How to Restore Dull Paint on a Car: Follow this DIY Process

We have all seen the commercials. A guy walks into a junkyard and finds a weathered-looking car with severely faded paint, and with one swipe of the “miracle” product, it suddenly looks factory-new again. It doesn’t really work that way. Restoring your paint from dull back to shiny and fresh again takes more work. You can do it, however, and have amazing results. If your vehicle has dulled paint, you can restore it yourself by following a few steps and putting in a little elbow grease.

What Causes Car Paint To Fade?

There can be quite a few reasons why your paint lacks the luster it once had. The number one cause is the sun. UV rays from the sun wreak havoc on vehicle paint, upholstery, dashboards, and other materials. If you’ve seen cars from the American Southwest, or if you live there, you can see what UV rays do to a paint job. They can cause paint to dull quicker than you might think. Left unchecked, these harmful rays can even burn the paint right off over time. Keeping your car covered is an important part of keeping it looking good, regardless of where you live.

Corrosion can dull paint, too. The same things that cause your metal to rust, like salt and moisture, can cause your paint to fade. Corrosion usually starts by eating away the clear coat if you have it. It can also wear down paint. The best way to fight corrosion is by washing your car often. However, abrasive cleaners and wash accessories can be harmful to your paint job, too. If you’ve ever watched one of those cringe-worthy videos of someone washing a car with a scouring pad, you know there is a right and wrong way to wash a car. The same way that using an abrasive wash accessory can damage paint, using an abrasive cleaner or harsh chemical can also cause damage.

While an issue, contaminants and pollution in the air and rain can remove the luster from your paint, but aren’t as harsh on newer paint jobs. That’s not because we’ve done better at reducing pollution, but more so because paints and clear coats have improved.

Why Should You Restore Faded Car Paint?

You may not want to deal with restoring your paint job, but there are some reasons why it is a good idea. For one, it will seriously help your vehicle’s resale value if the paint looks fresh. Even if you’re not ever thinking of selling it, having it look good helps the overall value, which may just be important should you ever need to file an insurance claim.

Keeping your paint lustrous is very important to the “health” of your paint job. Keep in mind that your paint is the first line of defense against rust and corrosion. Bare metal can start to rust within days of being exposed and left unchecked, rust can destroy a vehicle in short order.

When Should You Restore Faded Automotive Paint and When Should You Repaint?

Usually the first thing you will notice about your paint fading is damage to the clear coat. You can usually fix clear coat issues with buffing and waxing. If it gets really bad, however, it might be time to consider a new paint job. What often happens is the clear coat starts to peel or flake off, and then the paint underneath follows suit. Once the paint is gone and the exposed metal substrate begins to rust, no matter of paint correction will restore it. At this point, you would need to consider a repaint.

Now, if you decide upon a new paint job, know going in that this can cost well into the thousands. If we’re talking about a classic car, repainting can diminish the value, as you are replacing or painting over the original paintwork. Before you consider shelling out for a new paint job, understand that some levels of paint damage can be addressed without repainting.

How To Restore Faded Car Paint and Revive Its Original Shine

You can restore your faded paint on your own. It will take time, effort, and the right supplies to get the job done right – and if you are going to tackle this project, you might as well do it right. You will want to start by decontaminating painted surfaces and washing, followed by removing any imperfections in the paint. Here’s everything you will need:

• PPE - Gloves and eye protection are a must.
• Two Buckets - The two-bucket wash method separates clean and dirty water to minimize the reintroduction of contaminants to your surfaces.
• Grit Guard - Keeps sand, dirt and other stuff you’ve cleaned from your car from getting back on from the bucket.
• Several Clean Microfiber Cloths - Microfiber cloths are very important as they are excellent for drying and will not do damage to vehicle paint.
• Microfiber Wash Mitt - Gives you better control as you wash.
• Clay Bar or Clay Mitt - When used with the proper lubricant, a clay bar or synthetic alternative can be worked across your paint job to remove damaging contamination, while smoothing out the surface of the paint.
• Pre-Wash Solutions - These are specially-formulated chemicals that are designed to remove the most difficult contaminants for a scratch-free wash.
• Car Wash - You need a detergent solution that is designed for automotive paint. One that will get off the dirt, salt, bugs, and other debris your car encounters.
• Buffing compound - Depending upon how damaged your paint finish is, you may need multiple compounds to get the finish you are looking for. Many buffing compounds are rated medium and heavy duty, and you might need both to get the job done.
• Buffing Pad - There are multiple materials used for buffing pads, from different density sponges to wool and some microfiber versions. When used with a good buffer and the right buffing compound, these can make a huge difference in your final outcome.
• Polishing Compound - After correcting with a buffing compound, the next step is to apply a polishing compound with the buffer and a soft pad to achieve a finer level of correction.
• Polishing Pad - A polishing pad is the type of pad you use with the polishing compound that you choose. These pads are typically very soft.
• Paint Protectant - Now that you have the paint back to shining like new, it is time to protect it with a high-quality wax.
  • Wax - Car waxes are often formulated around natural ingredients, like carnauba wax, so they don’t last quite as long as sealants and coatings. However, they are excellent at restoring warm shine to painted surfaces and can be applied rather quickly and easily.
  • Sealant - Sealants tend to be polymer-based blends of organic and synthetic materials, providing a cool shine and a level of durability that is unmatched by waxes.
  • Ceramic Coating - Coatings are the longest lasting paint protection solution. They are inorganic formulas that act as a second clear coat and produce an intense gloss. These coatings can be time and labor-intensive to install and can damage paint if applied incorrectly. If you are not a trained professional, we recommend seeking the services of one for this application.

