Patchy dull bodywork (1 Viewer)

[mfw]

Old pilote galaxy 2001 reg washed back end of van and paintwork was dull ( possibly oxidised ) tried some mer easy cheap shine which didnt work also tried the bobby dazzler still not impressed

So now i am thinking weathered deadish paint so a mild abrasive cutting paste ( T cut ) which has removed some dead paint polishing cloth went white also panel felt a lot smoother then used turtle wax

Now looking from side has a nice shine but looking directly still appears dull a lot better than it was though was hoping for reflection from it

The items i used i had already anyway

Dont want to use rotary mop on it too many bits to damage and or compound will be harsher abrasive than t cut

I would imagine that if a dull bit is left without polishing out it would just reappear whereas t cut out the dead paint or oxidisation would almost give you new paint

So is it a lot of elbow grease to replace the mirror shine or is there an easier way

 

[pappajohn]

Have you waxed since T cutting ?

Ignore that, I see you have.

 

[funflair]

You say “back end of van” is it paint or a fibreglass moulding,

Martin

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[mfw]

painted panel it is white looks like manufactured finish hard to describe vehicle is A class no visible joint like you get on aluminium bodied campers maybe gel or resin based finish T cut is taking some dullness out but i have been gentle with it using stockinette to put on and microfibre to buff but there is white on stockinette which would probably be the dead finish coat.

T cut being a gentle abrasive should regenerate the bodywork but im not sure if it is the right thing

 

[TheBig1]

farecla works well on gel coated surfaces. mild abrasive and then use a good wax to reseal the surface

 

[mfw]

farecla works well on gel coated surfaces. mild abrasive and then use a good wax to reseal the surface

That is a compound which does come in varying grades of courseness Tcut has similar properties which is a fine cutting liquid so i have probably tried similar to what you are suggesting and wax ( turtle wax ) afterwards.

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[TheBig1]

t cut is no longer recommended for use on vehicles due to the ammonia content

 

[mfw]

Ok didnt realise that so farelca G10 or G3 look like mild paint cutters which 1 is better

 

[funflair]

You could have a read here, http://www.farecla.com/ask-an-expert

But you need to decide what the finish is before you go too hard at it, Gelcoat would be a lot thicker than paint so can take a bit more cutting back.

Martin

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[KUSKUS]

I used Meguiars Mirror Glaze on my Gelcoat , did it with Farecla G3 regular grade then Mirror glaze and sealed with a good wax , came up very good.

 

[funflair]

I used Meguiars Mirror Glaze on my Gelcoat , did it with Farecla G3 regular grade then Mirror glaze and sealed with a good wax , came up very good.

Isn't Mirror Glaze a mold release wax?

Martin

 

[mfw]

Thinking of this farelcla
Profile Finish Liquid Compound

Bit of a cut with it says painted,lacquered and gel finishes will see if someone says its no good will order thursday if it doesn't get slated

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[Northernraider]

I've a similar problem on my Frankia one side and the rear is nice and shiny the other side and the front is dull and Matt
I'm guessing it was how it was parked I the previous owners drive the sun has been hitting the front and one side for 8 years and it's oxidized.

I tried t cut but was told on here it wasn't good for gelcoat.
I then bought gelcoat restorer and was from someone on here ....sadly that did sod all either.
I've tried a few polishes nothing has worked
I'm considering asking a body shop if they can machine polish the front and one side but I'm not sure if it can be recovered or not

Strangely it seems to only have effected the white as the grey bumpers and sidetrim is still bright and shiny all the way round the van

 

[Speve]

I used some 3m marine restorer and wax From Amazon it worked a treat on the front glass fibre gel coat panels did it by hand as it feels like a good cutting compound.

 

[funflair]

Thinking of this farelcla
Profile Finish Liquid Compound

Bit of a cut with it says painted,lacquered and gel finishes will see if someone says its no good will order thursday if it doesn't get slated

You are going to use it with a machine I guess, at least it is not too aggressive so should be OK but don't let the surface get hot.

Martin

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[funflair]

I've a similar problem on my Frankia one side and the rear is nice and shiny the other side and the front is dull and Matt
I'm guessing it was how it was parked I the previous owners drive the sun has been hitting the front and one side for 8 years and it's oxidized.

