CLsuperhero

I have a black CL the previous owner showed this car no love. It sat so long in his yard that the battery died on it. It has traded some paint with a white car on the front bumper. Thank god for touch up paint. He busted a fog light.

there are 2 or 3 light scratches around the door handle and infamous swirl marks. There's this white spot crap on the hood that no matter how much you wash and wax it won't go away. All I can do is touch it up and it only makes it slightly less noticeable. What should I do repaint the whole car? Replace the hood and trunk with CF and live with a couple of light scratches on the door?

JoganJani

Try with a good cutting product like Zaino's Z-PC fusion and use Porter Cable to get rid of all swirls / light scratches. If car is couple of years old, you can restore the shine for sure.

For white spot, try clay bar, bug and tar remover and then Z-PC like product.

VroomVroom

Before considering a repaint, are there a lot of pits, stone chips, etc. in the hood? If not, I'd recommend using a clay bar to remove surface contaminants and then a pass (or two) with a fairly aggressive polish. You can try this by hand, but as recommended above, a PC will be much more effective. Lots of product options out there. In terms of ease of use, Poorboys SSR2 or 2.5 with a medium-cut pad might be most effective. You'd want to follow that with a less aggressive polish to remove any hazing. After that, the wax or other topcoat of your choice will finish the job.

Really the same for the scratches. You can try Meguiar's ScratchX or something similar, but my guess is you'll need to attack them with something a bit more strong.

Alternatively, if this isn't something you're comfortable doing, you can get an estimate from a good local detailer.

www.autopia.org is a great place to start if you're interested in learning more...good luck!

West6MT

VroomVroom ^^. Sounds like it will need a descently aggressive polish.

Welcome to the board VroomVroom btw. I am guessing that is your TSX,.......nice colour choice.

SweetJazz

As with any discussion about paint issues it is best if you post some pics (preferably in the sun) of the problem areas. Then people can better evaluate the condition of the paint. Otherwise, people are just spouting misinformation based on an emotional description of the problem.

VroomVroom

^ ^ Very good point. It is too easy and often incorrect to offer general advice toward specific problems.

Thanks, West6MT! Just picked it up last night. The color choice was my wife's doing, and I'm really glad she picked it. She's in love with the car, and aside from the goodies we're expecting nearly twice the fuel economy of her old commuter. As for me, I'm just anxious to give it it's first detail.

Whiskers

Pfft, and you call yourself CLSuperhero.....

joerockt

Sounds like that CL needs a lot of work. And if you've never done any hardcore detailing, you might want to just take it to a pro.

Also, there is no reason to add touch up paint to paint swaps. They will come out fine with a rotory or PC and an abrasive polish.