need help on polishing ..

hi there,

i have a punto sporting 2004 1.4 in red
there are a few patches which are faded,
can u recommend anything to get rid of the little faded areas and also to give it a good shine and to protect it?

i've been looking at meguiars clay?

cheers.

Right first things first clay isnt a Polish in anyway shape or form...

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...thread.php?t=4

clay is used to remove bonded contaminents

look at this guide

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...ead.php?t=4829

I'd save yourself some money and order the Bilt Hamber Auto clay

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/produc...products_id=91

with this you dont need a special lubricant you just use clean tap water

(ONLY USE IT ON A WASHED CLEAN CAR!)

once that is done you can start polishing now this is going to be fairly hard work by hand...

You are going to need a polishing compound of some form.. And something to rub it in with.. such as a German applicator
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/access.../prod_280.html



its always advised to start with something less aggressive and move up to something with more "cut" if its not working (you can always take more paint off but not put it back!)

I'd first try something such as T-Cut Metallic as its nowhere near as aggressive as its older original brother

http://www.fiatforum.com/car-care/15...eally-bad.html

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...t=76209&page=1

there are plenty of polishes on the market but if its faded it will need a fair bit of rubbing

(im not sure if your Punto had a clear coat on the red hence not recommended the Original t-cut..

Now once you have Polished the car it needs some more work as the fresh paint will be exposed to the weather and fade again quickly...

it need ideally another light polish with something like AutoGlym Super resin polish

then topping off with a Wax or sealant (yet again there is such a wide choice ) I'd opt for the Bilt Hamber Auto Balm, or 2 coats Autoglym Extra Gloss protection Or Collinite Wax... all of the above 3 are long lasting......

You will require a polish to bring up the faded paintwork, I would recommend 3M Fast Cut if your'e polishing by hand or 3M Fine Compound if your'e using a machine. Once finished use a paste wax to protect.

Ideally you will want a wax or sealant which has UV filtering propertys..

such as AG extra gloss protection (most easily available)

Can't say I've ever used Extra Gloss Protection, what's it like?

Right, well my recommendation would be

clay
polish
wax/sealant

Start with the meguiars clay, followed up with to buy some t-cut metallic, Tesco sell it for about £5. Finally apply some protection, something like Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection should do a good job.

If your planning on using it commercially look for AG" hard wax" it would probably work out more cost effective same stuff bigger trade bottle

its a Synthetic sealant you apply it to a prepped car using a foam pad as thinly as possible, then leave to dry for 30mins to 1 hour (the longer the better) then buff off if it hazes leave it longer to dry it can be a PITA in the cool or damp to buff it doesn't give a deep shine like collinite 915 but gives good protection by all accounts

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product...l.asp?v06VQ=FH

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product...l.asp?v06VQ=KD

if you want to sort it out quickly, easily and cheaply get some red t-cut. 30mins later it'll be red again, but you'll need to do it every 3 months.