Is it possible with enough elbow grease and some good-quality stuff to bring back paint color to a reasonable degree from a moderately oxidized/faded state?

I have a range of products:
Dawn (to remove all grime)...Rubbing Compound...Meguiars ScratchX, ColorX, Yellow Wax, Polish, and NXT...high-end microfiber cloths...u name it

With enough time and attention to detail, can you get the color back? (its not THAT bad...but moderate in some areas....)

Thanks!

 

Yes, of course, that's what professional detailers do for a living. I've had a full exterior detail and polish done on one of my previous cars before I sold it and they really can make your car look new or like new again.

I just noticed that you had rubbing compund in your list. If you're too aggressive with it, you can actually take your clearcoat and/or paint off and ruin the finish. If you have no experience with it's use, I recommend you have a pro detail your car instead.

However, if you want to give it a try, do yourself a favor and first read about the appropriate products needed and learn proper techniques here at this forum:

http://www.autopia.org/forums/index.php

 

Short answer: Painted metal yes. painted plastic, not really.

Judging by your product selection, it sounds like you know what you are doing. Make sure you clay the car. Use more abrasive polishes first, followed by less abrasive ones.

You would be better off using terry pads instead of MF cloths, because they break down the polishes easier and you DO need some abrasion- softness is not always best in this case.

 

I noticed you listed autopia... I love that site!!!!! Im on there

 

oh ya....forgot bout the claybar...have that too :-D

 

Autopia is great...thanks for the link!

 

there was a post in the 3rd gen section about cars with less than 20k on it. There is a black one there with beautiful paint and so I asked about the paint and he said he uses finesse it by 3m and it worked wonders. I asked my paint guy about this and he said dont use it unless you know what you are doing. Good luck.