Auto Buffs - Question on Auto Finishes

Fort Henry Custom Knives

Fort Henry Custom Knives

Joined
Nov 17, 1999
Messages
3,061
Hey Gang, My Wife has a 1995 Volvo that we bought new and it has been (and is) a great car. We live on a Farm and the driveway (7/10 's of a Mile long) has lots of smaller branches and brambles along the way. The cars exterior has developed lots of surface scratches and mars to the finish.

I've tried wax but that does not help much. I've never tried that colored Wax that you see on T.V. or at Walmart, which is supposed to magically blend and fill all the scratches, I figured that might be a waste of money and I would really rather have a more professional job. I have thought of getting a new paint job but don't know if that is the only route to go?

Is there a way to have an Auto Body shop to re-buff the existing paint, or possibly put on a new top-coat (clear) finish and then buff that out? We plan on keeping the car until it croaks so we want to get the job done right, I am just asking for opinions on what might be best?

Thanks in advance.
 
I've heard of some car washes in the past 10 years or sooner offering a special protectant coat.
I can't remember the name though.....
Polyphane.... might be the name....
 
Okay, here you go:
Polyphane Provides Durability

Royal Sheen says its product Polyphane is an automotive exterior coating so durable that it can guarantee protection of a customer's vehicle. Polyphane is a polymer-based formula that uses no mineral seal or vegetable oils. The result is a product that produces a showroom shine, dries faster and gives more durable protection to vehicles, the company says. Operators will be able to save labor on drying, and it will be easier to clean that same car on its next visit.

For more information contact:
Royal Sheen
5340 Mayfair Road NW
North Canton, OH 44720
(800) 837-4336 (I know this is just marketing material, but you might want to look into a little more-WM)
 
You can get three part finish restorers at auto stores, or maybe even Wal Mart.
Meguiars makes one. It consists of a clear coat/paint cleaner, and scratch remover, the next step is a polish, and the third step is a carnauba wax.

It's best to use an occilating(sp?) buffer/polisher. You can get one of those at Wal Mart too. Get several extra buffing cover for it, as they get dirty fast.

Edited to add; This won't make deep scratches disappear, but it will make them blend in more. It will get rid of surface scratches, and it will protect your paint better.
 
Movings to Gadgets & Gear.
 
IIRC volvo has about 5 coats of paint and supposed to be really good. you can have a shop buff and wetsend the existing paint and just clear coat it and your good to go
 
What you need to do is get some quality detailing products that will help remove those scratches. Using a buffer is a good way to go, but cheaper ones usually don't work very well. Most would recommend a Porter-Cable model that runs about $100 or so.

The best thing to do is visit autopia.org and pose your question or do a search there. That site is full of detailing enthusiasts that will have many good ideas for you. I am only a beginner and wouldn't want to recommend anything to you myself. If nothing else, you could ask for a recommendation for a good detailer in your area and they would do the work for you. As a general rule though, don't let a dealer touch your car because the people that clean/detail cars ther-- amazingly enough--usually do more harm than good.

Let us know what you find out.

Bucky
 
Bucky said:
....The best thing to do is visit autopia.org and pose your question or do a search there. That site is full of detailing enthusiasts......
Click to expand...

Good grief! :rolleyes:

And I thought I was anal-retentive when it comes to cleaning and detailing my cars!

I'm assuming these folks are all professional car detailers - but, WOW! :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
The simplest solution may be just to use a clay bar treatment, to see if that removes the oxidation and surface scratches. If that doesn't work well enough, a professional body shop can wet sand the clear coat (if it is thick enough) and it will look like new.
 
Vince,

Do a search under " Porter Cable 7336 BMW " and you'll get linked to a Roadfly a Forum. There is a good tutorial on detailing a car.

Win
 
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