Restoring paintwork

[sawood12]

All,

Just before Christmas I gave my 944 a wash and polished it for the first time. Since buying it 5 months ago I had only inspected the paintwork for signs of rust, touch up or signs of bumps since I was in the buying process. Whilst polishing it, it was the first time I had closely inspected the paintwork for it's quality and colour. I noticed that on the roof and bonnet the paint had slightly faded and looked slightly milky/cloudy, I assume from exposure to sunlight. The polish didn't restore the colour so I was wondering if something like T-Cut would or is it the pigment in the paint that has faded and cannot be restored??

It's hardly noticable unless you are looking closely for it but now I know it's there i've got to put it right!

Cheers.
Cheers.

 

[Fen]

Sounds like it's becoming the infamous Guards Pink.

I've never had a red Porker so I'll let someone who has confirm, but I imagine a careful cut back would go a long way toward sorting it out.

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: sawood12

polished it for the first time. Since buying it 5 months ago

The first time since buying it [][][] You are obviously a driver and not a preener [].

The thing is if all the previous owners were the same then your 17 year old paint would be pink by now [&o]. Even Porsche paint does need some protection if it's to last. A polish will clean up your paint, but then you need to apply a protective wax over the top so that it is not exposed to the elements (which cause the fading). A good wax will last several months, so you only need to re-apply 2 or 3 times a year and it will make the car easier to wash in between

 

[John Sims]

Red is one of the worst colours for showing up surface oxidisation. All colours do it, to some extent or another, its just that the white residue looks worse on red. No body, apart from Lady Penelope, wants a pink car.

You will have to get hold of a large tub of elbow grease and spend a bit of time on the car to get rid of the pink colour.

Why not have a look at some of the Incero products now available through the club. The clay bar and prewax would be a good starting point. Incero wax is very, very hard but also an absolute sod to apply so you might be better off with a cream Carnuba wax - I'm currently using Turtle Wax Gold series.

Once the car has been thoroughly cleaned and pre-waxed then only use WAX not POLISH. Wax is, as it says, a wax - it goes on the surface. Polishes also include an abrasive cleaning agent, they make the car look cleaner after application but offer less protection. Consistant use of polish will eventually cut through the paintwork becoming more apparent on high points such as the edges of the roof gutter.

When cleaning, polishing and waxing always follow the contours of the car in a linear motion, this avoids rings and swirl marks.

Hope this helps.

 

[sawood12]

Thanks alot for advice I'm glad it sounds like it's a relatively minor thing.

Yes, I do prefer to drive the car. Many a time I've stepped out of the house with the intention of washing it but have given into temptation and taken it for a nice drive instead. It seems such a shame to waste a dry afternoon washing the car when I could be driving it. I used Autoglym to polish it the last time I washed it but didn't apply a protective wax. I will do so next time it see's some soapy water.

Cheers.

 

[colinbythesea]

I used to have a red 924 and spent hours and much money trying to cure the fading paint problem. Even expensive products seemed to provide a short term solution and a week later it turned pink. Then my latest car, an 83 944, showed the signs of milky white in its coppenhagen blue colour. This is so dark it gets mistaken for black so a milky white bonnet and roof looked bad. After many attempts with polishes, zmol and tcut i couldnt keep it at bay.

So whilst in B and Q I saw an electric car polisher on offer. I bought it, took it home and got out the T cut. With the view that the only thing left was a respray I set about t cutting with the pollisher. It came up like new after a few goes. I didn't polish it but left it for a month with no return of milkyness. Then I Zymol polished and it has stayed clear for about 6 months.