White Paint? Is it Clear Coated?

White is one of my preferred colors and I was thinking about going with that for a new Tacoma.

Is it clear coated? Since always or since a specific year? How well does it hold up and retain a shine?

A family member has a late 90s base Tacoma and for the longest time it's been a rather 'flat' white bordering on chalky. Someone at work has an early Tundra - exact same thing.

Thanks

 

Yes, it has clear coat. Mine is a 2006 and still fairly shiny.

 

Thanks.

Yeah I would think clear coated would allow white to stay shiney indefinitely. Maybe the older white ones I've seen aren't clear coated. Or maybe they've been left out and/or not washed dulling the clear.

 

i've managed to keep all my white trucks over the years (dodge, chevy, tacoma, ford, tacoma,) looking shiny like they just came off the lot, regardless of age and kilometers.

secret? DONT TOUCH PAINT WITH ANYTHING BUT LIQUIDS.

no foaming brushes, no automatic washes, no fundraiser car washes. if you must use a shammie, keep it clean and wipe the grubbiest parts last. no swirling it either, straight across wipes

its not easy to wash cars like this, takes a lot of hot soapy pressure washer time. I only sometimes use the foaming brush for chrome and the friggin wheels, so yeah it never hits the paint.

 

Sorry, but no it is not clear coated. If it is not metallic or pearl it has no clear coat. It will stay shiny, if properly maintained. It will require more care than one with clear coat.

 

No clear coat. Search.

 

Search? How about scroll up, you've got conflicting answers just in this thread...

 

Never heard of a painted vehicle not having clear coat on it. I know my white double cab has clear coat on it.

 

To clarify things here so that it can be better understood, instead of a simply "yes/no" I will add the following:

Toyota, on their white painted vehicles use a single stage paint process. On their other colors they use a two-stage process. Single stage paint has the clear coat mixed in with the paint. This is a simpler method, but as some people have noticed, if you do not take good care of the finish it will dull, and a powder type residue will sometimes show up on the surface. IT IS STILL CLEAR COATED. Just that the clear as mentioned is mixed in.

The two stage process uses a base coat/clear coat process where the color is sprayed on, allowed to "flash" dry, and then the clear coat is applied on top of the finish. This method, though costing more, results in a much more durable and longer lasting finish, that requires less maintenance to keep looking good.

So the answer to the question is YES, even the white painted Toyota vehicles have a clear coat. Automotive paint is dull. The clear coat is what creates the shine, and what protects the paint itself from harmful UV rays.

 

Understood. But I said in because its not your typical clear coat. I don't know how a super white would handle wet sanding and deep swirl removing.

 

Yes, it is not the typical base coat/clear coat, but to be honest you didn't say that, you just said "No clear coat. Search".

I agree I would NEVER try and wet sand any single stage paint. Best thing to do for those is proper maintenance of washing and a quality wax on a regular basis.

 

WTF? So what's the rationale for that? It's not that white doesn't need a clear. What happens then when a detailer goes to use an orbital on it or abrasives to clean up scratches and what not? That doesn't make any damn sense.

Looks like I'm going to a detailer to have some permanent optima coating put on the truck.

 

There is no clear coat, the color is applied and dried, no two-stage like stated above. That is why you get white on the pad when you do a cut and buff on a white Tacoma. They have applied pearl clear-coat to Land Cruisers and other "luxury" Toyotas over the years but not the trucks, that I know of at least.

 

This is why half my truck has dull paint...

 

Eh... No coat of clear

 

Sorry, but you are incorrect. I have applied many different paint jobs and EVERY paint job has a clear coating over the top. The difference, as I explained, is that with single stage paint the clear is just mixed in and part of the paint. As it cures and dries the clear migrates to the surface, but is very thin. That is why an improperly maintained single stage paint tends to "dust-off" when you polish it too aggressively. You can NOT get a shine if there is no clear. Paint is dull, with no shine. The white that comes off on a pad when "buffing" is still a mixture of the paint/clear that is evident in ALL single stage paint jobs.

 

Thought I'd put my 2 cents of experience on White Tacomas...

I own a 2006 and a 2009 both white.

The 2006 has been out in the FL sun full time since new and never really taken care of finish wise. It had gotten to the point last year I just gave up on the paint because it was almost totally white oxidized and chalky looking. I was told by a couple of detail guys that the "clear coat" was gone and it would have to be repainted to be fixed. So I was waiting on a good time to have that done.

A few months ago I ran across a mobile detailer that said he could fix it no problem. I let him try and damn if it didn't come out looking like a new truck. How long that will last I don't know. But he says keep it waxed and it will be good.

On to the 2009...

It has been garaged since new, but is taken out every couple weeks to the woods for a good "pin striping" session. There was not an inch on that truck that was not surface scratched after 4 years. Paint was not chalky or oxidized at all though. So again, I called my detailer dude and he said he could bring that back. Again... he got every scratch/pinstripe out and the truck looks new again.

Moral of the story to me. The white can be abused pretty good and brought right back to a new look. No swirls etc. like I've seen on many of my black, red, or other dark colored vehicles in the past after detailing.

I know that process won't go on forever cause eventually you run out of paint to buff out. But I was amazed at the results after all the abuse the finish had taken on both trucks.

So maybe the one step process isn't all that bad??

 

The reason is that clear coating over top of a "super white" paint will yellow over time and it will be obvious. Not so much on other color paints.

This is what Toyota says about the paint:

 

All modern cars have dual stage paint.. Base the clear.. The toyota rep is wrong..

 

No, they do not.