I washed my S4 the other day and was prepared to do the full kit (clay/polish/wax). As I clayed, I noticed the detailer that transferred onto the bar had slightly turned red (the colour of my car), but didn't pay much attention to it as it was removing more crap than anything. I got to the polish and immediately noticed a lot of red on my microfibre as I was removing/applying it. I stopped immediately.

The car is original paint and has been through some ill-maintenance I would imagine, but am I removing old paint or is this bad?

 

Single stage paint.

 

Come again?

 

Your car is painted with single stage paint there is no clear on top of it so the paint comes off on the pad.

 

yes, but is an excessive amount normal for polish?

 

its not that uncommon for old paint that hasnt been maintained.

 

if the paint is rough and there is a lot to remove/smooth out its going to be red. you've got no clear coat so any smoothing out you do through buffing/claybar/polishing is going to remove media which is made up of your red paint. it's normal. i took an FC that looked totally flat and buffed it to shiny. left all the buffing pads and rags red like they had bled out.

 

The single-stage red paint Mazda used tends to oxidize very, very quickly. When I had my '90 which was Blaze Red, I used to hand polish it very regularly (every few months) and my towels were always turning red. Nothing at all out of the ordinary about that, and I don't you think seeing that indicates the previous owner neglected the finish. If you're worried about it, switch over to a non-abrasive polish after you've got it looking good again, but you will probably still be seeing some red coloring on your microfiber towel. After owning my car for 11 years and polishing it countless times, there were still no thin spots or real problems with the paint. Now rust was another matter...

 

I had a car that went threw maco paint. NEVER get maco. You cant Polish or rub the **** or its GONE its so THIN. Then it Dulls. and their is Nothing you can do about it.

If you ever have the money for a real paint Job get at least 2 or 3 Clearcoats down Over a real paint job.. it will last for 40 years, and you can BUFF IT

 

please dont compare maaco air dry enamel to a good single stage polyurethane paint job

 

I just said never get a maaco job.. I didnt say he had a maaco paint job did eye?

 

you said if he ever had the money to get a clearcoat paint job after commenting about a maaco paint job

a high quality single stage paint job will far outlast most bc/cc system

 

[QUOTE=Rob XX 7;10813080]you said if he ever had the money to get a clearcoat paint job after commenting about a maaco paint job

a high quality single stage paint job will far outlast most bc/cc system[/QUOT

Clear has a life span. Ultraviolet and heat do the job. Most UV resistance in the Clear is created by UV inhibitors-sacrificial polymers designed to protect the Urethane. Once the inhibitor is used up, the clear Urethane ages rapidly. Good stuff lasts longer (it has more UV inhibitors), but it will all eventually fail. Once the clear gives up the ghost, it turns white and peels. Darker colored base coat speeds the ageing process by adding extra heat to the process.

With a single stage the color IS the protectant for the Urethane. You can buff any wear/surface contamination/light scratch etc. back to new paint.

 

that is why most people prefer single stage paint as most manufacturers use it, even small scratches in clear cause pockets to form for the clear to flake off.

i have yet see a clear coat paint last 30 years to be buffed out and look like new. in fact we buffed out a '77 REPU to look almost new again, all original. you just have to be careful to not remove all of the top coat or you'll be left with thin spots in the paint down to the primer.

 

I had no idea what kinda paint was on our cars. So what is the best way to make it shiny again?

 

buff and paint restorer(buffing compound) followed by wax.

 

Not all FCs were single stage from the factory, from what I understand. I'm pretty sure all the metallics were base coat/clearcoat, and the non-metallics were single stage.

 

My father was actually the prev owner, and from what I understand, maintenance consisted of Palmolive and rare waxing sessions.