The PO of my Carmine Red Spit left it out in the sun a lot... uncovered all
year for ten years through frigid Wisconsin winters and blistering hot summers.
Needless to say, the paint is heavily oxidized and dull, especially on the
upper surfaces. I tried a variety of restoratives, polishes, rubbing compounds,
etc. and got bupkis as a result.
Here's the weird part:
A nearly empty motor oil bottle tipped over and spilled some oil on the bonnet.
I quickly grabbed a cloth and wiped up the excess, then proceeded to try to rub
away as much as possible, thinking I could give it a proper wash later. That's
when I noticed the paint under the spill now showed no sign of fading or haze.
It was as dark and shiny as the inside of the boot lid. I then took to
polishing it in earnest, and soon there was no sign of oil, just a nice,
smooth, deep red surface about eight inches in diameter in the middle of my
hazy, dull bonnet. On a lark, I dabbed a bit of liquid wax over half the spot,
and onto the unoiled surface as well. after drying and buffing, the result was
that even with the wax, the unoiled paint looked the same, but the oiled paint
covered with wax was hard, smooth, and glossy with no apparent oil residue. A
week later it still looks great.
Here's the stupid part:
I'm seriously considering treating the entire surface of the vehicle with motor
oil and liquid wax. Does this mean I'm insane? Seriously, can the oil cause any
damage to the paint beyond what the sun has already done? Has anyone
experienced a similar phenomenon?
--
"I don't regret any of the things I've done, just some of the things I wanted
to do, but didn't."
-R. A. Woodward (conn@wctc.net)
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