I tried t cut but was told on here it wasn't good for gelcoat.
I then bought gelcoat restorer and was from someone on here ....sadly that did sod all either.
I've tried a few polishes nothing has worked
I'm considering asking a body shop if they can machine polish the front and one side but I'm not sure if it can be recovered or not

Strangely it seems to only have effected the white as the grey bumpers and sidetrim is still bright and shiny all the way round the van

You may find that the grey is paint, hence it still has its shine.

Martin

 

[PP Bear]

I used these, did the job on mine, only hard hard work, but did an excellent job.

 

[Northernraider]

You may find that the grey is paint, hence it still has its shine.

Martin

Yeah that's possible ...i just assumed the body had paint on it too...im guessing they don't paint the gelcoat?

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[funflair]

Yeah that's possible ...i just assumed the body had paint on it too...im guessing they don't paint the gelcoat?

The sides will be Gelcoat but not painted, not sure how thick it is on the sides though as I think that will be quite a different process to front and rear moulded panels.

Martin

 

[Northernraider]

Don't think mine has any moulded panels but id like to get some shine back on the front and passenger side ...easier to clean if nothing else.

 

[mfw]

Photo is not great but if you look above side window you can see reflection back panel is very dull no real shine on it and finish is more like resin or gel coating

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[Northernraider]

That's much the same as mine , the back panel and the driver side is shiny , the front and the passenger side is dull

 

[mfw]

That's much the same as mine , the back panel and the driver side is shiny , the front and the passenger side is dull

My side has first bit shiny then goes dull then goes shiny again so i think it is dead resin / gelcoat and needs cutting back and re-polishing but as people are saying it needs to be a more friendly one for the finish.

I dont really want to try a machine it will be to messy and probably mark the windows the cutting back of dull finish is not hard even by hand it is just getting it to shine again the white does not photo very well the bit of the side you can see is shiny it just doesn't look any different to the back in photo.

Front is fibreglass slightly dull so i will try bonnet next when i get something

 

[funflair]

Photo is not great but if you look above side window you can see reflection back panel is very dull no real shine on it and finish is more like resin or gel coatingView attachment 200083

Might be difficult polishing the back with all that ironmongery on there, my guess would be that it's an alloy skin with a paint finish the same as the sides so go careful with the polishing.

Martin

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[funflair]

Don't think mine has any moulded panels but id like to get some shine back on the front and passenger side ...easier to clean if nothing else.

The front panels will be moulded fibreglass.

Martin

 

[mfw]

Might be difficult polishing the back with all that ironmongery on there, my guess would be that it's an alloy skin with a paint finish the same as the sides so go careful with the polishing.

Martin

Not sure if sides and back are aluminium i think they are a panel that is resin coated . The front is definately fibreglass the roof not sure think aluminium but the texture feels wrong

So bought some Farecla profile 2 and 3 so cutting and UV polishing also couple of machine polishing foams not cheap £65 all in but needed.

I want it to last a while so want to put a bit of shine depth in panels ( lustre is the word i think ) front at moment has dull shine so will try on bonnet and give opinion on final outcome maybe a couple of photos if good so it will help others with same problem.

Could pay someone to clean van but i like to do it to check van over myself can check for any possible problems ie sealant that needs replacing.

Tend to leave roof till last it is hardest wrong way i know can get round 75% of vehicle in time it takes to do roof.

 

[mfw]

Thanks for all the advice regarding what to use.

Have made a start side is all done made a big difference and i am happy with finish what i did notice was although the side looked white it was yellowish probably old polish but the profile 2 cut through the old polish leaving nice white original finish and then the profile uv wax has put nice protective coat over it

Used a mop on it so the actual quantity of compound and polish is minimal it will be interesting to see how much i've used when i get it all done will do a photo same as last 1 of back of van later as that is what i have polished

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[mfw]

Thanks for all the advice regarding what to use.

Have made a start side is all done made a big difference and i am happy with finish what i did notice was although the side looked white it was yellowish probably old polish but the profile 2 cut through the old polish leaving nice white original finish and then the profile uv wax has put nice protective coat over it

Used a mop on it so the actual quantity of compound and polish is minimal it will be interesting to see how much i've used when i get it all done will do a photo same as last 1 of back of van later as that is what i have polished

Ok here is photo im happy with finish compared to other photo big difference i think anyway

 

[Minxy]

... spray tan ... ????

 

[mfw]

... spray tan ... ????

Thought spray tan would of been orangey

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