Red Paint question

[reeeko99]

I've detailed a couple of Red cars lately and both had replaced rear bumpers/ Repainted.

Obviously the paint has faded or oxidized.

I worked one bumper both via multiple passes with SSR 2.5 / orange cutting pad and XMT # 4 / megs Polish pad via PC. Speed of 5 - 6.
I got the surface better, but it did nothing for the look of the red, it still had a dingy look to it
( oxidized? )almost.
Normally I have decent luck with SSR 2.5 bringing back a glossy look to most neglected surfaces.

Is this from the paint under the clear coat being faded ?

Any thoughts as to how to bring back that gloss look ?
Is this a trait of a poor paint job or the paint on fiberglass/ plastic bumpers?

Thanks

[budman3]

Well the pigment in the red paint is most apt to oxidize than any other color. It requires the most protection unless it'll oxidize.

I like to recommend using a paint cleaner on oxidation before using any type of abrasive polish. Klasse AIO and Poorboy's Pro Polish are two chemical paint cleaners that'll be useful, if you have them, or for future reference. This way you can clean up all of the 'dead' paint before using abrasives, which would hinder the ability to polish and to clean up the oxidation.

I'm not sure if this is the case for your situation but it's something to try out. I don't know how to tell if it is under the paint or not ... if it is, theres no chance of bringing it back.

[Pete]

Budman is right about red: this is also why it's so tough to match when doing a repaint.

This could be a factor if you were saying the reds didn't match, but I more suspect lesser quality prep or material as the culprit.

If I read your post correctly, you're seeing improvement on the shine, but just a lame red...correct?

[reeeko99]

Thanks guys.

I'll try some of my bottle of Megs MPPC or AIO to see if that cleans the paint up.
I suspect in both cases it was a lesser quality prep job as Pete mentioned.

Yes, i improved the shine, but the paint looked dead. ( lame )

[Pete]

Pictures always help in this case...not sure if you have that option on your end

Also, do you have a magnifying glass of any sort? Get up close on the bumper paint and see if you detect any crazing, cracking, or other defects that might be hampering the shine.

[reeeko99]

I'll have to take some pics when my daughter brings her car around again.

Usually for a wash and oil change....

To me, some of the spots looked faded or the paint is disappearing under the clear as the bumper wraps around the back to the wheel wells.

[Dream Machines]

to get more shine, use non abrasive chemical polishes and glazes
I like to use driven to perfection auto polish and ultra gloss superpolish by hand on red's.

UG works wonders on reds.