Those with OCD - have some OEM paint questions

Decided to take advantage of the weather and detail the truck myself (polish out the swirls/paint sealant) - noticed two problems:

1) starting to get little chips on the lower panels
2) oxidation on the roof.

For the first one, wanted to see if mudflaps would help - or if the recommendation would be to clear bra the lowers behind the wheels (have AT's on for the winter with aftermarket wheels and they stick out less than half an inch from the fenders but it's enough to kick up rocks and debris - stock wheels and tires will go back on for the summer - but there's a possibility that I may get a second set to throw the OEM tires on with the same offset). Also curious if anybody has ever tried both and had a preference for one or the other (mudflaps v clear bra).

With the second - I'm a little pissed - truck is a 2016 and the first place I took it was to the detailers to polish and seal it - pretty sure they didn't do the roof which is why I was up there today. Truck is less than a year old and the oxidation being there at all has me wondering if this is something that I can take up with the dealership (or do I just take it to a professional and have them do it). . .

I'm a little off to do this to a truck but like I said - hate swirls



Here's how far the AT's and wheels stick out. . .




Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

Clear bra. Can even go 2 layers, I've had great luck with the 3M stuff.

 

You can use the 3M clear-bra material. I would suggest buying a stock roll and cutting it yourself for such a simple application. Just remember that it isn't a permanent fix and I would suggest removing and re-applying it every couple of years as it will degrade and become a nightmare to remove once it starts to become brittle. There is a product called XPel Ultimate that I feel is a MUCH superior product for that application (versus the 3M Ventureshield), but it is more $.

I'm curious to see what the oxidation on your roof looks like, though. Are you talking about actual oxidation of the metal (rust/bubbling/etc) or just etching in the paint?

If the latter, I would think a decent random orbital buffer and some polishing compound (not rubbing compound!) should take it right out, followed by a good wax.

 

Somewhat on topic . . .

I'm going to need to buff a large vehicle this spring and I might be in the market for a power buffer.

Any suggestions on make and model? I'll probably not need it after this one time, so I don't want or need to spend a lot on it.

 

What's a lot? You can spend $150 on one that's okay or $400 on one that's great.

 

I'm leaning toward the $150, but lay it all on me.

 

If there is real oxidation, shouldn't that be covered by warranty? It is a 2016 truck.

 

Sign up at Autogeek. They will flood you with e-mails (1 or 2 a day) but they have regular specials on all kinds of wax, polisher, micro fibre stuff. I have a OK Porter Cable kit, kinda wished I had sprung for a Flex. They will also send you a book on detailing with all the instructions on the various pads, goops, waxes etc.

 

What Motofun said. Autopia is another good place and if you want to watch reviews on YouTube, or even instructions on how to use DA polishers, AmmyNYC is a good channel. Larry talks a lot because he's very detail-oriented and he knows what he's doing.

The $150 I was referring to for an okay dual-action polisher was the Porter Cable. I've also read on Autogeek that the Harbor Freight is surprisingly okay for $60 as long as you put in better grease and use a different backing plate. As you move up to $400, the Griots Garage, Flex, and Rupes 6" polishers become available and are all amazing machines that make polishing much easier. Polishers are like chainsaws in that you need different ones depending on the job. I have a 6" Griots and a 3" Griots as of right now but I can see myself adding more in the future.

As the discussion turns into actual polishes, sealants, types of waxes, etc it can get real confusing, real quick.

 

Thanks!!!!! Found some on Amazon - going to take measurements and try to take care of it - had no idea you could double up.

Tried looking for the XPEL but apparently you could only get it from authorized dealers. . .3m they sell on amazon so may go that route and just re-apply every couple of years - any tips for applying it or is it pretty straight forward?

I misspoke - not rust or bubbling - looks like a combination of really bad overspray and what hoods and roofs look like on old cars that look like the clear coat is being ripped off. . .couldn't take pics last night because the sun was going down but got some this morning. . .and thank you as well!!!!!





Used Lake County CCS Orange pad with Menzena Intensive polish, white pad with Menzerna finishing polish II and red pad with Menzerna Power Lock - Have the PC DA. . .I'm thinking I may need more cutting and power but I'd take it to the pro then because I don't want to "burn" the paint. . .

Pay somebody to do it (especially with a large vehicle). . .if you only need it the one time - by the time you're in for the buffer, backplates, pads, polishes, sealant, time to do (first time takes FOREVER) and clean up. . .so much easier just to pay somebody (or find somebody who will do it for side work). . .this truck is my first non black vehicle I've had in some time so I've had all the products for a while. . .even then - I'm at the point where I'm considering a more powerful buffer with bigger pads to make it go even quicker.

