https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPjlkEmbn44
Car detailing has come a long way in the last couple decades. We used to polish by hand, slap some turtle wax on, and call it a day. Now, procedures like paint correction and products like nano-ceramic coatings are all the norm, and the results are amazing. But, what if you're not made of money or just don't have a car worth the time?
In this video posted by Eric the Car Guy, we get a lesson in old-school car polishing. Eric isn't a professional detailer nor is this a $300,000 Lambo. Instead, he gives us a beginner's lesson in slightly restoring the faded paint on an older, less expensive car without spending hundreds, and sometimes thousands, on expensive machines and products.
Eric uses a Meguair's product that's called "Ultimate Compound." It's made to remove paint oxidation, which is the process when the paint begins to deteriorate and is caused by UV rays from the sun and general neglect, like not waxing or not covering your car. Eric uses a cheap six-inch buffing machine, and a heavy pad meant for seriously neglected paint, which his 1994 Acura Legend definitely has.
After some light wet sanding and work with the buffer, the Acura's paint looks much better. It's by no means perfect, but the car looks very presentable, especially considering its age. He mentions in the description box that Acura painted this car pink. To get the red color we see, they mix the final pigment into the clear coat. This information is very important when wet sanding and buffing, becuase if you take off too much clear coat, you would end up with a pink car.
Eric admits that some parts of the car need to be repainted, but for a daily driver, it ain't too bad.
This post was originally published on January 6, 2018.
