TTQ B4U
Well-known member
- Jan 20, 2016
- 5,504
- 70
So a second time visitor to my garage with the second Volvo he has brought me presented me with a challenge. Could I do anything with his 17yr old wagon that would make it look presentable so he could keep it for another 3 or 4 years. I'm not one to turn down a challenge so here's what it was.
He's an avid Volvo fan and has already had a wagon go close to 400k miles (one prior to this one) and swears by changing the oil every 3,000 is the key. Considering this one runs like a champ and is just shy of 300k, he just might be right.
The key to this restoration was reviving the trim, but not just in color, but removing some of the random scratches that plastics get. You'll see some key photos showing the restoration work, even colored trim that is now back to what it was from the factory. This type of detail was also about cleaning up some really badly etched wheels so they aren't yellowed and reviving a metallic silver that currently doesn't have any gloss and what oxidation is present is certainly covering up the metallic flake.
Another request he had was that I order some touch up paint and fix up some scratches and chips, some of which were pretty large and blend them as best I could. NOT my favorite thing to do but I'm getting better at it and anything done will look better than black plastic or primer showing.
Here's what I had to start with. Badly faded and sun-dried trim, globs of glue, dull paint and chips and scratches.
Proof you don't need a ceramic coating to look good and glow. Key is in the prep, to get the paint FULLY decontaminated and ready for the polisher so that regardless of the product, the pad and product are indeed the only thing touching the paint and doing work.
This car was done with a basic one-step All in One (AIO) product. As part of my Basic Polish & Protect package, the goals here are removing oxidation Road grime build-up and scuffs from heavily weather-worn finishes. It is not a paint correction package, but the use of a machine polisher combined with its super-micro abrasive technology polishing agents will smooth out fine blemishes greatly reducing the appearance of swirls & imperfections while brightening the paint’s color to enhance the gloss of the protective sealant.
Shout out to Mother Nature for some great sunshine and blue sky for pics too!
Process here:
He's an avid Volvo fan and has already had a wagon go close to 400k miles (one prior to this one) and swears by changing the oil every 3,000 is the key. Considering this one runs like a champ and is just shy of 300k, he just might be right.
The key to this restoration was reviving the trim, but not just in color, but removing some of the random scratches that plastics get. You'll see some key photos showing the restoration work, even colored trim that is now back to what it was from the factory. This type of detail was also about cleaning up some really badly etched wheels so they aren't yellowed and reviving a metallic silver that currently doesn't have any gloss and what oxidation is present is certainly covering up the metallic flake.
Another request he had was that I order some touch up paint and fix up some scratches and chips, some of which were pretty large and blend them as best I could. NOT my favorite thing to do but I'm getting better at it and anything done will look better than black plastic or primer showing.
Here's what I had to start with. Badly faded and sun-dried trim, globs of glue, dull paint and chips and scratches.
Proof you don't need a ceramic coating to look good and glow. Key is in the prep, to get the paint FULLY decontaminated and ready for the polisher so that regardless of the product, the pad and product are indeed the only thing touching the paint and doing work.
This car was done with a basic one-step All in One (AIO) product. As part of my Basic Polish & Protect package, the goals here are removing oxidation Road grime build-up and scuffs from heavily weather-worn finishes. It is not a paint correction package, but the use of a machine polisher combined with its super-micro abrasive technology polishing agents will smooth out fine blemishes greatly reducing the appearance of swirls & imperfections while brightening the paint’s color to enhance the gloss of the protective sealant.
Shout out to Mother Nature for some great sunshine and blue sky for pics too!
Process here:
- Wash
- Iron X
- Nano Mitt Medium
- Mineral Spirits used to wipe down tar, etc
- 3M Adhesive remover
- Flex 3401 and XCE Polishers with Lake Country Orange Hybrid Force and Flat Pads combined with HD Speed as the AIO.
- Solution Finish
- Griot's Wheel Cleaner
- Meg's Hyperdressing
- GYEON's new Quick View Glass Treatment
