Need to give my mk2 breadvan bit of a clean up its been in the garage for 3 years now and finally got it out n working , what do i use to get the dull paint back up to standard i haven't a clue on cutting compounds polish or anything really and do i use an electric buffer or by hand any help would be great as i dont want to damage it .

a good t-cut will get the colout back and a wax will protect it

a buffer does the same job as by hand but faster, yourube some t-cut vids. rememeber t-cut and wax leave white streaks on plastic so mask or wipe of right away

Ok so a wax after and mask up plastic trims got you ,some one told me not to use t-cut as it removes alot of paint but does that damage the paint or just remove a fine layer ?

T cut can be a bit vicious, I'd use G3 cutting compound using an electric polisher using a wet mop/sponge

t cut is fairly abrasive

the dead /dull paint your seeing is paint thats had it , to restore the shine and colour the /t cut needs to remove this dead layer to reveal good paint underneath , so yeah it is removing paint each time you use it , so once its shiney you can step down to something like autoglym super resin which is very mild but enough to keep it nice by using say 2-3 times a year with a good wax on top

if its not too bad then try the super resin first ...remember you need to work at it your not just wiping it on and off , stick to a 12" x12" area and work it until its nice then move onto the next and so on

Great cheers guys

I would use meguairs ultimate compound by hand then a good wax to seal it all in should keep it looking nice for a long period.

My car is mars red too but its too far gone so currently repainting it. Be careful compounding your paint as its applied very sparingly and its easy to go through to the white primer if you buff too hard.

I found meguires colour restorer to be fantastic, even by hand it's not much more work than polishing

Used the meguires compound in the end and it worked a treat