[Khan]

Thinking about picking up NanoPolix for my old Civic that’s been parked under trees for a year. The paint feels rough and looks dull, not really scratched. Will this cloth do anything for that kind of surface or is it just for small scratches? Not expecting a full restoration, just want to know if it’s worth trying before I buy. Anyone used it on neglected paint?

[Lily___]

It won’t fix paint that’s been sitting under trees for a year. That kind of dull, rough surface usually needs a real polish or clay bar first. The cloth is more for light scuffs and marks.

[Tom C]

I’d still grab it. My dad’s truck sat for about 8 months under a pine and the cloth pulled a decent amount of the haze off, way more than I figured it would. It won’t bring back real gloss but it’s not useless on neglected paint either.

[Nina_gadget]

Probably just a waste of money on that.

[Tom in NYC]

Never used NanoPolix on something that far gone. My neighbor’s car sat for about a year and a half and he tried a similar cloth, got some shine back but the rough texture stayed. If the surface feels like sandpaper you’re probably looking at clear coat damage, not something a cloth fixes. For the price it’s not a huge gamble I guess.

[Jordan Hayes]

Every car that’s been under trees for a year is different, so I wouldn’t write it off just because most people here say it won’t do much. My sister’s old Camry had that same rough dull look and the cloth actually did more than I expected, pulled a lot of the grime haze off in a few passes. It didn’t turn it into a show car obviously but the difference was noticeable enough that she was happy with it. That said, if the surface is really rough like sandpaper, the cloth alone probably isn’t going to cut through all of that. It’s more of a surface level thing. For a cheap pickup before you commit to real detailing, it’s not a bad gamble.

[TommyWires]

Cloth won’t cut through a year of tree sap.

[Tom 2020]

Everyone here acts like a year outside is a death sentence. I picked up one of those cloths for a Camry that sat even longer and it actually did more than I expected on the dull parts. Not showroom, but it’s not useless either. Just don’t expect it to eat through crusted sap.

[Jamie Kell]

Rough and dull usually means oxidation, not scratches, and that’s actually where these cloths do their best work. I used one on a car that sat through two winters and it brought back some shine, though the tree sap spots were still there. For the price it’s worth a shot before you pay someone to buff it.

[Kelly Sun]

From what I’ve seen, those cloths tend to do more on paint that’s dull from sitting than people give them credit for, but the rough texture is the part I’d be skeptical about. A cloth can wipe away surface grime and maybe brighten things up a bit, but if the paint actually feels like sandpaper, that’s usually a layer of contamination sitting on top, and no cloth is really going to scrub that off properly.

I’d still say it’s worth a shot if you’re not expecting miracles, mainly because it’s cheap and you can always return it. Just clean the car really well first, because rubbing a cloth over gritty paint is a good way to add fine scratches you didn’t have before. If the roughness is mostly dirt and sap, washing and maybe a bit of clay would help way more than polishing. If the paint is genuinely dull underneath all that, then the cloth has something to work with. So it’s kind of a two step thing for me.

[Chris Patrick]

I grabbed one for my truck that sat under a pine for about eight months. It brought back a decent shine on the hood, which surprised me. The rough spots stayed rough though. For the price, worth a shot on a beater.

[Emma Ray]

Mine sat outside for about six months while I was dealing with some stuff and the paint had that same rough, chalky feel. I tried one of these cloths on a small section of the roof first because I figured if it messed anything up it wouldn’t be super obvious. It actually smoothed out the roughness pretty well and brought back some color. Not showroom shiny or anything, but it stopped looking like a chalkboard. What surprised me was how much dirt and dead paint came off on the cloth itself. I went through the whole car after that and it took a while but the difference was noticeable. The rough texture was the part it handled best honestly. Deeper stuff under the surface it won’t touch. Worth a shot on a section first though before committing to the whole car.

[Tom Brown]

A year under trees is a different beast than just dull paint. I’ve seen that combo before and there’s usually a layer of sap and grime baked on that no cloth is going to cut through cleanly. If the surface feels rough, that’s your hand telling you there’s contamination sitting on top, not just faded paint underneath. Rubbing a cloth over that is basically dragging that junk around and hoping for the best.

I get wanting a cheap fix before buying, but this is where I’d pump the brakes. A cloth like this is fine for light stuff, the kind of mark you get from a branch or a careless key. Sitting outside for a year collecting tree droppings is a whole different category. You’d probably need to decontaminate and clay first, and even then the result depends on how far the paint has actually gone.

Most of the time people try these cloths on neglected paint and walk away disappointed because they expected the cloth to fix neglect. It doesn’t. It polishes a surface that’s already in decent shape. Yours isn’t, by your own description. So no, I wouldn’t buy it expecting this to be the answer. Fix the contamination problem first, then see what’s actually left to polish.

[Jordan M.]

It’s worth a shot for the dullness but the rough texture might need a clay bar first, otherwise the cloth won’t do much. I tried mine on a similar surface and it helped the look a bit, but be ready to put in some elbow grease.

[LiamW]

Depends what you need it for. If the clear coat is still there under the grime, it might bring some shine back on the flat panels. I wouldn’t buy it expecting it to fix a whole year of tree sap though. Clean it first and see what you’re actually dealing with.

[Sant_five]

I’d say skip it for that kind of paint. My brother had an old Accord parked near a maple for about a year and a half, and the surface felt like sandpaper. A NanoPolix cloth just kind of glided over the top and didn’t really cut through that layer of junk. It’s more for when the paint is already clean and you’re chasing swirls or little marks. On his car it made a tiny difference on the roof where it was just faded, but the hood and trunk were basically a lost cause until he clayed and polished it properly. Not knocking the cloth, it has its place, but a year of tree sap and baked on grime is a different job. If you just want to see if it helps, sure, grab one, but don’t expect it to fix that rough texture on its own. That’s been my experience anyway.

[PixelKevin]

I used one on my old accord that sat for maybe 10 months, and it did clean up the hazy look a bit on the roof and trunk. Didn’t do anything for the rough gritty feel though, that stayed. For like 12 bucks it’s not a big loss if it doesn’t work out.

[Chris Miller]

A clay bar first makes a big difference.

[Carla M.]

Worth a try for dull paint, rough sap needs clay first.

[Sophie Nguyen]

Mine brought back the shine on a car that sat for months.

[Khan]

Probably gonna grab one and see how it goes.

[Author]

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