More newbie detailing questions

[the_player]

Well after an afternoon getting to grips with a clay bar I have certainly seen the light in terms of cleaning a car properly. I have however now unearthed a couple of other problems that I was after some advice on how to deal with the following issues (see pics!)

- There seems to be a horrible matt type discolouration above the exhaust pipe that the clay wont shift - any ideas ?
- There are a couple of deepish scratches right under the bumper that again need more than a bit of clay (touch up paint ?)
- Whats best to get the exhaust tip nice and shiny again ?

 

[crockers]

I used wonder wheels on my chrome exhaust tip and it came up a treat

 

[television]

The exhaust tips will get clean with T cut or simalar

Is it possible that the dull spot is where someone has tried to touch it up,,

 

[the_player]

Hmm possibly, I was thinking of maybe trying t-cut although I don't know if this is a bit too harsh ??

Whats the usual approach for something that has gone like this... ?

I could always let the car get dirty again and then it will dissapear!!

 

[stats007]

T-Cut then Autoglym Metal Polish for the exhaust.

Hard to tell what the dull patch is - reaction to heat? protective film? T-Cut marks?!

 

[Ratz]

T-Cut is fine on your exhaust, but I would say it can be a bit harsh on paintwork.

For your dull area of paint have you tried polishing & waxing yet or is it just after the claying stage? I would try to establish whether your dull spot is due to a lack of laquer before setting to it with anything abrasive. I am not certain how to establish this really, maybe someone else has a suggestion, I would just feel the paint and see if it was obviously different from the laquered paint around it.

If you are confident that it's just the laquer which has lost its gloss you may want to try something like http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polish/clearkote-compound-moose/prod_134.html which is a polish & mild cut in one as a first hit, if it doesn't work then escalate to something more abrasive.