I just finished removing a lot of oxidation from the top of my '78 240D with rubbing compound. How can I protect the paint from further oxidation in the future? Thanks

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'81 300SD

Once paint has oxidized, it will forever want to re-oxidize. Applying some cleaner wax and then a top coat of something shiny will help after rubbing compound. Also, keeping the car out of direct sunlight helps the most. At this point you are maintaining whats left of the paint, and taking care of oxidation as it reappears.

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http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-RESIZED-1.jpg
1991 300E - 212K and rising fast...

I swear, that claying a car, and doing a serious polishing afterwards with rubbing compound, will re-melt and flow the surface of the paint on a microscopic scale and leave less surface area to re-oxidize.

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86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm

If we are talking a real polisher here (rotary), then yes, I agree.

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http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-RESIZED-1.jpg
1991 300E - 212K and rising fast...

A synthetic polymer wax or sealant will hold up best to weather. Reapply every 2-3 months.
3M has good product as does Mothers and McGuires.
An old favorite of mine woth trying is TR3 Resin Glaze. I use it for all types of hand work, cars boats and bikes.

For auto pain restoring there's nothing like a wool wheel with polishing compound, followed by a sealer/glaze/swirl remover and a fine wool wheel, and then a topcoat of wax or sealant. The modern iteration of this is the foam polishing wheels. I have never taken the step up to these techniques, but the pros and body shops use them exclusively. I still use carnuba was as a topcoat on the cars, but it washes off and dries out within a few weeks.

You might review Griott's Garage, and topoftheline.com for a good source of detailing supplies. The latter has a product called TERMINATOR, a polymer paint sealant - very happy with results on the fiberglass sides of my motorhome.

My favorite detailing and polishing products has always been 3M, but the competitors products seem to be just as good. In the marine world they swear by COLONITE waxes and polishes.

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Chris Brown
"OC", So-Cal
1979 240D, 122K, 4spd, Colorado Biege w/Tobacco, Pwr Roof, AC, Cruise, Becker Corona - SOLD
Past Benzos: 71 250 • 83 240D • 84 190E • 04 C240 • 11 GLK350 • 13 c250 Coupe
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...ine=1276896801

JohnM. is correct. Coatings will forever oxidize.

There is only one way of reducing visible oxidation: use a base/clear system. Now the clearcoat will oxidize. We live in an oxidizing atmosphere, and no amount of wax, sealant, etc. will stop it. (Every one I or other associates tested actually accelerated the oxidation process, not retarded it.) You will have oxidation of the clear coat, but it takes many years for that to be visible. Also there are UV absorbers and hindered amine light stabilizers that are added to clearcoats to protect the coatings and pigments from UV damage.

Clearcoat is the only relatively pernament sealer of a car's color layer.

Remelt and reflow the coating with a DA orbiter? Not likely. What is probably happening is you are removing more of the oxidized surface and have more previously unexposed paint visible. More unweathered paint is visible; it is then a longer period of time before oxidation is noticeable. Rubbing and polishing compounds work by removing the damaged surface layer, not by melting in a coating. Rubbing compounds and the numerous waxes, polishes and other materials used in detailing are not designed to dissolve the coating. I have seen when that has happened when a wax unintentionally melted the coating--you would not like the result. Toyota did not also, and they were hoppin' mad about that problem.

With an old fashioned lacquer, you may be able to melt in and reflow since the polymer does not chemically change upon curing. Since I rarely worked with lacquers, I do not really know even if those could be remelted.

I actually doubt it with the type of materials in used in automotive lacquer, but it may be possible. The material is very different from shellac used in French polishing. Shellac has much lower molecular weight, which makes it easier to redisolve. French polishing also uses alcohol, which is an excellent solvent for shellac. That is the only painting technique that I know of that uses a remelt application method.

Even wet sanding of phenolic varnishes of brightwork on wooden boats has no amount of reconstitution of the top surface layer: you are just sanding it smooth and reapplying until the top layer is nearly perfect in smoothness.

Modern OEM coatings (since the 1960's) are reactive and would be too large and interconnected for a remelt of the surface. As I said earlier, you do not want that to happen.

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2010 Toyota matrix

'93 500 SEL
Well, I sold it. Just got to be too much to keep up with.
First time I haven't owned a MB since 1983.

'12 Volvo S80 T6
Needed something that wasn't as hard to deal with as my bad addiction

'18 Mazda Miata
No more boring cars for everyday transport!

a proper polishing with a polishing DA can really help.. followed by a wax and then sealer.

If you want to warm the paint while doing it use a rotary but you need to know what you are doing