Restoring faded paint

[RustBucket93]

OK, I got a 92 Accord that has badly faded paint. I'm going to try and fix it up as best as I can and sell it. I'm not looking to get it perfect, just better than it is now. Is there any hope for a badly faded paint job? The hood and roof are glazed over, kind of whitish dull appearance. What do I need to do to bring back the black paint? Can I use some rubbing compound? Or does the clearcoat need to be completly removed? Then would I have to have the clearcoat repainted? Can this be done by myself? I don't want to put much money into it. Plus I like to do things myself! Thanks!

Here's a pic showing the fading of the hood

http://www.toyotaoffroad.net/afertig/92/paint.jpg

[IBCNYA]

yeah saw your car for sell...few days ago you were gonna part it out ...any ways wanna go ahead and sell that bumper...will trade if you need a bumper

[RustBucket93]

No. I fixed the car. It was just the transmission cable. It runs fine now. It would be stupid for me to part a good running car out. It's a lot of work to part out a car.

[InvaderTrax]

Give this a try. In the future, Google it first

http://www.musclecarclub.com/library/show/paint.shtml

[RustBucket93]

I have that site bookmarked actually.

I'm kind of confused if I have a clear coat or not, and if it's single stage or multistage. I dont want to mess it up even more by using the wrong rubbing compound.

[tweeaks]

If it's oem paint then its gonna be two-stage, yeah it'll have a clear coat. If its catually peeling it's too late to fix. I can't really tell from the pic though.

[CB7.v2]

take it to a professional detailer to see what he says about improving the current condition. if he says it can be done, or at least made a lil better, then why not let him do it. he'll have all the products and he can do it quickly. after all, you are trying to sell the car so this hundred dollars or so will not be wasted.

[uncle_el]

take it to a professional detailer to see what he says about improving the current condition. if he says it can be done, or at least made a lil better, then why not let him do it. he'll have all the products and he can do it quickly. after all, you are trying to sell the car so this hundred dollars or so will not be wasted.

best advice so far.

if you don't know how to use an orbital buffer, take it to a professional and have him/her work on it. many cars that look like they're far gone and need a repaint actually don't. what they need is a professional detail.

what it needs:
wash
clay
wash
polish
wax
sealant

some people, such as myself, do a swirl remover prior to the polish stage. it takes a long time, and isn't cheap... but it's cheaper than a repaint, and would likely increase the price you'd be able to get for the car.

as mentioned before, take it to a pro, spend $100-160, and you could literally be looking at gaining another $400-500 on the asking price. you should go from having a car that looks pretty bad, to a car that looks like it's been well maintained for quite some time.

[JDMedOUTCB7]

dude ! we have the same case ! i have a badly faded paint, especially the hood and the roof, plus the rubber trimmings are peeling off...i fixed that peeling problem but the paint is a mojor one to mess around wit..im planning to get my hood sprayed black at the shop where my friend works at...its gonna be at least 300 dollars..so what do you guys think?? is it cheap for 300 dollars?? any opinions/suggestions are welcome, thanks !! (UNITED CB7 LOVERS)

[uncle_el]

dude ! we have the same case ! i have a badly faded paint, especially the hood and the roof, plus the rubber trimmings are peeling off...i fixed that peeling problem but the paint is a mojor one to mess around wit..im planning to get my hood sprayed black at the shop where my friend works at...its gonna be at least 300 dollars..so what do you guys think?? is it cheap for 300 dollars?? any opinions/suggestions are welcome, thanks !! (UNITED CB7 LOVERS)

get your car professionally detailed.

100-160 is cheaper, as well as you'll only be without your car for 4-6 hours compared to a few days at a body and paint shop. not to mention you won't have to deal with potential overspray, poor prepping leading to a poor quality paint job, etc. etc.

[uncle_el]

a few threads that may help you see a good detail job can be the answer:
http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=8935
http://www.dtmpower.net/forum/showthread.php?t=155510
http://www.dtmpower.net/forum/showthread.php?t=157426
http://www.dtmpower.net/forum/showthread.php?t=155894
http://www.dtmpower.net/forum/showthread.php?t=155645


general cleaning info:
http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=3943
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=790409&page=1
http://www.dtmpower.net/forum/showthread.php?t=147008




for those that actually use an orbital buffer/random polisher, or strongly thinking about using one (thanks accordztech):
http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/detailing/forum.php?postid=1430487&page=1

[Blk EX Coupe]

my car use to look like that, not as bad though, yeah listen to everyone else and get it detailed. I had my car wetsanded and polished to clean it up. Got lazy under the spoiler apparently so you can see the oxidation on my trunk if i take off the spoiler. :thumbsdwn but it is a good example of before and after.

[JDMedOUTCB7]

where can i get this job done Uncle el?

[uncle_el]

where can i get this job done Uncle el?


get your car professionally detailed.


check out your local car wash
open your local phone book and look for auto detailers
ask around your area
use google maps and do a local search for auto detailers
ask your local car dealerships who they use
etc. etc.