Ultimate Guide to Correcting Your Car’s Faded Paintwork

Is your car suffering from faded, dull, and oxidized paintwork?

We all can love and appreciate the look of a brand-new car that has rolled off the showroom floor like the day you first purchased it. But as we all know, over time it can become seriously difficult to keep a car in top condition all year round, for many years. If you have had a moment to take a quick sneak peek of your own car and noticed that it no longer shines and glosses like the way it did many years ago, you are not alone.

According to Schmicko, one of the main culprits for oxidized and faded paintwork, is heavy exposure to the Sun over many years. The harmful UV rays and heat mean the paintwork really does cop a beating under these intense climatic conditions. Just like how our skin can get burnt by the Sun all year round, the same applies to your car’s paintwork. As a result, your car undergoes accelerated wear and tear with signs of aging, like fading paintwork and dullness. If you are serious about returning your car back to top shape, then paint correction is definitely what you need to learn about. For those who are weekend warriors or are quite advanced in car care maintenance, this could be an area you could upskill and fix that faded paintwork like a car detailing professional. Please refer below for further tips on how you can rejuvenate your car’s paintwork like a professional.

What you will need:

• Pressure Washer
• Machine Polisher and Polishing Pads
• All In One Polish
• Microfibre Wash Mitt
• Drying Towels and Buffing Towels
• Wax
• pH neutral car wash shampoo
• Clay bar
• Patience

Preparing Your Car for Paint Correction

Before you begin any form of car paint correction, preparation is very crucial and must be dealt with first. This just ensures that we are able to decontaminate the surface and reduce the likelihood of further scratching or marring to the paintwork during the machine polishing phases.

• Park the car in a shaded area if possible, away from the Sun. Not a must, but recommended if you can. The Sun can cause for the compounds you use to evaporate fast on the surface when it gets too heated.
• Rinse the car with a pressure washer to ensure that you have taken the first layer of loose dirt and debris that may be stuck on the paintwork
• Using your bucket of car wash shampoo and microfibre wash mitt, wash the car gently to remove the 2nd layer of contamination off the paintwork.
• Rinse the car with the pressure washer to remove excess shampoo
• Use a clay bar to go over the car for the 3rd layer of decontamination, this helps to remove stubborn stains and elements that were not removed in the previous stages.
• Rinse the car and dry with a drying towel.

By here, you would have prepared the car ready for the paint correction phase with your machine polisher and all in one polish.

Paint Correction

Now that you have the paintwork all done and dusted, you are ready for the exciting part – the paint correction step. If you are starting off, an all-in-one polish is probably the best bang for your buck. It will not get rid of all imperfections but will improve the look and feel of your car’s paintwork. By this step, you will want to use your machine polisher and All In One Polish to provide an even distribution across the car. Given that the car is cool, you can do the whole car and buff off the excess using your buffing towel. If the paintwork is fairly warm or hot, it may be safer to work panel by panel to ensure that the polish does not get stuck or sticky on the paint, and becomes a nightmare to wipe off afterward. No need to apply heavy pressure on the machine polisher, and all it to work its magic across the car. A firm grip, patience, and attention to detail are crucial for this step, whilst avoiding circular motions.

Once you have wiped off the excess, this is your end reveal. You will notice a lot of the fading will have been somewhat ‘exfoliated’ off, revealing a new level of gloss and smoothness. There are many forms of polishes out there, but we always recommend an AIO (All In One) as it can be user-friendly, especially against the paintwork and some will contain fillers to help add a boosted gloss and sealing effect similar to wax.

Paint Protection

As soon as you have achieved the level of gloss and refinement you desired, it is recommended to seal in that finish with a wax coating. Those who are more serious about keeping it this way for many years to come should definitely consider the use of a ceramic coating, which is arguably the most durable form of paint protection for your car. Simply said, it adds hardness and gloss at the same time, although you should seek a professional car detailer for such services as it is a complex and advanced process to conduct.