How Do I Bring My Paint Back To Life?

Hi, I have a 95 9c1 and it now has oil spots around the hood area. Does anyone know a good solution to use to get the oil out? I want to brighten up my chrome also. I have used a few of the wipes they sell at the counter of Advanced Auto and they work but that takes too long. I would rather spray something on the car, rinse it off, and be done if possible. If I add a little bleach to my bucket during a wash, will that help? One of my friends bleached his old school cutlass and it really brought his paint back to life and it was almost beige before he bleached it.

Rubbing compound will bring a dull paint back to a shine. It did for my car.

To that end, get the type of compound that comes in bottles as opposed to the kind that comes in a plastic can. The best ones I've used are the MacGuiar's brand that come in the tan bottle (they're rather expensive at $12-14/bottle) - you will need two bottles - Medium Cut and Polish. These work awesome and much faster than the can type. However, you need a rotary buffer to use the cutter - a random-orbit type buffer won't work, and if you do it by hand, you will get an uneven finish with possible damage.

dont mean to butt in, my paint is pretty dull too, and last 4th some idiot set off a firework next to my car and now theres dull little black spots on the hood and trunk. are these removable?

MacGuiar's... I haven't found a product of thiers that I don't like yet.

Purple power degreaser works good for any oil or anything of that nature on your vehicle just make sure to dilute it with water....i would also recomend using it before applying a compound rub.

Purple power degreaser works good for any oil or anything of that nature on your vehicle just make sure to dilute it with water....i would also recomend using it before applying a compound rub.

Except it will damage the paint. You can't use that on painted surfaces - it even says so on the container.

It works fine when its diluted about one cup to five gallons....yea it will def. damage the paint if applied by itself i knw.

one cup purple power to 5 gallons water that is.....more or less....Also dont allow it to dry on the surface.

one cup purple power to 5 gallons water that is.....more or less....Also dont allow it to dry on the surface.

ok, purple power it is! I am tired of hearing about it.:lol2: That is what eveyone around town tells me. One of the detail shop even uses it here. On the bottle it says it will damage paint, but everyone says as long as you spray it off quick, it will not damage it. Will it damage my chrome?

has anyone ever tried wet sanding? i had a body guy telling me that wet sanding is the best way to bring back dead paint...

havent tried that. no offense to you body guys but i hate doing body work, i love doing all the mechanical stuff but when it comes to body work, count me out!

i havent thought about wet sanding, but in the condtion that my paint is in, it would probably result in an only half-painted car.
most of my paint is flaking off in the plastic areas, and is really thin everywhere else.

If done right, wetsanding will come out really nice.

If done right, wetsanding will come out really nice.

Well... my paint is dirty, not dull. I can see every spot where someone has touched it with oily fingers. I think I will just buy the purple power, mix it 5 gallons water to 1 cup solution, then worry about the shine later. My paint shines everywhere except around the front where the most oil is so maybe it will only need a nice waxing.

I used Nu-coat or nu-finish or nu-something, I think it was in an orange bottle. It worked great, got my truck to a nice shiney red. That lasted about a week :)

as far as the mixture for the purple stuff... that was a super ruff estimate....its probly more like 2 cups to three gallons or so....but whatever works best for you. I usually mix up some in a bucket then put some in a spray bottle by itself (no water) for those spots that dont come out from the first wash. Just spray a little on the spot, rub it until it goes away then spray it down as quickly as possible (doing this while the car is still wet) I wouldnt recommend applying it to any dry surface.

Wet sanding is a good option theres just alot of steps involved and alot more places were u could potentially fuck up your paint. Its usually done with 1000 to 1500 grit sandpaper followed by 3 stage rubbing compounds applied with a machine buffer and finished off with a handglaze. it gives show quality shine but takes alot more time and effort than a quick wash and wax. Worth it though depending on the dullness of your paint.

as far as the mixture for the purple stuff... that was a super ruff estimate....its probly more like 2 cups to three gallons or so....but whatever works best for you. I usually mix up some in a bucket then put some in a spray bottle by itself (no water) for those spots that dont come out from the first wash. Just spray a little on the spot, rub it until it goes away then spray it down as quickly as possible (doing this while the car is still wet) I wouldnt recommend applying it to any dry surface.

Wet sanding is a good option theres just alot of steps involved and alot more places were u could potentially fuck up your paint. Its usually done with 1000 to 1500 grit sandpaper followed by 3 stage rubbing compounds applied with a machine buffer and finished off with a handglaze. it gives show quality shine but takes alot more time and effort than a quick wash and wax. Worth it though depending on the dullness of your paint.

Well, my cars finish is so faded and damaged, I don’t think I can do anymore to destroy it that nature hasn’t already done. Besides what’s the alternative? Sand and paint:icon16:

as far as the mixture for the purple stuff... that was a super ruff estimate....its probly more like 2 cups to three gallons or so....but whatever works best for you. I usually mix up some in a bucket then put some in a spray bottle by itself (no water) for those spots that dont come out from the first wash. Just spray a little on the spot, rub it until it goes away then spray it down as quickly as possible (doing this while the car is still wet) I wouldnt recommend applying it to any dry surface.

Wet sanding is a good option theres just alot of steps involved and alot more places were u could potentially fuck up your paint. Its usually done with 1000 to 1500 grit sandpaper followed by 3 stage rubbing compounds applied with a machine buffer and finished off with a handglaze. it gives show quality shine but takes alot more time and effort than a quick wash and wax. Worth it though depending on the dullness of your paint.

I will try 1 nice size cup to a 5 gallon bucket and see what happens first. My paint isn't that dull, just dirty. Im sure that a nice wax will give me enough shine.

Now, How do I bring my chrome back to life? My chrome around the windows is dull in some spots. Does anyone have a rough idea of how much rechroming would cost? I just want the chrome around the windows and the chrome on the trunk to shine. I am getting a bumper kit/chrome pillar posts off ebay and taking the chrome strips off each door. Also, does anyone know a chevy car that came with a nice pair of chrome chevy rims so I can buy some?