Faded Paint

[04Pj]

So I recently bought a 2007 Laser Red Infiniti G35. Paint doesn't seem too bad. Just the usual crappy wax job and half done cleaning the dealer did.

I do have a problem though, I removed a guard type thing from above the sun roof, and the paint that is underneath is a lot lighter in color. It's extremely noticeable and it bothers me. What steps should I take to correct this? I should have a PC to use here soon.

Thanks.

[Too Stroked]

So I recently bought a 2007 Laser Red Infiniti G35. Paint doesn't seem too bad. Just the usual crappy wax job and half done cleaning the dealer did.

I do have a problem though, I removed a guard type thing from above the sun roof, and the paint that is underneath is a lot lighter in color. It's extremely noticeable and it bothers me. What steps should I take to correct this? I should have a PC to use here soon.

Thanks.

Any chance you could post up some pics of that area? That would really help us with our advice.

On a related note, that car will have base coat / clear coat paint. That system makes it pretty hard to fade - especially after only 6 years. So pics will help us tell if it's fading (solvable) vs a repaint (much more difficult). One of our members (Steve) had the exact same problem on a car he was working on a while back and we discovered it was a re-paint the owner wasn't even aware of.

Tom

[sscully]

pictures would be helpful.

I find it strange that something that has been covered ( since ~2007 ) would be faded more than the remainder of the car.
- Do you feel a line where the paint is different ?

Tom talked me through finding the masking errors on the SIL's red mustang.
- Found some small mistape areas on rubber weatherstripping by the rear windows.

Took some time to find it, and when I found it, it was single stage red paint over the factory red.

The other thing that comes to mind is it the car has been done up in a color glaze ( color-x, Moose, etc ) before the wax the dealer applied.

If you can take a picture of the area ( and what was covering it ) and see if your nail catches when going from the darker red to the lighter red ( that was under the item ) to see if there is a paint line there.
- If you clay & polish it you might find it is all "pink" where something

[04Pj]

It's really hard to tell from that pic, but there is some residue and it's a slightly different shade. I'll try to get a better angle once I pull it into the garage.

[sscully]

Out in the sun is actually better lighting.

Could be the auto focus targeted the rubber around the sun roof, if you put some clay next to the area and take an upclose picture, that should do the trick.

Until a closer picture, that almost looks like the clear coat has been burnished with dirt getting under it, and vibrating around a bit.

If so, it could be as easy as a white pad with a polish on it and working the area.
- Don't know how far through it is, could be all the way which is another story.

If you are going at it with a PC DA, use a 4" pad.

Not too sure what you have, aside from the PC.

If it was Lake Country pads, that would be a white pad, and either Optimum Hyper Polish or Poorboys World ProPolish.

That might take a few passes to come out, you would want to keep an eye on it, depending on how far it is into the clear.

Can you feel any of that with your fingernail ?

[Too Stroked]

From what I can see, I'm going to agree with Steve here in that it's likely the clear coat has been abraded and dulled. The big question is, how deep does the damage go? Like Steve asked, can you feel it with your fingernail? If so, it may be too deep to remove completely. However, a good deal - or all - of it may come out with the right products and techniques.

[04Pj]

Well theres seems to be some junk left over from the guard, so I think a good wash and clay will remove that. I can't really feel it when I run my fingernail across it, so that makes me hopeful.

I think I'm going to have it professionally detailed. I probably won't have access to a PC any longer, so buying all the stuff to even remotely do enough good would probably cost more than a detail.

[sscully]

If you look at a 5 or 8 pad PC kit and some Hyper Polish / PB ProPolish, you are going to be way less than a good professional detail.

Ivan @ LUSTR Auto Detail here in the metro area ( about the only guy I would trust to do my car ) starts out at $240.00 and goes up depending on the car and what is wrong with it.
- This is the basic exterior detail, multi stage correction is in the $690.00 and up range.

The reason I bring this up, if you find someone that is going to charge $120.00 to take care of that, chances are he is going to hit it with an AIO and maybe some glaze and call it good.

Just something to think of when getting pricing.

