eknine9

iTrader: (8)

I'm in the middle of slowly correcting the paint on my car. I'm doing it by hand one panel at a time and then sealing it with wax.

Car is a 92 and thus 20 years old. I was wondering if I could debadge and then use polishing compound on the faded paint to take off the top layer. Would the paint underneath the faded paint be it's original color? Is it just the top layer that fades, or does it fade all the way through?

Would like to be sure before I start to attempt this because paint this old is definitely going to be faded. Paint code is 202 Black Onyx if that changes things.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Clear coat is as the name usually implies - clear. There are tinted clears but its still pretty transparent. More than likely, the color coat under the clear has faded. It happens all the time with older models. However, if you're lucky on Black Onyx, you'll only have a color coat. I don't know off the top of my head what year Lexus started implementing clear in their blacks though

eknine9

iTrader: (8)

As I said, I'm in the middle of paint correction on my car. Which involves the use of compound, black paint has been coming off on my buffing pads which means only one thing. I have a single Stage paint with no separate clear coat over the color coat.

Would it be possible for me to simply polish over the faded paint and remove the top faded layer? I know that Lexus paint is notoriously thin, so even if this is possible, would it be advisable? Or is their a chance I may take off too much of the top layer before removing the faded bits?

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Glad you narrowed down what paint stages you have. As for possible, yes it is. Recommended without a paint thickness guage, nope. For an older car, its literally polish at your own risk without anything to measure the thickness. I made the mistake of doing so on my ES in my early detailing years and now I have to repaint it

eknine9

iTrader: (8)

Yes I was indeed worried about that, as the paint isn't too bad, but it's been a great learning experience for me, and I'm glad to know that it is possible.

I will be careful though, as I don't think Dr. Colorchip could help me if I polished too deep, and until December I'll still be in school and in no place to afford a re-spray.

scBueller

I recently polished and waxed my 1992 black sc400 and it didn't hurt it at all. It took the faded look away. I was worried at first but impressed with the results.

TOGWT

“Clear Coat Thickness and UV Protection Removed by Polishing” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...-removal.html#

jfelbab

Black, white and red cars of that era were frequently single stage paint. The good part is that these paints are typically softer (except for white) than most clear coated paints so correction is much easier and faster. It is entirely possible to do a single stage correction by hand using fine polishes. The bad part is that if you get too aggressive when polishing you might cut through the paint to the primer.

Rule #1, don't make things worse.
Rule #2, use the least aggressive polish possible to achieve the desired results.

Given the age of the car, you can bet it has seen polish in the past so you need to proceed with caution. You might want to consider using a glaze to fill and hide some swirls and defects rather than trying to abrasively polish them away. This approach won't damage the paint but the results won't last long either.

Another approach to consider is to gently polish and apply a coating like Opti-coat 2.0 or one of the other quartz coatings. This will add a permanent protective layer, several times thicker than a wax or sealant and should reduce the paints oxidation.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Every vehicle has various stages of damaged or removed paint. Just some food for thought. Also, just because it looks ok, doesn't mean that the paint has been compromised. That is where the paint thickness gauge comes into play

scBueller

Oh, thanks. Is there anything I should look for in case it isn't ok?

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

At that point, you're pretty much hoping that whatever paint you have remaining still lasts the life that you have the car. OptiCoat will help lengthen the life but nothing can get it back to perfect