Red paint restored?

biko

My old trusty has been getting quite faded and I've tried various things but nothing lasts very long. Now I've decided to put some money towards getting it professionally done and then hopefully I'll just have to keep after it.

Would yous have recommendations for Galway? Someone that can machine buff it back to its old glory? Is there a SMART repair service that could do it?

Drummerboy08

I'd buy the buffer, some compound, and good polish and do it yourself. It'l probably not cost much more than paying a decent bodyshop to do it, and you have the satisfaction of doing it yourself!

It's not too hard to do once you have the right gear.

colm_mcm

Audi owners club wrote:

1 - Start with a gentle wash. For best results, use a cotton or a
sheepskin mitt, not a sponge; they wick dirt and crud away from the
paint rather than scratching it around the finish. A mild dishwashing
liquid can be a good choice, but don't use a powdered compound, as it
can scratch. Lately I've been using Blue Coral fabric cleaner, sprayed
directly onto the wet body panels and then sponged, er, mitted off. Oh,
and don't do this in direct sunlight -- the beads of water act like
lenses and can actually burn your paint's finish away.

2 - Move to a paint finish restorer; I'm very fond of Zymol now, which
has the added bonus of smelling like Hawaiian Tropic tanning lotion.
:-) Other products I've always had good results with are the Meguiar's
line, especially their Deep Crystal varieties. They're non-abrasive,
and (like the Zymol) restore many of the oils that are removed by sun
and dirt. In either case, what this does is restore shine to the paint,
removing oxidation and returning the pain'ts original oils to the
finish. You can *feel* the difference when you've put this on a panel.

3 - Seal the new finish with a hard wax -- I haven't found my favorite,
Harly Wax, in years. By hard wax, I don't mean it has to be in paste
form; both Meguiar's and Mother's (at least for US brands) make a liquid
carnauba blend that's just about as good. But the extra depth of the
Harly wax was always just a little bit slipperier to the touch and
shinier to the eye. (I used to take a damp towel -- typically the
morning's shower towel -- out to the car and dust it off, every few
days, when the Harly wax was fairly fresh.)

Might be some help.

Neilw

Magnus wrote: »

My old trusty has been getting quite faded and I've tried various things but nothing lasts very long. Now I've decided to put some money towards getting it professionally done and then hopefully I'll just have to keep after it.

Would yous have recommendations for Galway? Someone that can machine buff it back to its old glory? Is there a SMART repair service that could do it?

Your best bet is to get a proper detailer to do the job for you rather then a body shop. Most body shops don't know how to use a rotary buffer properly and end up leaving buffer trails and holograms on the paintwork.

Post here for some advice.
http://www.carcare.ie/forum/index.php

Neil.

biko

I have been doing it myself but can't get it to last so that's why I'll let a pro do it right and then just have to "top up" hopefully.

It seems there is not a single post about Galway on carcare.ie, it's only east.

Drummerboy08

Magnus wrote: »

I have been doing it myself but can't get it to last so that's why I'll let a pro do it right and then just have to "top up" hopefully.

It seems there is not a single post about Galway on carcare.ie, it's only east.

If your doing it yourself but it isnt lasting, i'd be looking at why? With a good polish, and a wash regularly the paint should stay bright.

Neilw

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

If your doing it yourself but it isnt lasting, i'd be looking at why? With a good polish, and a wash regularly the paint should stay bright.

A sealant with uv protection would help, also using a mild car shampoo rather then auto washes will help the sealant last longer.