How do you bring old paint back to life.

[vping]

My latest pick up of a BMW 535I has been sitting for 5 years and was covered in a moss like green stuff. I've washed it off but the paint is dry looking and there is some eveidence of the moss still there. A little dirty still and kind of an impression of the moss. I can't really scrub it out so what is the best attack on it? I should specify - what can I do out in the garge about it? What waxes or machines should I use. Should I just splurge and take it to a detail shop? How much could it be? The body it not perfect but hey, I'd have a few rock chips in me after 18 years too.

Here is what it looked like before.

 

[tony barnhill]

Paint?
seriously, after you get it pretty clean, give it to a professional detailer & have him buff it.

 

[vping]

That's what I was thinking but I need to source this out around here.

 

[Steve_S]

Yikes! PC will surely chime in here and it's going to be a long explaination of the process. In short, you will have to get the proper type of polishing tool (dual action rotary, not a buffer) and some fairly aggressive cutting compound. I don't know how you're going to get embedded moss out of the paint. Normally I use clay to remove contaminants but they're microscopic, not chunks!

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Yikes! is right! Looks like a "Katrina" car!

I think you need to leave this one to the professionals - at least that's what I'd do!

 

[vping]

It's got pin striping on it as well which I hope not to loose. So I hope a pro knows what to do.

It's really on the top surfaces that have been mostly effected by the moss/sap/sun. The sides that were covered with the heaviest of moss are not bad and do shine up perfectly.

 

[GregW]

Maybe a bottle of Roundup and stop buying from Moss. I didn't know they even sold BMW stuff.

 

[vping]

I was thinking about naming it MOSS.

 

[PC]

Zowie, moss on cars ain’t something we see a lot of in SoCal.

When you say “impression of the moss” is that mainly visible? Or do you feel chunks? Or is the surface just rough feeling?

Like Steve said, after a good wash the next step would normally be to clay the finish to remove bonded contaminants. After that, the surface is exposed and you can evaluate the condition to decide how to proceed.

But if it looks like more than you want to tackle a good detailer is worth the investment. The key is to find a <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">good</span></span> one. There are lots of hack detailers out there.

If you do want to DIY you’ll need to experiment a little bit. No two jobs are exactly alike. Some paints are easy to work. Others aren’t. And every old car has its own unique history.


PC.

 

[AngliaGT]

Try a small spot with Turtle Wax polishing compound.
It's worth a try,& fairly cheap.

- Doug

 

[Dave Richards]

Try a small spot with Turtle Wax polishing compound.
It's worth a try,& fairly cheap.

- Doug

Or, try a clay bar, just to see what it takes off.

On the other hand, throw that piece of junk away, I'll send someone over with a trailer...

 

[BIBBER]

vping...you better have an entire case of elbow grease and that may not even pull it back...I watched a show on the tube where they wet sanded by hand and buffed out a pretty sad case of oxidation but depending how deep that has penetrated the paint a strip and respray may be the only option...keep us posted...

 

[mccalebr]

I recently provided this link to a page on polishing on my web site for someone else that was trying to bring back a long gone finish; you might want to check out the method I used:

https://www.raysmg.com/rays_mg_midget_small_projects_polishing.htm

Ray

 

[vping]

Zowie, moss on cars ain’t something we see a lot of in SoCal.

When you say “impression of the moss” is that mainly visible? Or do you feel chunks? Or is the surface just rough feeling?

Like Steve said, after a good wash the next step would normally be to clay the finish to remove bonded contaminants. After that, the surface is exposed and you can evaluate the condition to decide how to proceed.

But if it looks like more than you want to tackle a good detailer is worth the investment. The key is to find a <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">good</span></span> one. There are lots of hack detailers out there.

If you do want to DIY you’ll need to experiment a little bit. No two jobs are exactly alike. Some paints are easy to work. Others aren’t. And every old car has its own unique history.


PC.

It's kinda like if you painted something and then put a paper towel on top of the drying paint. It leaves an impression. I think that a slightly agressive rubbing will take it out but I do not want to break throught to the primer so I will probably give it to a detailer.

Try a small spot with Turtle Wax polishing compound.
It's worth a try,& fairly cheap.

- Doug

Or, try a clay bar, just to see what it takes off.

On the other hand, throw that piece of junk away, I'll send someone over with a trailer...

Hey it's actually looking much better. Has lots of potential. Don't worry I'm not being swayed by the germans. My wife always wanted a beemer and for what I paid I could not pass it up.

 

[vping]

Another name is possibly "The beemer from the black lagoon"

 

[Dave Richards]

Another name is possibly "The beemer from the black lagoon"

:lol:

 

[PAUL161]

Hmmm, as bad as it was, it looks great, but for the color, I like "Mossy Red", has a very distinctive sound.

 

[vping]

Except for some sand on the floor mat and cob webs everywhere, the interior held up really well. Still has and intense smell of leather.

 

[PC]

“Now I remember, honey. We parked the Beemer right over there.”

 

[Tinster]

I'm of the opinion that stuff ain't moss but rather
looks like garden variety algae. I'd bathe a small
section with Chlorox and see what happens.

d