Polish chalking/faded paint?
- Thread starter Morphyne
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HawkNation
New member
If you have access to a rotary buffer and a light touch, do a rough cut/fine cut rotary polish. I just did it to my '00 4Runner I just bought. The paint had quite a bit of oxidation and scratches. I started with clay bar, since I suspected the vehicle sat outside much of it's life (pulls the sap, enviromental fallout, etc. off of the paint, ALWAYS use a lubricant when clay bar-ing), then did a rough cut with some 3M polish and foam pad, then a fine cut with a softer pad, then macguier's gold class paste wax. It turned out very well, really brought back a good hard shine. It takes some time and effort, but if you have the patience to do it, it makes a huge difference. Just remember to finish it of with wax to protect all the hard work you just put into your paint!
HawkNation
New member
Things that will make it easier:
Work a small section at a time, if the polish dries on the paint it can be a pain to remove.
Make sure the car is clean and DRY before you start, moist/wet polish likes to linger and smear on the paint (it comes off, but again, it's a pain)
NEVER leave a rotary polisher in one spot, always keep it moving. Rotaries generate more heat than a dual action or random orbital buffer, you can and will burn your paint if you leave it in one spot too long.
Lastly, here's a picture of my runner right after I finished the polish and wax:
Work a small section at a time, if the polish dries on the paint it can be a pain to remove.
Make sure the car is clean and DRY before you start, moist/wet polish likes to linger and smear on the paint (it comes off, but again, it's a pain)
NEVER leave a rotary polisher in one spot, always keep it moving. Rotaries generate more heat than a dual action or random orbital buffer, you can and will burn your paint if you leave it in one spot too long.
Lastly, here's a picture of my runner right after I finished the polish and wax:
HawkNation
New member
Just FYI, random orbitals will definitely do more than hand polishing, but it won't do what a rotary buffer or DA polisher is capable of. If you aren't satisfied with the orbital, a rotary is more effective. I don't know how bad your oxidation is... But either way I'd recommend doing a clay bar, especially if the vehicle sits outside. One way you can check to see if it's necessary: take a ziplock bag and put your hand inside it, then run your fingertips across the paint. If it feels gritty through the bag then you should clay bar it. You can tell how well you're doing with clay bar by repeating the ziplock test after you clay a section of the paint, it should feel smooth through the bag.
