Best Car Wax for Fading Paint

[Jetjock]

I have a 92 black ZR-1 that has faded paint in places. I tried some Adams car wax but it made it worse. Anybody have a car wax that they like for such a problem with paint?


Roy

[secondchance]

Fading as in pigment is present but clear coat is looking dull? If the clear coat is still there but just dull, perhaps a good cut with polishing compound followed by a coat of good polish and sealing with wax by an experienced professional shop may help.
If the clear coat is peeling or almost gone, I don?t think much can be done.
If I were you, I would pay a visit to a reputable detail shop or a body shop and get a professional opinion.
At some point, there is no miracle cure.

[Jetjock]

The clear coat is ok. I clay barred the car and after that, i used Adams wax to apply on it and it made it turn kinda hazy. Game plan is now to wash the car, clean all of the junk off of it and use a different wax on the car and then buff it.


Roy

[-=Jeff=-]

What specific Adam?s product did you use?

Here are some pictures of my F-I-L?s 1984 I worked on. I did not get all the fading out, but got a good bit. I think if I used a high speed buffer it would have helped..

I used some cutting compound I had, then some Adam?s Compound and Adam?s polish. I did not get a chance to wax it though

It is more than just wax to get it looking good..

I used a orbital buffer with a combination of different pads to get the result you see in the comparison photos

[zr1assassin]

Originally Posted by Jetjock

The clear coat is ok. I clay barred the car and after that, i used Adams wax to apply on it and it made it turn kinda hazy. Game plan is now to wash the car, clean all of the junk off of it and use a different wax on the car and then buff it.


Roy

You need to polish the paint with a good da polisher. First off, clay bar is an abrasive that should only be used in extreme condition to remove specific contamination. 2nd give up on wax, it is a thing of the past and does no good to polish paint at all. I haven't put wax on a car in 15yrs.
Find a good detailer and have a full paint correction with ceramic coating done. It's not cheap but it will make it look 1000x better

[dredgeguy]

If you do not have a buffer then you are facing a real uphill battle to get the results you are looking for. A buffer with the right pad and polish will give you outstanding results as long as you have clear coat and paint left on the car. The suggestion of finding a good detailer and have a paint correction and coating is the way to go but will cost around $1500. At a minimum get the paint correction done and that will be around 500-800 and then you can wax yourself. Many find waxing their cars therapeutic! I have mine ceramic coated and like the 10 minutes it takes me to be ready for a car show. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[WARP TEN]

As a certified Old Guy, I am beyond wanting to polish an entire car. In 2015 I had a professional detailing company do a complete paint correction on my 1995 Polo Green with 32,000 miles on it. Despite the mileage the paint had become somewhat scratched and dull. Two guys spent 6 hours in my heated garage in March working on it n my lift and the results were spectacular. I had to touch up stone chips with Dr. Colorchip prior to the work, and while that doesn't fill the chips it made them hardly noticeable. The detailer commented on the paint of the C4 Corvettes saying it was quite hard compared to newer paints and therefore would buff out well. A the time the total cost was $450, which now probably seems like a bargain. But even at twice the price I would do it again if I still owned the car. --Bob

[mcich7781]

As an hobby car detailer I use the following process when doing an older car when I am not sure of the paint condition regarding the clear coat.

If you are patient and want to carefully and slowly bring back some luster to your paint, try Maguires Cleaner Wax with an orbital polisher (not a buffer) ie. Like Porter Cable with an initial Green finishing pad then a final Black polishing pad.

The Cleaner Wax is a very gentle product and unless you are completely reckless you won't burn through the clear coat.

It will be a slow multistep (but rewarding) process to bring the luster back.

Don't be afraid of using a lot of the product on the pad initially, which might seem messy, and go slow with the orbital speed for the first couple of polishing sessions.

You can apply some pressure at this juncture, as the extra compound will help lubricate the pad and protect the finish. I did my Mom's old Black Lincoln in this manner as I was concerned with the thickness of the clear coat.

It was a boat and I had at least 24 man hours invested. Outcome was extraordinary.

Later when using the Black polishing pad the apply like 5 large drops of Cleaner Wax on the pad and do a finish polish. You can go faster with the orbital speed, but don't press on the polisher. The weight of the polisher will do the work. Don't let the pad dry out.

I would practice these steps below the shadow line of the doors and rear bumper to get a feel for the process. Cleaner Wax is inexpensive and has always been my go to product for the final polish sequence on older paint.

If you just happen to be anywhere near Joliet Illinois, I have a heated garage and all the stuff. We could knock this out in an afternoon.

Good Luck.70814.jpg

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[Jetjock]

Good advice. The car had been in storage for several years due to mtx issues. Got the mtx stuff done now and and now working on cosmetic issues. It had a very rough surface due to the storage in a barn/garage.



Here's the deal. I have two ZR-1's: a 92 black and a 93 40th Anniversary ZR-1. I'm selling the 92 as I have had it for 11 years. I'm keeping the other one and getting it ceramic coated at a shop up at BWG. I'm not spending $1500on a car that I'm not going to keep.


Roy

[CamP]

I paid a professional $500 to spend 7 hours on paint correction of my black '90. He made my 32 year old paint look like a brand new car. There is no way I could have matched his 30 years of experience.