Detailing & paint protection

[Paulie68]

lol,.... no

+ when using products like Ceramic coating wax or even stuff like polymers. Dont breath that stuff,.. it will turn your lungs into bricks.... just saying.

Btw i just did my 21 years old toyota Corolla (2000)
To deliver to the dealer... in exchange for EHS
(wax stripped , washed , clayed and waxed and tires blackend)

Bearing in mind what a dealer will do with a 21 year old car, that might have been a lot of work for nothing I think!

 

[Paulie68]

Paulie, it’s kept on my drive and has been hand washed (2 bucket method). It’s micro scratches & swirl marks I’m seeing and I know they’re not me as my wash strokes are all horizontal. I think it’s basically the way the car was prepared by the dealer/MG and they’ve waxed it to a sheen and now the wax as worn off and imperfections are showing.

To be clear it’s nothing major, I just want my “as new” sheen back

I think you have it, crappy dealer prep, masked with "filler" type wax treatment that's now worn off.

 

[VenumX]

Bearing in mind what a dealer will do with a 21 year old car, that might have been a lot of work for nothing I think!

Yeah I know.... But here in Belgium your car gets put on a platform for export shipping and it goes to the highest bidder....so my work might just get me more money for the car....if it doesn't....I still held up my part of the deal and delivered a pristine 21 year old car.

 

[Paulie68]

Yeah I know.... But here in Belgium your car gets put on a platform for export shipping and it goes to the highest bidder....so my work might just get me more money for the car....if it doesn't....I still held up my part of the deal and delivered a pristine 21 year old car.

Ah... fair enough, here in UK, it would most likely get picked up by the recycler the dealer has a contract with for a couple of hundred quid!

 

[VenumX]

Paulie, it’s kept on my drive and has been hand washed (2 bucket method). It’s micro scratches & swirl marks I’m seeing and I know they’re not me as my wash strokes are all horizontal. I think it’s basically the way the car was prepared by the dealer/MG and they’ve waxed it to a sheen and now the wax as worn off and imperfections are showing.

To be clear it’s nothing major, I just want my “as new” sheen back

Aussie: like I said , I think the MG paint and clear coat is a very thin one,....
I would try to stay off it with buffing machines. Just try getting some Meguiar's compound and polish.
Also get some microfibre towels and some applying pads. (The pads dont have to be from Meguiar's, they are too expensive , perhaps checkout AliExpress for the yellow pads, when dooing bug panels try searching for the big red or black pads)
And try buffing your paint up by hand.
Meguiar's compound and polish are without fillers. So when tiny scratches are buffed out , they are gone.

 

[JohnB]

Paulie, it’s kept on my drive and has been hand washed (2 bucket method). It’s micro scratches & swirl marks I’m seeing and I know they’re not me as my wash strokes are all horizontal. I think it’s basically the way the car was prepared by the dealer/MG and they’ve waxed it to a sheen and now the wax as worn off and imperfections are showing.

To be clear it’s nothing major, I just want my “as new” sheen back

As VenumX said - it's a labour of love. A bit of care and a great deal of patience can restore it to "better than new". The quicker you try to achieve this the more chance to knacker it up. Slow and gentle can bring it up like a mirror. Don't forget though, that you'll be looking to do this 2 or 3 times a year. The "As new look" doesn't last long without a good deal of care and attention to keep it that way.