Another Polish/ wax question....for dull paint

My 911 is black and the hood looks shiny at a distance. When you look closely in the sun light, you can see that the paint under the wax seems dull and scratchy. Is there a way to rejuvinate the luster in the paint I seem to be missing? What process could I try?

anyone.......?

You need to strip everything and clean the paint- pick you favorite: Menzerna, Klasse, 4 Star Platinum, Zaino. If you've got mild scratches or swirls, try removing them with an SMR like 3M's erfec It II for Dark cars. Note- this product DOES have abrasives and colored fillers in it. Menserna's, I believe, does not. 4 Star's does not. Buy a random orbital polisher and you'll look like a pro without putting your paint in a lot of danger. Once the surface has been clayed, cleaned, and prepped to your liking, glaze and or seal it. Take a look over at www.autopia.org for more than you could ever want to know about detailing...

www.zainostore.com read about how Zaino can restore your finish.

Did you go to either of the car care sites I gave you yesterday? Also, have you tried the "search" function in the forum? I have personally posted 2 or 3 threads on removing "paint scratches" and "swirl marks" using the "Porter Cable" dual action polisher (AKA PC DA polisher). The items I just listed in quotations are good "search" topics. While most of us on this forum are more than willing to help others with information, there may be a reason you did not get many replies to this thread. I am getting the impression that you want to ask the question and have the answers "spoon fed" to you. There may be others here that feel the same way (only a hunch), which is possibly why you didn't get many replies. My "impression" may not be your intent, but that is how I perceive some of your questions. However, I also realize that, sometimes, appearances can be misleading. Please don't take what I just said the wrong way. It is meant to help you, not to chastise you. If I was unwilling to help you, I simply would not have responded to your thread.

If I don't know the answer, I guess I must need to be spoon fed....how else can I get the answer? Isn't that what the forum is for?

Sorry skipp, that is not the way this forum works.

Skipp, there is so much great information here. I have spent hours just reading the search results to some of my queries and am astounded at how much one can learn. The best thing is when search results offer answers to questions that I hadn't even thought to ask yet. I don't think the forum regulars here are trying to give you any grief at all. Just be patient when you ask a question and do a ton of different searches. Lots of good stuff and good things all around.

Black is a tough color. Any of the major cleaners others have recommended will bring back the finish to a degree and this is an important point...to a degree. Black oxidizes a little quicker than some of the other colors becuase of its low chromatic dispersion...with that in mind, you may want to consider (after you have given it your best shot) taking the car in to a good body shop and have them advise you if a shot of clear coat would work for you. BUT keep in mind the underlying painted surface must be in really good shape for this to work well... I did this with an older BMW and it came out very very nice.

if you're not confident detailing your own car, I recommend either paying a pro to do it - or making sure you read autogeek.net thoroughly, as Gota911 advised a day or two ago in a post - there's a lot of good information to help a novice detail his car without messing up the paint - which is easy to do with black (I did it on a previous car - thankfully not a P-Car). as for the advice on finding info here without repeating a question or being spoon fed, you'll be super impressed with what you can find using the search tool and a few key words. i only joined this site a month ago and am addicted because of the helpfulness and wealth of information from the present and the past good luck with that paint job.

thanks to all for your responses and help Skipp

A better forum for getting information on detailing your car is: Autopia It is basically the Rennlist of detailing. The instruction and knowledge there on detailing is incredible. The people range from newbies to experienced professionals. There is a lot of information there search and learn. Your car will never look better. Be forewarned...there are some extreme detailing suggestions there...read and decide what route you want to go. For example I use some the techniques but not all. The basics on a black car like two bucket method of washing, using a micro fiber (MF) or sheep skin wash mit and using a waffle weave MF towel for drying can go a long way in preventing self inflicted marring to the finish.