[Kitzy]

This reminds me of removing vinyl decals.  They often leave a ghosting behind that I've been able to minimize but most of the time not get rid of.  I have it on my 2011 Silverado and I had it on my 2002 Expedition back in 2005 when I removed its pinstripes.  I want to remove the big 4x4 sticker from the truck bed on each side but I know I will see the ghosting.  I didn't think there was much I could do to fix it.  All the pads and polishes I had available never worked.  Just faded paint.

[Rollingrock]

I think you are covered with the responses but this is kind of a tough one not seeing it with my own eyes.

that said what tools, pads and products do you have right now?

[04Pj]

I used to have a PC and some LC pads, but I sold them to a buddy of mine who started working at a body shop. I've asked to borrow them for a day or two, but he needs them at work so he's of no help.

So I don't have anything honestly.

If you guys were to buy a machine right now, which would it be? I liked the PC, I just felt it wasn't quite up to the job sometimes. I'm seriously pondering buy all the items again and knocking down some cars for extra cash on the side. Hell I could probably make my money back just with my family lol.

[Too Stroked]

If I were to start from scratch all over again, I'd probably go with a Porter-Cable 7424XP or a Flex 3401. (I actually have a the older 7424 and a Flex right now.) For the amount of detailing I do, either of those two machines - plus the right selection of pads & products - should do just fine.

[Rollingrock]

I used to have a PC and some LC pads, but I sold them to a buddy of mine who started working at a body shop. I've asked to borrow them for a day or two, but he needs them at work so he's of no help.

So I don't have anything honestly.

If you guys were to buy a machine right now, which would it be? I liked the PC, I just felt it wasn't quite up to the job sometimes. I'm seriously pondering buy all the items again and knocking down some cars for extra cash on the side. Hell I could probably make my money back just with my family lol.

know what I know now and the products that are out now, if I had to do it all over out of the gate again.

I would get the new PC 7424XP (long cord) and the Megs MF system. 

I would then like Tom mentioned, get a Flex for bigger tougher jobs.   

My. 02 on it, spend it wisely   (not my line) 

[04Pj]

I think I'm just gonna order another PC. Flexes are expensive and I don't ever seeing myself doing a job it can't handle. Unless I really start doing big expensive jobs, then I guess I'd have more than enough to get a flex.

What do you guys think about this kit?

http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Packages-M29/Porter-Cable-7424XP-Meguiars-DA-Microfiber-Correction-Starter-Kit-6-Free-Bonus-P523/

It's comes with the MF Kit from Meguiars. Worth the $210?

[sscully]

For a PC I would say 5" pads for the job you have to do.
- I have better luck with 5" pads getting the PC to do correction in some timely manor, but I might be a bit jaded by owning a Flex.

The Megs MF kit, I was not a fan of.
I did a review of it on the site here side by side with the Optimum MF pads and Hyper Compound & Hyper Polish against the Megs MF kit.  Optimum came out on top from the side by side I did, but I think in part to the Hyper compound & hyper polish vs what Megs includes with the kit.
- Some will use a 50-50 mix of the MF correction compound & M105.
- The "finishing" product with the kit is an AIO, not pure polish and Megs has a "finishing" MF pad, not a polish pad like Optimum has ( delta of a LC white to LC blue pad for the final step ).

If I was starting from scratch with the PC setup, I would buy the PC stand alone again, and get just a 5" backing plate & a 2-3/4" rotary backing plate ( think mine is a chemical guys, it has the white edge on the pad holder ) and the rotary to DA adapter ( stud to stud conversion ).
- The rotary backing plate & rotary to DA adapter give you some room to work around items in tight areas.

Get the MF Pads in 5.25" & 3.25" ( both cutting & polishing ) and LC white, Black and blue pads in
5.5" and 3".

Optimum Hyper Compound & Hyper Polish

This is what I would call a good all around starter kit for someone with your level of experience and would be able to do just about anything given enough time.

I have not taken my 2-78" off my PC since I did my sisters Honda last year on St Pats day, it works great for that, anything else in the 4" + range I use the flex ( both Flex plates and the LC plate kit for it ).