DISCLAIMER: You all are going to hate me for doing this, but my Crossfire has such a wide variety of blemishes.

NOTE: I bought my car like this. None of these flaws were inflicted by me.

First of all, on the passenger towards the bottom under the strakes, there is what looks like a "burn spot." It looks like the paint was burnt or rubbed off.




This is what my paint looks like after I wash AND dry it...




This is what the poor spoiler looks like with flash on the camera. It doesn't appear this badly to the naked eye. Still, the paint looks horrible... (the flash is like an equivalent to the sun in this case; therefore, this is what it looks like while in the sun)




Here's the wing without flash.

 

Continued...

This is some kind of buildup around my rear window. Someone already told me how to get rid of this, I think, but I posted it here anyways.




This whole panel looks horrible. It's scratched looking and swirly. On top of like, there looks to be some sort of corrosion substance behind the letters.




Up close on just the general paint...




There's some sort of white build-up on the rubber surround on the passenger door.

 

Continued...again...

This is a weird looking specimen that's housing on my roof. Looks like, well, you know... lol. If you rub your finger over it, you can feel it.




So, I'm basically posting this thread to gather knowledge about how to get my beautiful car back to how it should be. I know this is a lot to take in and whatever you have to offer is EXTREMELY appreciated. I hate to have such a gorgeous and have these little problems. Thanks again to anyone who can offer suggestions!

 

There are many guys who could help you here but my first recommendation would be Mike-in-Orange.
Give him a PM and I'm sure he, Meguiars and his cute little avatar could assist you.


roadster with a stick

 

Why did you buy it like this?

 

Because it wasn't as evident when I purchased it. And it's really not as bad as these photos are displaying the impression of. It's less dramatic, and just little stuff that bothers me.

 

Gosh, I would hate to post up close pics of my face for all the 'blesmishes"...scary thought...

 

I've got the same thing around my rear hatch glass, I'd like to know how to get rid of it too.

Black paint is notorious for showing the swirls you were showing, I could never get them to go away completely on black cars I've owned.

 

Here's the link to the original thread:

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ad.php?t=24871


I guess what I'm asking is what methods I should take and what products I whould purchase to get rid of these...

 

Mike-in-Orange is the man.
The 'corrosion' around the Crossfire lettering looks like wax, try taking a Q-tip & see if it doesn't come off.

 

smokey 847, I would suggest taking your Crossfire to a quality professional detail shop so that the restoration is done right. After that, learn how to maintain the finish properly by reading the stickey in our detail section, " How to Detail the Crossfire"

Ask around for referals to a quality shop and be prepared to spend some money. I think it would be worth it.

Good Luck and let us know what you find out.

 

i agree i think that is all beyond what a normal person could fix. that needs to go to some shop. what happened to it???

 

Your problems are bad enough that I also think a pro is the only way to go. (and not a $65.00 non-pro that pretends to be one) I've been trying to get some swirls and scratches out of a clear coat and can tell you that it's going to take a machine and the right products to get it right. I'm still trying to get it right. Fortunately, I have a 99 Intrepid to experiment on. I like to learn and do the work myself but it's not as easy I thought it would be. Actually, its tough. Good luck.

 

this is what a blk cars looks like after you drop the wash mit on the ground, rinse it out, then wash the car again....too bad...detail shop would sure help it....if my mit hits the ground, I put it through the laundry, then check it close before using again...usually replace it...I have 3 blk cars, I just don't take chances...too much work to maintain if you do...

 

Looks like neglect by the previous owner. Get it repainted.

 

I've responded to a PM from Smokey but just had to respond here too. The previous owner of that car should be dragged out into the street and shot.

I'd love to get my hands on this car with my rotary buffer, a wool pad and some M105 but I live on the far side of the country. This is definitely work for a pro, and a good one too, but it can all be corrected by a skilled professional. "Skilled" being the operative word here - anybody with a buffer these days calls themselves a pro but most don't really have a clue. Lots of guys who are really good at detailing are really just doing a good clay/light paint cleaning/wax job and nice interior work but don't really know jack about paint polishing. That's the problem here. I've spoken with customers who've brought their vehicles to us after having a "detailer" check it out and proclaim that only a repaint could fix that, or at the very least a full wetsand, cut and buff. That's almost never the case.

The biggest problem is actually finding a decent professional to do the job.

 

Me too.ha. You should take the family on a nice vacation to music city.LOL.

 

So how would you handle this job? Where would you start and what would you use?

 

Here's my results up to now on my gas door. Most of the defects came out. I had to use polishing compound (worked by hand to be safe) followed by Meguair's No. 9 and you can still see the scratch in the lights reflection. In person you can only see it with the light just right but my point is, it is really difficult for a weekend warrior to get 2 or 3 scratches out, not to mention a whole car of them. I spent 1/2 hour for a 5 x 5 piece of metal and it's still not perfect.

Sorry for the hijack but I want you to understand why so many are recommending a real pro.
Follow Mike's advise even if you think it costs way too much. (except the part about the previous owner)

 

After the obvious wash/dry/clay I would have no hesitation to jump right in with my Makita rotary buffer, a wool pad and our new M105 Ultra Cut Compound. After that step I'd re-evaluate the finish to see if I needed to follow with something less aggressive, such as M80 on the D/A as a follow up. On a black car like Smokey's I'd then follow with either M03 Machine Glaze via rotary or M81 Hand Polish before finishing off with M21 Synthetic Sealant.

The M105 is just amazing - we have exclusive rights to the ultra fine micro abrasives used in this product and we constantly amaze ourselves at this product's ability to pull out 1000 grit wet sanding marks and still finish so nice that sometimes you can go straight to wax. I can't think of another product that will let you do that without leaving a ton of holograms and buffer trails or at least just hazing the paint really badly to where you'd need to follow with a finer cutting product.

My 2005 Limited Roadster had been sitting on a dealer lot for 2 years before I got it and it was a mess. Who know how many times the dealer washed it with an old towel, which is par for the course for cars sitting on a lot for extended periods. I used my Makita/wool pad/M105 because the D/A was just taking too long - the clear on our cars is pretty darn hard.