Restoring paint work on a 3E5

[glimited]

Afternoon all,
I'm after abit of advice really. I've got a slightly faded 3E5 MR2, not quite pink, but definitely faded. I know it can be restored to it's former glory, i just don't know how to do it. Would anyone be able to recommend to advice or products on restoring it from experience? I'd probably plan to spend a full weekend doing it and protecting it for the winter months. I'm guessing the usual, 2 bucket method wash, clay, polish, wax?

Any help/advice i'd appreciate a lot.

Thanks

[Harv23]

Get some g3 and machine polisher lots of water and careful. polish will do it on its own but won't last I all ways use auto glym super resin and then extra gloss or if not up for the machine polisher then use there restorer as well not sure there the right names but close enough

[Harv23]

Just to add it hasn't actually fadeded the lacquer has oxidised

[tsango]

I bought a faded oxidised red 1998 Rev 5 MR2 earlier this year. Terrible water spotting on it too.

I bought a Meguiers DA Polishing machine and I started off using Meguiers Ultimate Compound but that wasn't strong enough. I then went on to good old fashioned T-Cut. That seemed to have a better effect.

I then polished it using Meguiers Crystal Polish and final coat of Meguiers Wax.

I noticed that the oxidisation comes back though especially on the spoiler and bonnet.

I have heard that G3 is good but I actually think my paint has just had it. A body shop reckoned it had really faded when you compared the paint with the inside of the door ect.

I am going to get a full respray done in the next couple of years.

[tsango]

Just to add it hasn't actually fadeded the lacquer has oxidised

The red cars never had a lacquer layer - I believe anyway.

[Harv23]

They did have a lacquer as mine started to come off hence y I'm respraying

[alanmr2turbo]

Just to add it hasn't actually fadeded the lacquer has oxidised

The red cars never had a lacquer layer - I believe anyway.

REV1's did for sure

[tsango]

Just to add it hasn't actually fadeded the lacquer has oxidised

The red cars never had a lacquer layer - I believe anyway.

REV1's did for sure

Pretty sure Super Red 3E5 wasn't used until Rev 4/5 though.

The main reason I say this is because

a) if you look at paint in Halfords for Super Red 3E5 then it says that no lacquer is required

b) loads of reds is on pads when it's cut/compounded

c) the body shop I went to said there was no lacquer on the paint.

[MR2HOT]

Ive just bought a 1995 Rev 3 and that is super red paint code 3E5.

[Harv23]

The red cars never had a lacquer layer - I believe anyway.

REV1's did for sure

Pretty sure Super Red 3E5 wasn't used until Rev 4/5 though.

The main reason I say this is because

a) if you look at paint in Halfords for Super Red 3E5 then it says that no lacquer is required

b) loads of reds is on pads when it's cut/compounded

c) the body shop I went to said there was no lacquer on the paint.

Mine says 3e5 on chassie plate and is a rev2 and halfords has a super red 2 and a 3e5 should be same colour but it isn't and halfords paints r 1k

[MR2HOT]

Also just to add from my experience on red cars ive always found the turtle wax colour restorer polish works really well, then go over the top of that with some wax, that always done wonders on my old red mr2 and i plan on using it on the one ive just bought too.

[glimited]

From what i've been told MR2's didn't come lacquered. But after looking over my car i can see lacquer peel, but whether or not that is from a bad re-spray I'm not too sure. I've had a friend quickly rub in some leftover G3 onto a small spot and it seemed to of worked wonders. I'd probably use some of that as it's highly rated.

[Harv23]

Lacquer peel is a very common problem on Toyota's (Mainly imports) they can't all be resprays of around that age anyway think i read some where that because of different climate or something todo with that

[ryan]

I had to get my rev3 super red 3E5 resprayed as it had faded too much, polishing got it back ok for a couple of weeks, but 2500 quid later it was like a new car

[Super_red]

No clear laqure on my Rev2. The red paint is the laqure. Be carefull with the DA polishers, the paste is abrasive. Mine has been polished through to the primer in 2 places by a previous owner.

[Nails]

There's no lacquer on them or they wouldn't fade. And if you polishing it back to red buit its coming back in weeks then you haven't polished it right and its the fillers in the polishers making it look red, the fillers then wash off leaving you back to square one.
Do it properly and look after it and it will stay red.

[tsango]

I had to get my rev3 super red 3E5 resprayed as it had faded too much, polishing got it back ok for a couple of weeks, but 2500 quid later it was like a new car

How far did the car get stripped back? Did they put a lacquer on it?

I am going to get mine re-sprayed. I am even considering a different colour. Maybe gunmetal.

Thing is, it will probably cost an extra £1500 as the engine would have to come out and all the gubbins under the bonnet would have to come out. Huge job!

Hmmmm, might just go for Red again!!

[ryan]

I had to get my rev3 super red 3E5 resprayed as it had faded too much, polishing got it back ok for a couple of weeks, but 2500 quid later it was like a new car

How far did the car get stripped back? Did they put a lacquer on it?

I am going to get mine re-sprayed. I am even considering a different colour. Maybe gunmetal.

Thing is, it will probably cost an extra £1500 as the engine would have to come out and all the gubbins under the bonnet would have to come out. Huge job!

Hmmmm, might just go for Red again!!

They took spoiler off, all windows out, that was 10 years ago now.
Not sure on the laquer but they used Dupont paint super red 2 b shade (blue shade)

[Harv23]

Faded

Lacquer peel

H reg

Not my car but had same prob just not as bad and maybe mine and this 1 had been resprayed And others I have seen like it (something u look for when it's happened to yours) and that's where the peel come from but mine didn't look like it had been resprayed maybe imports and uk cars had different paint?

[Rob66]

Pretty sure they are all lacquered best way to tell apply a polish with a white pad. If the cloth picks up colour from the car there is no lacquer (clear coat) my rev2 zircon, rev5 black and current rev3 all had lacquer

Oxidization can be polished out of single coat to a degree but will return if not protected. With lacquer you can only polish the lacquer which is ok if that is where the problem is but if the paint below has faded your a little stuck for options I'm afraid.