My Z sat outside a dealer lot for four months before I bought it last year, and so it developed a very slight case of oxidation. In a dimly lit area, such as my garage, you can tell the roof of the car has hazed a bit. And if you look extremely close, you can see little spots on the hood and roof - possibly from acid rain. In the daylight, none of this is noticeable the least bit.

You'd really need a keen eye to observe the spots, and the overall look of the car is beautiful. But being the **** retentive guy that I am, I want this gone and I realize I'll have to cut into the paint a little. So I guess this is a two-stage question:

1) Anybody know a great detailer who can correct this issue?
2) Or could I fix it myself with the right product?

I don't want to do anything remotely risky myself, so if wetsanding or anything is involved, I won't do this. But if it's something simple like clay barring, and applying a certain treatment/compound with a microfiber towel, I can handle it.

Anyways, leads and suggestions would be nice.

 

Paint stripper would work...


If you're up for a spending spree then a Porter Cable or Flex would take care of you nicely. The Flex is about 2x more pricey though.

In my experience, there's not a whole lot of 'good' options for removing imperfections in the Z's paint outside of a machine polisher. Trying to get light scratches out, or waterspots even, was quite difficult by hand.

 

Oxidation is generally a term applied to enamel paint jobs from years ago. You simply removed a layer of old paint, and there was beautiful fresh paint underneath. But 350Z claercoat is different. You cannot get to the paint.

If you are uncertain about how to use a light polish, then take it to a pro.

 

Removing those imperfections really just depends on how deep they are. If the marks are relatively light then they should be able to be buffed out with the right polishes and buffer. It sounds like you have some light etching in the surface either from water marks, industrial fall out or the like. I'd suggest using an orange cutting pad and the Menzerna Intensive Polish as your medium polish. This will help remove the marks, light swirls, etc. Then follow it up with a light cutting polish like the Menzerna Final Polish II and a white polishing pad. If you apply these with the PC 7424 you'll get very good cutting power and remove the majority of light to medium imperfections. If the marks are deeper you'll probably need a Flex buffer to get the appropriate cutting power. The Porter Cable 7424 is extremely easy and safe to use. The Flex is relatively safe and easy but does take some more time to master. If you're interested in learning more about these options, please let me know.

If you would prefer to have a professional do it then I'd suggest looking at this list of professional detailers in your area Detail University - Find A Detailer NY.

The advantage to doing it on your own is that you have the tools and knowledge to fix any future problems. The adavantage to calling a quality detailer is that they'll take it care of it for you and you don't have to do anything. Both options will work it's just a question of what works best for you. Let me know if I can help provide more info.

Greg @ Detailed Image