(First posted on MLR forum in February 2013)
Overall the bodywork is very tidy but as with most cars it had swirls from washing and had picked up one or two scratches but nothing too bad really it’s just that I notice these things. 
So I thought I’d tidy it up. I use a random orbital sander. I bought it ages ago to see how I got on with some minor paint correction and have had great results with the various cars I’ve used it on so never bothered buying a more professional machine though I think I will eventually. It’s great for swirl removing and working light scratches. Deeper scratches need some prior work with some 2k grit wet and dry then this will bring the shine back up. Didn’t need to do that on the Evo though as it was mainly swirl removal I was interested in.
I did the front end at the end of last summer and I finished the rest of it in December.
Started by snow foaming, washing and claying…
This is what I used
This is really slow and boring!
Some before and after shots:
Before
After
Much better. 
Really hated seeing the crusted in dirt around the wing mirrors and gutters. I thought I’d just been unlucky to own a car that someone previous hadn’t been too keen on cleaning but, after looking at a few white evos at Rally Day, I noticed that this problem was quite common. Crappy Jap porous paint I guess?
I used a scalpel handle wrapped with a cloth with polish on.
Before. This line went the whole way down the top of both doors on both sides so I spent some time removing it all. 
Better but needs a bit more time around the top edge.
Skip to Dec when I finished the rest of the car.
Example of a fine scratch removed before and after. Difficult to get a good picture of.
Swirls on the side of the car before
After
a fairly good reflection on a rear door
The roof
The spoiler suffered the same problem as the wing mirrors and gutters. This took some time.
So after all that it was time to get the wax out. This is what I use. It’s great for the Evo as my daily drive as it’s long lasting.
Then it rains…
Just realised what a ridiculous amount of time I’ve spent on this car! 
I’m sure I should be doing something more productive
