ProV1

I have to help out a friend who bought a 1996 Nissan Sentra beater. It has the white paint, unfortunately it was parked outside the whole 10 years and neglected. Paint has faded big time, and the entire roof has hundreds of permanent tree sap.

I realize nothing will bring this car back to original new condition, but what are the best methods to at least make the paint shine a bit? I don't think my regular wax/polish will work here.. any help appreciated

wanabe

actually you might be able to bring this baby back to new...

you will need some clay, some good polishes and a porter cable for the job.
got pics?

if no major amount of scratches, you might be able to do this with a fine cut compound followed by a swirl remover.
and actually, you would probably wash the car and clay it first.

let us know whether you have used a porter cable before and if we can see some pics of maybe the worst areas we can give more details...

halestorm0

Is the clearcoat stripped and the paint oxidized?

If it is just faded you may be able to restore a little luster with some heavy cut pads and aggressive polishing with a PC or the like. Menzerma Power Gloss or Intensive Polish would be a start.

The sap on the white roof will be a nightmare, especially if it's old. You're going to need some kind of solvent, claybar, patience, and a lot of luck .

Your friend may be better off with a cheapo repaint if it's as bad as I'm thinking.

mr. clockwork

As everyone has said before, it depends on if you have any clear left on the paint. If there is any clear left, then you are in good shape.

Like everyone else suggested, start off with a good wash, and clay the entire car. Get as many of the surface contaminants off as you can. Maybe get yourself a good can of 3M bug, tar, tree sap, and adhesive remover to go along with it. Some of the small things the clay can't easily get off can probably be removed with the 3M.

After you get all the stuff off of the surface, you will have to hit it with a stiff polish and a polisher. There are a lot of good ones out there and I am sure that everyone will suggest a great deal deal of them, so go with what fits your budget and your circumstances. I think that you should be able to make it come out really well.

Jon

Dcon67

This car...my daily driver was also much as you describe. I bought it last fall for a winter car. It's a '96 with 130K, was left outside most of its life right under a big old pine tree. I spent hours scubbing the hardened sap off using every solvent I could find....underneath many of them I found the clearcoat to be gone or failing. But that didn't mean i couldn't get the car to shine up nicely!! I think it looks pretty darn good from about 5-10 feet away...no swirls anymore and has a nice wet looking finish. You just don't want to look at it real close. (This and my wifes car were my practice cars to learn on after getting my PC and polishes, before tackling the S.)

Process:

Wash with Megs Gold Class
Clayed with Sonus med clay
Zep Erase - worked best on tough sap
PB SSR 2.5 twice with yellow SFX pad
PB SSR 1 once with white SFX pad
Klasse AIO by hand
Klasse SG x 2 by hand
Stoners IG followed by RainX on glass
Megs on tires
CD2 in wheel wells and engine bay

After:

ProV1

Hey thanks guys - I'll try to post pics soon.

But is an orbital buffer required for this job? I do not have it, or too many detailing supplies b/c I wash my cars often and usually don't feel the need to wax/polish them.

I won't be getting the car for another week, so at that time I'll post pics and ask more questions, including exactly what products to buy.

Also, this car has 2 really bad rust spots on the fenders above the rear tires. I want to do the rust repair DIY..

halestorm0

It will be exponentially more labor intensive without a machine. Realistically, you'll get a fraction the results with much more time and effort invested.

Throw the pics up when you get them and you'll get some really good suggestions from the folks around here......and please tell me you have a good coat of wax on your S right now, so I can sleep peacefully...

MikeyC

Check out this white Volvo I did recently. You can probably get a good idea of what it will take from reading that thread.

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....203#post740203