That's what I'm thinking as well - it's definitely not "normal" - it's not real oxidation based on what you guys are saying but it's not right. . .

These guys are both dead on - taking care of the car's paint is just like anything else. . .and it can lead to some crazyiness - my neighbors laughed at me when they saw me pulling out my cars in the rain to wash them. . .now they do it

 

That looks very similar to what happened to the paint on my old truck. You can see how I pulled it out in this thread:
http://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/best-product-to-remove-water-spots.341636/#post-5033975

 

You can order film by the foot from the XPEL website: http://www.xpel.com/bulk-paint-headlamp-protection-material/

It'd be hard to burn the paint with a DA, if you had a rotary then yeah. Maybe tape the edges to be safe. Did you clay first to try and remove the contaminants?

 

Thanks for the link - nice work!!!! - had no idea there was that other thread going on or else wouldn't have started this one

Yeah, that's why I got the DA - now thinking about a rotary - may try a deeper cutting pad with the DA first. I didn't clay the roof (clayed the hood and lower panels - doors and bed were good - not gritty at all) rain was coming in an hour so I just hit the roof with the polish and then sealed it until I can get back to it when the pollen stops dropping (can't believe I had pollen on my car in Feb). Thanks for the link for XPEL!!!!

 

No problem, the XPEL installation gel is pretty helpful too.

You can still do nice paint correction/cutting with a DA and all without the risk of learning and burning on a rotary.

I use mostly Meguiar's line of Pro Mirror Glaze / Detailer products - mainly because I've used them for so long it's just easier sticking with what I know works and the result I can achieve so a bit different than your products...

For what you're looking at on your roof or etching, etc, after wash/clay I'd use M105 Ultra Cut on a Meguiar's red cutting pad on my DA and follow with M205 Ultra Finish on a yellow polishing and/or black finishing pad. To finish and if the paint needs it, I'll apply M7 Show Car Glaze (finishing pad) and suffer a bit on removal/wipe down and then apply M21 sealant.

I've found M105 and cutting pad will correct just about anything that doesn't require sanding and won't make the paint worse or damage it so don't necessarily think a rotary is a requirement. Don't be afraid to experiment with pads and DA speed since all paint is different and what works on one vehicle won't necessarily work as well on another.

 

Is a buffer safe to use, or should you just use a DA polisher?

 

Copy and pasted to my desktop for the summer - thanks for the recommendations - going to follow it verbatium and see how it goes!!! Thanks again!!!!

DA is the safest.

 

I've been a Chemical Guy junkie, but M105 is the go-to product for anything that needs some real paint correction.

 

Man, that truck looks beautiful, but this is one reason I'm not buying any new cars anytime soon. Keeping them in the condition they "deserve" to be in is a lot of work. Hats off to you guys.

 

If you don't have major correction work then you can skip the M105 Ultra-Cut or can spot use where required. The M205 does a nice all-around job for swirls and light stuff and gives nice gloss.

M7 glaze gives a rich look that is really noticeable when used. It can be a pain to remove so don't over-do it with product and work in sections and remove immediately. Also avoid in high humidity, I even notice a difference in climate controlled garage when it's like that.

I usually do two coats of M21 synthetic sealant and it gets me through the (relatively mild) winter months with regular washes.

I also use Meguiar's D/A microfiber 2-step correction system for when I need to get it done quickly and it does a nice job and less time consuming that above it's like 90-95%, where that is 100%. I notice it though most people probably wouldn't

I save some money on spray detailer with D15501 Last Touch as it can be diluted 1:1 and great for clay lube and general quick detailing.

Any questions, let me know. Also http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/forum.php is pretty informative too. Good luck and have fun!

 

Thanks again!!!!. . .I know it's going to drive me crazy until I can fix it (which is particularly disturbing seeing that I need a ladder to see the roof). . .with the additional info in this post, I'll start with the 205 and then if that doesn't do it, hit it with the 105. . .this is my first non black vehicle in close to 15 years so I'm a little surprised that it's red that's giving me the the trouble. . .

Thanks!!! (I actually prefer it dirty. . .but with the paint protected and no swirls). . .my other car is 13 years old and has 113,000 miles on it and the paint is almost perfect still. I do it once before winter and once before summer - the first time is the most time consuming with all the paint correction, after than it's maintenance, the sealants today are crazy good and last at least 6 months. My problem is everytime I'm in Costco, I end up picking up another set of bulk micro fiber towels. . .