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Dull finish

NedHan79

Well-known member
Joined
8 Nov 2018
Messages
1,096
Hi. I've just taken delivery on Friday of my '98 996 c2. Over all cars nice and straight. Not sure on exact colour but I think it's midnight blue. It has seen plenty of wax by the previous owner( trader using it himself) but the finish is very dull especially on the spoiler. It takes a lot of light to see the metallic flake. It can only be seen in good sunlight, something we haven't had here since I got the car. When shining an led over the paint the flake can be seen but so can the swirls, though they seem to be very light. The finish on the spoiler is terrible. Looks like it's been very badly painted but when you shine the led on it, you can clearly see the flake underneath. I'm guessing I can buff that back to get the colour up and then seal it again.
The rest of the paint is tidy, just dull finish. I really think the paint can be massively improved

Any tips on foam heads and polished etc would be gratefully accepted though I have to say I'm on a bit of a budget and I'm waiting on surgery on my back so any paint correction might not happen any time soon.

Thanks Ned
 

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Hard to see but the finish is terrible
 

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I can't get the photo to upload of the same spot on the spoiler with the led shining on it but the colour and flake can clearly be seen. Any help or tips welcome
 
Hi Ned,

Not sure what your experience level is with paint correction or if you have any equipment, but I have assumed none.

Whilst minor correction of your clear coat is perfectly possible as a DIY job, it should be noted that it is no quick undertaking to achieve good results. My biggest concern would be that you could get good results on the original paint (if the clear coat has not been corrected before) however, the paint defects on your spoiler may become even more obvious. Therefore, you might want to consider having a professional detailer assess the paintwork first, which should include measuring the paint thickness on each surface. That should give you a level of confidence on what can be achieved and the likely cost for a pro finish.

As a DIY job you will need at least one tool, plus several pads of at least two sizes, compound and polish, wax and some high quality microfiber towels. At the budget end on tools and good quality products, this lot will set you back at least £200-£250.

I am a big fan of this youtube channel, take a look at this video which has great info about how to choose a polisher. There are many more including how to undertake paint correction, choosing pads, compounds, etc, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxtYZ9Pe2NA&t=710s

Hope that helps get you started!
 
Hi Tony. It's been a long time since I used a polisher but I bought 1 new a few years ago and I decided to have a go at it today.
I started with farclea g3, cleaned it off, buffed it up and then repeated it with meguirs ultimate compound. Not sure which polishes are best so I had to best guess it and use what I had and could get my hands on this morning. I've the roof, bonnet, drivers side and rear done with the first 2 stages. I'll get the passenger side and front bumper done tomorrow with a bit of luck. I've odered meguirs ultimate polish and new pads for the final machine polish for the 3rd stage. After that I've got some bilt hamber double speed wax for a couple of final round.
Some of the paint has come up nicely after the first 2 stages. Some not as nice as I'd like. The spoiler has come a long way but time will tell on the finish.

My sunroof has a terrible finish and I think it'll need painted. But I'll worry about that later
 
TonyC911 said:
Hi Ned,

Not sure what your experience level is with paint correction or if you have any equipment, but I have assumed none.

Whilst minor correction of your clear coat is perfectly possible as a DIY job, it should be noted that it is no quick undertaking to achieve good results. My biggest concern would be that you could get good results on the original paint (if the clear coat has not been corrected before) however, the paint defects on your spoiler may become even more obvious. Therefore, you might want to consider having a professional detailer assess the paintwork first, which should include measuring the paint thickness on each surface. That should give you a level of confidence on what can be achieved and the likely cost for a pro finish.

As a DIY job you will need at least one tool, plus several pads of at least two sizes, compound and polish, wax and some high quality microfiber towels. At the budget end on tools and good quality products, this lot will set you back at least £200-£250.

I am a big fan of this youtube channel, take a look at this video which has great info about how to choose a polisher. There are many more including how to undertake paint correction, choosing pads, compounds, etc, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxtYZ9Pe2NA&t=710s

Hope that helps get you started!

This is what's good about this site, there is always someone willing to help out others :thumb:
 
Hi Kryton.
I'm not a major fan of forums from past experiences but I'm finding some of the tips on here very useful. Things are seem to be very good on here.
I'm new to 996's so reading up on some of the project threads has been very useful. I e had a very good welcome from a lot of members and can't ask for more than that. I'm willing to share my experiences so it might help someone else.
It's like Tesco, every little helps👍
 
Just a quick update. I've the first 2 stages completed. First stage was the farclea on a fairly stiff pad and the second was meguirs ultimate compound in a softer pad. So far I see a vast improvement over most of the car. Hopefully I can get some pictures up. The scratches were very obvious over some of the curves like the wings and hips. Still can be seen but the difference is night and day. Like I said before, it's not a professional job but then again I'm not paying £2/300 for it
 

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across the front
 

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Thanks James. It's not finished yet and definitely needs more work but it's a long way from where it was.
The dealer I bought the car off said he thought the car had a ceramic coat. It possibly did as I found it hard to buff I can see why anyone would put a coating on paint that was so badly finished.
 
NedHan79 said:
Thanks James. It's not finished yet and definitely needs more work but it's a long way from where it was.
The dealer I bought the car off said he thought the car had a ceramic coat. It possibly did as I found it hard to buff I can see why anyone would put a coating on paint that was so badly finished.

Ceramic coat applied poorly can give a dull finish. Usually bought from a cheap source and applied by an amateur. My local detailer has had to flat and buff 2 cars recently that have had ceramic coating applied badly, then recoat properly. It`s a painstaking job to get right and only top quality products should be used.
Keep at it with the buffer then apply a good quality wax. Have it ceramic coated at a later date when funds allow.
 
Gtechniq C2v3 sealant is very easy to apply by hand and very durable. It doesn't give the 'warmth' of a premium wax, but beads really nicely and is under £15 for a 250ml bottle (will do 4 or 5 cars). It bonds better directly to the clear coat than to a waxed car.

I imagine with a bad back Ned won't want to spend hours waxing every few weeks.

https://www.shopnshine.co.uk/gtechniq-c2v3-liquid-crystal
 
I think it possibly has had a bad coat chaser. The top of the spoiler looked like it had an inch of badly painted clear coat. It looks a lot better now after 2 stages of compound but it's still inside and might look different outside but the flake in the paint can be seen a lot clearer now. The car actually shows up to be a nice dark shade of green under the garage lights. Shine an led over the whole car clearly is blue.
If the car has been ceramic coated, it obviously wasn't prepared at all. The fine scratches over the car are some of the worst I've seen. I'm well on top of it but I'll never get it perfect.

James I think I'll just stick with the wax. I have bilt hamber double speed wax and it's as easy to use as it's going to get. The bad backs obviously not great but the car won't be out much until I'm in better shape. I wouldn't be going for a ceramic coat until the paint was perfect.
 
On a plus note, I stuck a coat of the wax on my wheels
 

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