and clean the Beetle properly. And the Mazda is going to get a very thorough waxing, probably at the dealer before I drive it 300 miles home, if they haven't done it for me. I don't want that feeling all rough.
Lesson for me here is Do Not Neglect your clearcoat-finished modern car.
Stupid environment. What was so bad about cellulose paint anyway...
Online, £13.99 (with spray) - didn't go to Halfords, went to local A1 Motorfactor-franchise-whatsit (I get a discount there, been a customer for as long as I've had cars), and it was £11.99. So, quite dear, but certainly worth it IMO - nothing like as hard work as trying to T-cut something. Allegedly the clay is good enough for up to 5 cars, I'd be surprised if it can manage the Beetle and the Scorpio - I'm going to do the Beetle first, then the Scorpio, and if there's enough left my dad's Mercedes.
The 3-stage polish is £24 for the kit online (wash, something, some sort of deep-gloss Carnuaba-wax polish), the tub of wax is £10.
Clay is powdered stone - so no different in essence to any other abrasive like T-Cut or even Brasso - although the carrier may be. If it smoothed the paint it works by removing paint. Of course with clearcoat this is difficult to see, whereas it is with solid colours.
Clearcoat can lose its shine and transparency *exactly* like any other paint.
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