my '95 xlt is medium willow green metallic with clearcoat - it has the usual nicks and dings but has never been in a wreck - other than scraping a concrete pillar in a parking garage (beer was involved) - but the paint has held up great considering that i have never waxed it or had it detailed (well - i did try that scratch fix stuff where that pillar attacked my explorer but it did not help - the scratches are too deep and the product settled in the scratches and looks worse than before)
i decided that it needs some love so i ordered some touchup paint and repair kit - from my reading here i learned that prep will make or break paint - so i bought some 'wax and grease remover' to get the surface clean
the kit i bought has a filler, primer, paint, clearcoat and 'ultra finishing compound' - it also has a foam sanding block and sandpaper (1500 grit i think)
i watched the video on the web site of the guy using the product but i'm spooked about doing it
first the wax and grease remover - it says it 'cleans and degreases metal, plastic and fiberglass surfaces' - the brand is prep-all made by klean-strip - it says not to use it on freshly painted surfaces - it also says to leave it on 4-6 minutes - is this stuff meant to be used on paint or will it damage the paint?
my next question is about the filler - the guy on the video used it to repair a small chip in the paint on a black truck - but i am not sure how deep the scratch or chip has to be before it needs filling - i don't want to muck this up any more than i already had planned - how much space is filled by the primer, paint and clear? should i try using it?
my last question is about using sandpaper on a finish - that just seems to go against all logic - the guy on the video used it between the filler, primer, paint and clear - then used the rubbing compound - it seemed to remove the mess he made of the surrounding paint - but i think it was a camera trick - is the 1500 grit paper what i should use?
my original plan was to use the ballpoint touchup paint in the scratches and chips - that was to take 10 minutes - then i came here for research - which got me to buy back-to-black, a clay bar (that i will have to wait 30 days to use) and a synthetic wax - i also got some rubbing compound for any surface scratches that the clay can't help with
thanks for any advice or direction
i decided that it needs some love so i ordered some touchup paint and repair kit - from my reading here i learned that prep will make or break paint - so i bought some 'wax and grease remover' to get the surface clean
the kit i bought has a filler, primer, paint, clearcoat and 'ultra finishing compound' - it also has a foam sanding block and sandpaper (1500 grit i think)
i watched the video on the web site of the guy using the product but i'm spooked about doing it
first the wax and grease remover - it says it 'cleans and degreases metal, plastic and fiberglass surfaces' - the brand is prep-all made by klean-strip - it says not to use it on freshly painted surfaces - it also says to leave it on 4-6 minutes - is this stuff meant to be used on paint or will it damage the paint?
my next question is about the filler - the guy on the video used it to repair a small chip in the paint on a black truck - but i am not sure how deep the scratch or chip has to be before it needs filling - i don't want to muck this up any more than i already had planned - how much space is filled by the primer, paint and clear? should i try using it?
my last question is about using sandpaper on a finish - that just seems to go against all logic - the guy on the video used it between the filler, primer, paint and clear - then used the rubbing compound - it seemed to remove the mess he made of the surrounding paint - but i think it was a camera trick - is the 1500 grit paper what i should use?
my original plan was to use the ballpoint touchup paint in the scratches and chips - that was to take 10 minutes - then i came here for research - which got me to buy back-to-black, a clay bar (that i will have to wait 30 days to use) and a synthetic wax - i also got some rubbing compound for any surface scratches that the clay can't help with
thanks for any advice or direction
