Paint question

f22

f22

f22

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Joined
4 Jan 2005
Posts
123
Hi there, I just bought my first car, a fiat punto, overall im very happy with it. Just wanted to ask about one thing - The paint seems to have faded in the sun and its quite dull, not much shine goin on even after a good wash and polish.
Is there any way to bring back some of the deepness in the colour and some shine? Any specialized products polish/wax etc.? Its red by the way if it makes a difference?

Cheers!.
 
T-Cut but you'll have your work cut out.

If you want to be lazt, take it to a bodyshop and pay them £50 or so to give it a good machine polish!
 
Farecla polishing products are way better than Tcut... More expensive too. But I agree, considering the amount of time it takes to get a good, fresh finish, handing it to the pros makes good sense.
 
I don't mind putting the work in myself, I can always give it a good going over at the weekend and again a few days after to bring it up to my liking, It won't damage the paint after a couple of uses will it? Should i just use regular polish after washing as usual after ive done it with the T-Cut?

Thanks a lot.

Its a 2000.
 
Red paint is notoriously susceptable to oxidation as it ages, and this is normally the cause of dullness on older, red cars. A machine polish will certainly restore the finish, but any decent product that employs strong chemical cleaning agents will also suffice, as oxidation and dead paint is fairly easily stripped away (although working by hand is always difficult no doubt). Products worth looking at are Jeffs Werkstatt Prime, Klasse All In One and Poorboy's Professional Polish, as these excel at deep cleaning paint and lifting oxidation without removing any sound paint. :)
 
Thanks for the replies so far guys, Would it be possible/advisable to get an polishing attachment/buffer for a drill? That would take some of the hard work out of starting it off and then move to a cloth ?
 
I don't think my car is as bad as the one in the picture, that pretty much pink on the roof and bonnet! Mine is just dull.
 
Problem with that idea is that the drill will give a purely rotary action, which will generate a lot of heat, meaning you could easily damage (burn) the paint. Anything with a random orbital action would be much safer. :)
 
f22 said:
Thanks for the replies so far guys, Would it be possible/advisable to get an polishing attachment/buffer for a drill? That would take some of the hard work out of starting it off and then move to a cloth ?
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I'd use a proper buffer rather than a drill. You can get them from £20 on ebay but I spent a bit more and got a Sealey MS900SP. You could go really high-end and get a Porter Cable if you want to have the "best" but they are quite expensive.
 
T-Cut actualy works pretty well, despite the negative reports from some. The worst aspect of it is that it can be very difficult to polish off, you have to constantly turn your polishing rag over or it smears.
 
Dogbreath said:
T-Cut actualy works pretty well, despite the negative reports from some. The worst aspect of it is that it can be very difficult to polish off, you have to constantly turn your polishing rag over or it smears.
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Oh aye, it's not a bad product. Just not the best out there.
 
f22 said:
Thanks, that sealey seems like a worthwhile purchase! Might as well do it right first time!
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You can get some "Trade Standard" no-name buffers for £32 + postage but I'd rather pay the little bit extra and have a decent brand - some cheap tools you can get away with, some you can't.

I paid £45 for mine which I think is worth it. It's pretty powerful so take care not to burn the paint through on leading edges.

Sod using polishing cloths :p
 
f22 said:
Thanks, that sealey seems like a worthwhile purchase! Might as well do it right first time!
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It's a very good one indeed, although it's highly unlikely you'll need the highest setting very often! :D

I have one of those, and one each of the 2 speed and single speed versions, they all get daily (ab)use, and have never given any trouble at all.

Another make to look out for is Stayer. I've had one of those for years, but it's in retirement now as it's a bit heavier than the Sealeys, and gets a bit tiring after half an hour or so.
 
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