I've been trying to improve the paint on my black Subaru.[&:] It is used all winter in the salt/sand/snow and has suffered from being parked at the campground under the pine trees.

The black paint has gold metalic in it and it never looks good. I have some swirls and scratches some deep, some not so. This Sunday I have free time so I'm thinking of polishing and waxing. I've used ScratchX and polish several times and worry that I am working the clear coat right off. Should I just synthetic wax it and call it done?



(try to ignore the dent)

 

the scratchX wont wear the clear off, you don't have anything to worry about there, espcially if you're applying it only by hand. if you don't want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a polisher then heres what i'd do by hand if i was you, in this order.

wash with your favorite car wash soap, plus *some* dawn dish soap
treat sap spots with lacquer thinner
rewash with favorite car wash soap
clay
rinse
wax


you can add the scratchX in before the wax if you'd like, but personally i think the results yeilded from applying the scratchX by hand just is not worth the time

 

laquer thinner? same thing as terpintine?