advice on a spruce up
 

hello all,
i just recently got a 96 mustang(v6) and i believe it is lazer red(it is a kind of deep red) even though it is prob. original paint it looks like it has held up pretty good. on a bright day you can tell a slight difference in the color between the drivers side door to the front and the back quarterpanel. slightly different shade of red so i don't know if it has been partly painted or what the deal is. also has the usual chips here and there and the scratches that comes with being 12 years old. my question is what is the best product that will greatly upgrade or improve the appearance of the paint and cover up minor scuffs? i have put some alteezza tail lights on the back and re-tinted the back window and i want to buff up the paint since it is not really damaged, or fading(other than the back quarterpanel and the back bumper), or peeling anywhere. i bought some of the red turtlewax colored wax and it is ok but not really impressed. it seems like it doesn't do much for the scatches and swirl marks when the sun is shining on it. also is it worth putting on more than one or two coats of wax? does it get any better after the second coat?

all imputs are appreciated i know everone has there own opinions on waxes and they have prob. been posted before, but specifically for my case i would like to know what yall think.

just added the pics you can kind of see what i am talking about the rear quarter is a slight lighter it looks like. the dip in the bumper on the driver side i think is from someone backing up into something. the main reason for the tail lights is that the backup lens was busted on the old one so i am thinking about pulling the bumper cover off and maybe bondo to reshape the damaged styrofoam that is prob causing the dip. that sould raise it back up to normal if i shaped it to match the other side. any ideas on that let me know.

I'd lose the lights. WAY too rice. Stick with the stocks. I'd say throw some wheels on that bad boy. : D As far as wax, two coats never hurts. Is is for sure never going to cover scratches. only a shop can fill those in

get a cheap macco paint job/rims/ stock lights.

lose the lights other then that looks good for stock.

and red for the win!!!! i think we out number white now.:D

Only if they are too deep to be properly polished or wet sanded.

That door for sure has been repainted, no big deal. However without a polisher like a portercable, rotory, flex machine you will not by hand be able to really get rid of the oxidation in your paint. If you want to detail it and make it look better there are a lot of good products that you can get only on the internet. The stuff in the stores isnt that great, but there are some decent products you buy over the counter. So the next question would be do you want over the counter stuff or more expensive products that only are sold online.

If you want cheaper store items you can get a decent clay bar,polish, and wax or sealant in stores. But it wont get rid of that oxidation as you can't polish good enough by hand unless your god?

As others have said get rid of those tails, they are blinding my judgment right now!

damn, i was worried about the lights when i ordered them but when i put them on i was happy with them. i just dropped 75$ for them and i am not about to put a busted stock back on so i guess they will stay for a while. i appreciate all the opinions though. i think if they were not smoked they would definately be way too "rice", but i really don't think they are that bad and the smoked lens blend well with the tinted windows. as far as the paint i think the quarterpanel was the one touched up because the front of the car and other side all match its just the quarterpanel that is lighter. i will prob. get a clay bar and give it a try maybe this weekend. its just so damn hot outside these days. im in texas and it was 102 today(that's what they predicted but i have not seen what it actually was). i work outside all day and when i am off i tend to enjoy air conditioning. any other ideas on over the counter products are greatly appreciated. i will be looking back later, so keep them opinions comming:)