Meguiar's Ultimate Compound or Similar?

Hi - I have never taken care of the outside of my 2001 car, and now I have white “algae bloom” like spots on my car. I assume this is oxidation?



Anyway, I was going to get some Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound to get rid of it, then condition the paint and wax it.



My question is, do I need to use the compound everywhere, or only where the problem areas are?



Thanks so much!

The blossoms on your car are not on top of the paint, they’re where the paint used to be. What’s left there is what’s left of the paint job. You must live in the south. 8 years in the sun unprotected will do that to a paintjob.

The only way to restore it at this point is a respray. MAACO has “executive specials” for $249 that really work great for this type of thing, at least at the shop in my area. They provide a great cosmetic pick-me-up and a layer of new protection. Once that cures (ask them how long it’ll take) you’ll need to learn to wax or it’ll go bad again in a few short years.

You’re exactly right, I did live in the south all that time. I’ll look into a paint job.

Once it has cured, what kind of wax do you recommend? I don’t need it to be showroom-quality, just something that is economical and will protect the new paint job…?

Thank you for the advice!

We’ve had threads on what type of wax is better, and comsumer publications have done comparisons. The end result is that any brand-name wax will work great, and they all have to be used periodically. Typically paste wax lasts longer, but it’s much harder to use so it doesn’t get done as often.

Everyone here has their favorites. Personally I like NuFinish. But they’re all good.

Many thanks! I’ll pick some wax up soon, so my husband can hopefully learn from my mistake and not have this happen to his car.

Thanks again!