paint refresh

[Dabrowns]

Hello all. Still trying to find the right paint body person for my car. Had a meeting with someone today who says that there may be some ways to "refresh" the paint without a full stripping and repaint. In other words, does anyone have any experience with products that treat "tired" paint and give it new shine? i have done a quick search and found some things but wanted to see if anyone had any ideas. The only reason that I am considering this over a full repaint is that new paint would require as all of you know, all new seals and treatment of the chrome, some of which has pitting. This would greatly increase the price of the job, which is not a problem if the market prices continue to rise but.....who knows if this will happen. Shining up a good "driver" car that already has a new interior may be a better move for me. Anybody have any experience with any of these products?

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

One thing I would do if I was in your shoes, I would ask the local Mercedes Dealership either in my area or the next larger town this question "For your cars who do you recommend for body work?" I would ask the same question at BMW. Then I would go to see them and discuss my plans with them, that is what I would do. I say this since I've driven late model cars from the aforementioned manufactures and found that they certify the body shops and there work normally is first class. Now that is what I would do.

Hopefully others here can recommend other steps based upon there experience. Good luck with your project!

[franjo_66]

I think the best approach here would be to first get measurements done on the paint thickness available, get an assessmnet of the level and type of defects (eg oxidation, swirls, light scratches, heavy scratches, etc) and then you can go from there.

A good body shop/detailer would be able to do this and then if there is sufficient scope to undertake paint correction and defect fixes, they will undertake the needed level of aggression (ie wet sanding, heavy compounds, cutting compounds, etc followed by polishing, sealant & wax applications).

There are many good brands out there that all the professionals use (Menzerna, Zaino, SwissVax, Poor Boys, Meguiars, etc) and together with the right equipment  - rotary polishers, dual action orbitals and with the related pads, etc they can make dullpaintwork come alive again.

But it all depends on how much paint thickness (and type of paint) you have to start with

Rgds
Franjo

[oregonian]

A simple, relatively inexpensive and risk-free strategy before dragging in the profe$$ional$ would be to give the car a thorough detailing and see if the result satisfies you. Remove the oxidation and impurities with clay, at least think about a light polish, and then put on several coats of high quality wax. Griot's sells a good kit with all you need to do this job, and no doubt there are other vendors, too. Check out the videos at http://www.griotsgarage.com/category/videos.do?nType=1 to see what you would be getting into.

[Dabrowns]

Thanks guys for the responses. i experimented with Meguiar's Ultimate compound this weekend with fantastic results done by hand. Most oxidation came right off in a couple of spots that i tried. Will have her detailed as the guy at the paint shop thinks the current paint is definitiely salvageable.