1994 Mazda Miata Paint Correction Detail

A DETAIL TO REMEMBER

A good friend and client of mine told me he picked up a 1994 Mazda Miata in red (honestly, it was more pink than red) that just needed a good wax (not a “detail”). He said it was in pretty good condition and thought that wax would bring it back to life. Over the years I’ve learned that whenever anyone says it, “just needs a good wax,” that really means it needs deep wet sanding, 3 stage compound and polish and a once in a life time gift from god to bring the paint back to life. I told him I need to see the car first before we jump into detailing it.



So I had him bring the car by and I saw how rough the car really was. What we decided to do was to bring the car as much back to life with about 4 hours worth of detailing. The car is very small so I figured, why not. Best bang for the buck he wanted. So with my goal of 4 hours, I went immediately work. I only snapped a handful of photos but they get the point across and show the work that was involved.

This is before correction but after washing and clay barring the entire car:

The client had the intentions of replacing the front bumper and rear trim piece. They literally had no paint left on them but I cleaned them up enough so that the car was presentable. He just wanted the car to look a little bit better than its current condition.

And here are the completed and also some 50/50 shots. The hood of the car was in the worst condition (besides the paintless bumper)

Overall the client, and his wallet, were extremely happy with the final product. The bumper wa looking much better for the time being and the rest of the car was no longer pink. For the time spent, I was very happy with the finish. I felt I could do more but there really was not much paint left. I also wanted to fill in the scratches but the client did not want to bother so I let it slide.