Hey everybody. I recently bought a 1990 nissan sentra for my wife (she wanted it) and the paint is oxidized pretty bad. the car is in great shape otherwise. any reccomendations on which products to use to bring the shine back out of it? I was thinking Clay bar and meg's 3 step, but I'm sure that you guys might have a better reccomendation so I figured I'd put this out to see what kind of feedback i get. I'm obviously not looking for a show car shine, but I'd at least like it to reflect light.

 

Pics would help us diagnose the problem (yes, we're paint doctors and paint plastic surgeons here)...

I'd start with #83 if you know what that is. If you're looking to stay in the realm of what's at Auto Zone, than I'd try step 1 of the 3 step. If that doesn't work, move to Scratch-X. But send us pics so that we can tell you if it's too far gone so you don't have to waste the money. Also, the clay will NOT help with oxidation. Clay removes embedded contaminants that washing and cleaning don't.

G'Luck!!!

 

It would really help to see some photos...

Often, 'oxidation' is mistaken for 'clearcoat failure'. I've done this before.

If the clear has failed, odds are that you're out of luck for the most part. Has the vehicle ever been repainted?

As f150sport mentioned, there are several products out there that *may* help but, we need to have a better grip on what you're working with before we begin with specific instructions.

 

i would go what with rockpick has said. the paint is prob dead and no amount of work will save it. it is prob too far gone. the car is a 1990 so it is atleast 17 years old. a neglected cars finish can be saved if it is tended to in anywhere after 5-8 years depending on color and what company. but in most cases cars that are over 10 years old and not garaged/covered parking it is almost impossible to bring back from the dead. it is easy to keep a new car clean for many years but once it turns to $h1t and it is over about 8 years old not much can be done and have it look good for more than a couple of weeks.

 

If it's not clear coat failure and you don't have a PC you might want to look at Meguiar's ColorX. It's a great finish restorer that uses chemical action rather than mechanical (abrasives) and designed to be used by hand. If you don't have a PC then you're going to be in for a ton of arm work using #80/83, so that's why I'd say try ColorX. Good Luck!