If you don’t want to go out and buy all these products individually, consider picking up a detailing kit and a paint correction kit to get many of the products you will need.

How Do You Remove Oxidation From Paint Finishes?

Isn’t it odd that something we need to survive – oxygen – can be harmful, too? Oxidation is something that causes, amongst other things, the dulling of your paint. It is a chemical change that involves the transfer of electrons, in this case from oxygen, among atoms. The oxygen in the air can cause a breakdown of the molecules in your paint. Oxidation is in all reality, a chemical process where the paint molecules are looking to stabilize with the molecules in the air. This can dull a finish over time. This is why when you see those sweet old barn-find cars that we all wish we could discover, they look faded, despite having been out of the sun and in storage. If there is air, there will be oxidation.

Can you remove oxidation? Certainly. It is much like dealing with UV damage and many of the things we already discussed will also be needed for this step. Don’t worry, it’s something that you can tackle on your own. Here are the basic steps to follow:

1. Decontaminate using pre-wash and specialty cleaners to get the paint free of anything harmful. Remove tough debris by using a clay bar or mitt. Be sure to continually fold and knead your clay bar or rinse your clay mitt to expose clean areas and minimize reintroduction.
2. Wash using a quality car wash. This will help free any remaining contamination and dirt from the paint.
3. Do you Buff or Polish? This really can only be determined based on how severe the oxidation is. If it is really bad, you should strongly consider buffing, polishing and waxing. If it isn’t too bad, and the paint finish is close, then a polish and wax will do the trick, saving you some extra work and time.

Can Faded Paint Be Buffed Out?

Depending upon how much paint is left on the vehicle surface, you should be able to buff out faded paint. This is truer with older cars especially when the paint application was thicker. Not all modern paint jobs give you as much paint to work with. Our best suggestion is to try to buff it first. If, during the process of buffing, you start to notice the paint flaking, or simply not coming out as much as you would like, then it may be time to consider a new paint job, or some other alternative.

We have seen some pretty cool classic vehicles with heavily oxidized and/or faded paint that was buffed down to the primer, or even bare metal in some parts. You can get that cool patina finish, but remember that you will want to wax and seal any bare metal as well as the remaining paint.

A Note On Applying Car Polish By Hand

Yes, it is possible to put your own wax on by hand, but we do not recommend it. Unless your paint is in good condition already, this won’t give you the results you really want. Hand application is not as effective or consistent as machine application. It can give you spots that may look the same as the rest, but in good lighting, can show up very differently than you expect.

What Not to Do

There are a few things floating around the internet that really need to be corrected when it comes to taking care of your paint job. One of the worst tips involves wet sanding. Never use sandpaper to correct your paint, unless you are a trained professional. While you can find YouTube videos showing you “how it’s done,” the end result is often the opposite of what you would hope. You can very easily wind up with a seriously scratched finish that won’t ever be right again. Unless you’ve had the training, leave this one to the professionals. Car painters should know how to sand paint for a better look, and some trained detailers can handle it as well. If you go to a detailer, and they suggest sanding your paint, ask where they learned how to do it right. If they have been properly trained, they should have no problem telling you.

Another thing to not do is use a chemical or product on your vehicle without reading all label instructions and safety information first. We know of one guy who used a buffing compound on his paint. He didn’t read the labels and didn’t see until it was too late that the product was not designed for the application at hand. It completely dulled the finish to the point that he had to opt for a new paint job. It could have been avoided had he read the label.

An Ounce Of Prevention

Once you have restored your paint, you need to keep it that way. The same can be said for a new vehicle, or a new paint job. Prevention is a critical step in the protection of your paint job. Once you have it to the desired finish, you need to follow a few simple steps:

• Keep it clean using the right specialty cleaners and washes
• Keep it covered and out of damaging UV light and weather
• Use a quality paint protectant

Following these steps will give you a paint finish you can be proud of. A car is a big investment, so take the time to wash, correct, and protect the paint as part of your regular maintenance. You will be happier, and see less expenses down the road, if you do.