2013 Tacoma - 2 Step Paint Correction & Opti-Coat Pro

Fellow Tacoma World forum member contacted me about getting his truck protected with Opti-Coat Pro. When providing the initial estimate I found the usual swirl marks but also a lot of contamination on the paint. Given the truck was white, the contamination was pretty obvious. We planned for a 2 step correction in prep for the coating.

Truck was dropped off and it was pretty dirty. We have had a number of consecutive snow storms on the island so every vehicle has been arriving really filthy.




Started with the wheels, tires and wheel wells, then moved onto the paint. Foam cannon followed by 2 bucket wash.





Getting all the tight areas with my race glaze brush





Once the loose dirt was removed the contamination revealed itself again. There was some road tar scattered about but more importantly, rust blooms.

A 'rust bloom' starts typically as a hot particle of metal dust. This is typically from brake pads (yours or others on the road) or from friction between a train car and rail (many new cars are transported by freight). The hot metal dust particle settles onto your paint and sticks. Over time, the natural elements cause that speck of metal to rust. It gets a bit larger, and much more obvious, now showing itself as a small orange / brown spot. This is often more obvious on white paint. Black paint will show scratches more easily and white paint will show you surface contamination. A rust bloom can not be removed with soap and water.

Up close of what a rust bloom looks like on the vehicle in question









Something like this can be removed mechanically (with a clay bar) or chemically. In order to save time, and my clay, I chose to use CarPro IronX which is designed to dissolve such contaminants. The product is clear, then turns purple where it contacts any particles of iron.






The areas of tar were treated with Stoner's Tarminator. All the of the paint was gone over with the Speedy Prep Towel to be sure it was bare.

Got to looking at the paint and as I mentioned earlier, there were some swirls.







Did some test spots and settled on a combo of the Flex 3401 and Griots DA along with Meguiars MF pads and M100. Finishing was done with Menzerna Power Finish and LC white pads. This yielded about 90% correction or better












Hopped in the bed to get easier access to polish the roof (correcting paint under LED lighting only)



Few more shots after the correction







Prepped the paint with CarPro Eraser. Applied Opti-Coat Pro to exterior paint, all exterior plastic trim, door jambs, wheels, etc. Glass treated with CarPro FlyBy30

Did a quickie on the interior as well but no photos. Scrubbed the weather tech mats, vacuum, cleaned glass, cleaned leather (Optimum Power Clean 10:1 with horsehair brush), conditioned leather, treated all interior plastic with Megs Quik Interior Detailer












Owner is proudly representing Tacoma World





Home of the "Taco" Supreme - the Mr. Sparkle garage here in West Babylon, NY


www.MrSparkleDetailing.com

Instagram @MrSparkleDetailing

 

Thanks again Bryan truck looks brand new again! If anyone needs any detailing work done I highly recommend him!

 

Glad to hear that!

could you clarify what paint color you have? blizzard pearl? in response to this thread on autogeek theres some discussion that most white tacomas are single stage paint. your truck had a clear coat finish.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-pro-mr-sparkle-detailing-long-island-ny.html

 

Hey Bryan, I am also a member over on AG
I also have a 2013 White tacoma, I have been told it is single stage, however when I polished my truck when I first bought it new. I thought there is clear on it as well. I just thought I didn't know how tot ell the difference between single and cleared

 

single stage paint will turn your pads the color of the paint in question. In this case, white. However, it can be a little tricky to tell if the polish you're using is also white. I think verifying your exact paint code will help on this as well.

 

Its super white code is 040

 

I had a chevy z71 same thing and was told it comes from rail dust from being hauled on trains

 

looks better than new!! If, I mean when after this winter, I need a good cleaning polishing i'll hit ya up...

 

Sounds good. Give me a shout once it starts to warm up.

 

Any pictures of applying the opti coat? Is it just like a wax type deal or does it require a special applicator?

 

Why don't you live on the West Coast!

 

not like wax at all. I can wax and car and buff it off in roughly 30 mins. Takes me 2-3 hours to apply opti coat and thats not including the additional surface prep time.

You do a small section at a time and then lightly knock down the high spots with a clean microfiber towel. The timing of all this depends on the conditions (air temp, humidity). You want to correct the high spots, but not remove all the coating you just applied. And of course you have to take your time and inspect each panel as you move along to ensure you didn't leave any inconsistencies in the coating.

 

where are you located? I may be able to recommend someone. I keep contact with a lot of guys on discussion forums / social media


For anyone else taking a look - here is the map of authorized installers for Opti-Coat Pro

http://www.opti-coat.net/approved-dealers.php

 

Do you have any long-term results for the Opti-Coat product? I've seen a few others apply it and it's advertised as a 'lifetime product' but have not seen any results after a few years. Also, could you PM me roughly what the application of Opti-Coat would typically run after all correctional work has been completed? I might be interested in something like this for my truck.

 

I found a guy named Peter in Las Vegas. I travel to LA a lot too so I could get it done there...who do you recommend?

 

Bryan, what's the purpose of using only LED lighting for paint correction? I assume it shows the blemishes and swirl marks more easily?

Also, as far as having the Opti-Coat on there, once it's on, can you remove it (like say you want to reapply it after it's been scratched and chipped up)?

 

I've been using the product for a few years now but its been around for years before that. Once applied, its permanent. with that said, its all subject to what its exposed to.

A car driven on the weekends, never in the rain, and garage kept will not need very much maintenance. However, a daily driver, parked outside in the driveway, under a tree, with the sprinklers hitting it everyday - you get the idea. That second vehicle will get water spots, bird bomb stains, etc and will require a 'maintenance' detail for the coating much quicker. That includes a decon with the clay bar and a light polishing with 'poli seal' which is their all in one product.

also, keep in mind their are 2 versions of Opti-Coat so I don't know what you're seeing. There is "2.0" which is the retail version available to the public. Its more user friendly, but a less durable than Opti-Coat "Pro". The "Pro" version is only available to authorized installers like myself. Its a little trickier to apply but applies a thicker layer of coating.

as far as pricing, every market is different. Try the link I posted earlier and / or search the detailing forums (detailing bliss, autogeek) and / or search instagram

 

It can be removed with machine compounding or sanding if needed.

nothing shows defects like direct sunlight. but you can't polish paint in the direct sun. You need a light source to generate that focused light. So I use single diode LED flood lights. I think I've got 11 or 12 mounted all over wired to a power strip. So it all turns on at 1 switch. It really mimics direct sunlight well. I turn off the fluroscent lights so not to wash out the focused power of the floodlights. I also put a LED headlamp on while working like that (fenix)

Picture going to the gas station at night. The surroundings are dark. Directly overhead is typically one big bulb and you will see the slight swirls and other defects in the paint. Same idea, different bulbs, and I've got them mounted in all directions.

many shops (collision and corner car wash detailers) will buff paint under fluroscent lights only and I can tell you from experience you're typically missing something. You're not seeing all the swirls, the rotary buffer holograms, drop in gloss, etc. Most full time detailers like myself rely on high powered halogens or LEDs for paint correction work. I prefer LED (less power, less heat)

 

I don't know anyone personally in those areas but check the detailing forums or instagram. If you search around you'll find someone and typically they will have posted prior work so you know what to expect

 

Drools.........