• Oxidation
• Scratches
• No protection

Oxidation occurs when the sun’s ultraviolet rays deplete the paint's natural oils and resins. Scratches prevent light from reflecting uniformly from the painted surface, which limits gloss. In order to restore gloss, oxidation and scratches must be removed.

Once the surface is free of oxidation and scratches (see "Question How to safely remove oxidation and scratches from exterior painted surfaces?") and any swirl marks caused during buffing are removed (see Question "How do I remove swirl marks on painted exterior surfaces?"), a Wax and/or Surface Protector should be applied to protect the surface against further oxidation, and to improve the shine.

To remove medium to heavy scratches and oxidation, you must correct the surface with a high speed polisher, cutting pad and buffing compound (For a complete listing of ECP Compounds and Pads, See the Compound / Pads section of the Products page of this website).

If only light scratches and oxidation are present, buffing with a mildly abrasive polish and polishing pad is recommended (See "Question How do I remove swirl marks on painted exterior surfaces?" for more information on polishing or swirl removal).

If the scratches and oxidation are sufficient, the compound used should be aggressive enough to correct the imperfections present but appropriate for the vehicle’s paint system (Single stage or basecoat/clearcoat). To identify your vehicle’s paint system, run a piece of sand paper (2000) grit in an inconspicuous spot on a door panel. If color comes off in the paper, you’re working with a single stage system. If not, you have a basecoat/clearcoat system.

The thickness of the exterior paint layer of single stage systems is 3 - 4 mils (1 mil = 1/1000 of an inch), while the thickness of the clearcoat layer is 1 - 1.5 mils. Therefore, you can use a much more aggressive product on a Single stage finish than on a basecoat/clearcoat finish.

When compounding, the buffer should be run at no higher than 1000 - 1400 rpm, and either a wool or foam cutting pad may be used. Wool cutting pads tend to be more aggressive than foam pads - increasing the amount of cut - and often leave more swirl marks.

If a paint thickness gauge is available, measure the total thickness of the surface you plan to correct. Then measure the thickness periodically as you buff, ensuring that you don’t remove more than .25 mils of paint (especially from a clearcoat layer).

Select your compound accordingly, and buff the vehicle’s painted surfaces per the following guidelines:

• Ensure painted surface is clean and cool
• Apply a moderate amount of product to surface, and don’t allow the product to dry on surface
• Don’t mix buffing products
• Moisten pad before buffing (especially foam pads)
• Buff slowly in shoulder width area, moving buffer side-to-side, length-wise with panel
• Spur pad regularly with pad spur (either a wool or foam pad spur)
• Keep pad flat on surface, applying light even pressure
• Bring buffer off painted surface before stopping
• Wipe off residue with clean, soft cloth

Swirl marks are light, circular scratches (micro scratches) in the painted surface often caused by buffing with a compound. As the compound cuts away the oxidized paint layer and reduces the depth of deep scratches by abrading away their "ridges", light scratches usually remain, especially on glamour colors.

Swirl marks can be safely and effectively removed with a high speed polisher, polishing pad and a polish or swirl remover.

A polish contains mild abrasives and resins (usually silicone) that can be applied with a polisher or by hand. The abrasives remove swirl marks by abrading away their "ridges" in a manner similar to compounding, but with much less paint being removed.

The polish’s resins fill any indentation in the paint too deep to be abraded out, and bond to the surface. By removing the "ridges" and filling any remaining indentations, the painted surface is leveled, which restores its gloss. The newly level surface reflects light in a uniform manner causing the eye to perceive a deep, rich shine.

In addition to providing "fill", the resins deflect the sun’s ultraviolet rays (minimizing further oxidation) and magnify the gloss created by the newly level surface.

The durability of the bond between the resin and the painted surface will vary depending on the number and type of resins used. Silicone is the most common resin, and certain chemically-bonding silicones can last up to six months. Glycerin and mineral oil are also used, but aren’t nearly as durable.

When polishing, buff at 1750 - 2400 rpm (the resins provide added lubrication which allow for higher buffer speeds), and utilize a lambswool, blended wool or foam polishing pad. Also, follow the buffing guidelines listed in Question "How to safely remove oxidation and scratches from exterior painted surfaces?".

Waxing frequency depends on the type of wax and surface protectors you use as well as personal preference. The climate which you live in and how you maintain your vehicle, will all determine how often you will need to wax.

Like polishes, waxes and surface protectors contain resins which bond to the painted surface forming a protective layer against sunlight and the elements. The strength of the bond will vary depending on the number and type of resins present and the preparation of the painted surface.

Chemically-bonding silicones can last up to six months, while physically- bonding silicones, mineral oil, glycerin and natural or synthetic waxes last one to four months. It is critical to ensure that the paint is free of dirt, tar, grease, and other surface contaminants before applying your final finish product. Neither wax nor surface protectors will adhere to a dirty surface.

Climate affects the durability of waxes and paint sealants, as well. Harsh weather conditions such as rain, wind, snow (and the accompanying road salts) will break the bond between the resin and the painted surface much more quickly than will dry, mild conditions. Constant exposure to bright sunlight will also accelerate wax and sealant deterioration.

When washing a freshly-waxed surface, be sure to use a pH neutral car soap instead of a highly alkaline dish soap or household cleaner. The alkalis will strip the resins from the painted surface, lessening gloss and exposing the surface to the elements.

Paint overspray, bugs, tree sap and other light surface contaminants can be quickly and easily removed with our Correct it Clay system.

The is a blend of synthetic rubbers containing mild abrasives that removes light surface contaminants such as rail dust, hard water marks, paint overspray, bugs and tree sap from painted, glass and chrome surfaces. See: Correct it Clay system.

Acid rain is etching in the painted surface caused by acid contained within moisture that accumulates on vehicle's horizontal surfaces. As the water evaporates and is baked into the surface with sunlight, the nitric and sulfuric acid remain and create the damage.

When repairing acid rain damage, it is important to select a compound formulated to correct this type of etching. See: Compounds

It is also critical to neutralize the acid on the vehicle’s surface before correcting the damage. This is done by using a high ph car wash soap or Neutraseal on the area, and allowing it to dwell for one minute. If the acid isn’t neutralized, the etching will recur.

To remove acid rain damage, we recommend the following procedure:

• Remove all grease, tar & wax from the area.
• Neutralize the acid on the area.
• Buff a 2' x 2' area with a high speed polisher, Compound and a Cutting pad. Keep the pad flat on the surface and buff until product is dry, applying light even pressure. Clean pad regularly with pad spur.
• Apply polish with a high speed polisher and a polishing pad to remove any swirl marks.
• Apply a wax or surface protector to provide protection to the restored surface.
• If buffing doesn’t completely remove acid rain damage and less than .25 mils of paint was removed during buffing, wet sanding is an option