Paint protection?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/official-ask-a-detailer-thread.8957/

 

From above thread:

Clay
Automotive clay is one of the best tools in the detailing world, yet it is often overlooked. Washing alone cannot remove the contaminants that clay can remove. The purpose of automotive clay is to remove contaminants that have bonded to the paint. Rail dust from shipping trains, fallout from factories, bug splatter, tree sap, brake dust, and paint overspray are all examples of bonded contaminants.

Detailing clay is similar to Silly Putty® and is small enough to knead in the palm of your hand. Once a vehicle is properly washed, a clay lubricant is sprayed onto the surface of the paint.

The clay is then worked back and forth across the area, removing the bonded contaminants. This process is repeated over the entire painted surface of the vehicle. Although it is a tedious process, the paint is left feeling as smooth as glass.

The next time your vehicle is washed, slide your hand over the hood of the car. Those bumps and rough areas you feel are bonded contaminants. These contaminants act like small splinters in the paint. After a clay bar treatment, the paint surface is noticeably smoother. You'll want to run your hand over the paint all the time!

Recommended Clay Bar Kits
1 - Clay Magic
2 - 3 -

 

Cool, anyone else use liquid glass for wax? I have used it for years and it works great with little effort.

 

I ordered Wolfgangs cleaner and sealer. They said you wax over that and lasts around one year?

 

Pick up a mothers or Meguires clay kit. $20 at the big box stores or auto parts stores. The kit comes with two pieces of clay and a bottle of detail spray. You basically knead the clay, form it into a 4" x 4" flat "pad", and then soak the paint surface with the detail spray. Then rub the clay over the surface of the paint. Use plenty of "lube" (detail spray). You really don't want to apply pressure. Just the weight of the clay and the pressure of your hand to hold it on the surface is plenty. The soaked surface allows the clay to simply slide over the surface of the paint and it picks up contaminants that are bound to the surface that don't come off with normal washing (invisible/visible sap, oil, road grime, etc). Even if your paint looks clean, it's not. You'll be amazed at all the gunk that comes off with clay. Check the clay often. When you see that it's dirty, you fold the clay a couple times and flatten it again. This exposes a clean surface. Work a small area (1/4 or 1/2 of a panel) at a time and then move to the next area. Use plenty of lube. You might use half a bottle for a vehicle. You want to wash the vehicle before claying. And if you drop the clay, THROW IT AWAY. and use the second piece. You don't want grit in your clay for obvious reasons. Wipe off the lube after finishing a panel. Repeat II'd necessary. When it feels smooth like a piece of new glass, you're done.

The process removes bonded contaminants allowing last step products to adhere much better (wax/sealer). I was blown away the first time I tried it. Almost new truck that looked clean- had a ton of gunk come off on the clay.

 

This is what I do. I use Klasse products on mine after the claybar. Also, went I last went to Target they were clearing out a TON of their car care stuff. Got the large Mequires Claybar kit for $9!

 

So let me get this straight...According to the videos posted above...u ONLY need to apply the clay to the flat surfaces (roof/hood/etc)...not the rest of the vehicle? wouldn't that make those parts shine more? Thoughts?

 

That's not what he says. @4:04

 

Well at the 4:08 point of the video...he say "Usually u only need to apply it on the flat surfaces"
that's what I was going from....

 

Usually...

 

If you've never clayed before. You need to do the whole thing. In six months or a year, who knows, maybe next time you'll only need to do the hood and roof if those are the only areas with contaminants. Short answer: do the whole vehicle. Think of it like when your truck gets dusty. The hood and roof are usually dustier. Make sense?

But don't forget that a majority of road grime ends up on the lower sides. This is often where my clay gets the dirtiest.

 

To the OP

Buy nothing from the dealer.

Wash with an automotive car wash

Clean with Nanoskin autoscrub. (You'll never use clay again)

Polish for a nice clean up and shine.

Wax with Collinite Insulator wax (IIRC, 845) for winter durability. This was developed for treating porcelain insulators in substations to help prevent contaminants from sticking to the finish and creating arcing (30 year utility guy here)

But I concur with others. Treating your frame would come first, because winter is coming. You can do the paint work later if you don't have time to do both now.

 

You can clay anything that's smooth, really. Works great on glass.

 

Ok, I was at the dealer last night finalizing the cost of the truck ($1500 over invoice). While there, they suggested the Simoniz Glass Coat paint protection, which of course they can apply for a "fee", but comes with lifetime warranty even if someone spray paints my truck. It seems to me that this stuff is the same as the polymer sealant that was suggested in another thread.

http://www.simonizprofessional.com/business/Content/Simoniz_GlassCoat_1.asp

Anyone familiar with the Simoniz and have it done?
Can anyone confirm if it is the same as the Polymer sealant?

Hopefully picking up the truck tonight and trying to decide on this.

Thanks

 

^^ sounds like Opti-Coat type stuff. I don't really buy into the hype. While I'm sure it helps keep the paint looking nice to a degree, it likely isn't going to keep spray paint from sticking, rocks from chipping or brush from pinstriping your clearcoat. I'd wash and wax the truck. Maybe reapply wax every 6 months. If it's your daily driver and you're using it like a truck it doesnt need to be babied like a Lamborghini and there's no space-age substitute for clearcoat and a little wax.

 

Ceramic

 

Thanks guys. That is kind of what I am thinking. I am really good about keeping my truck clean, even after a day of being on trails/beach and I have always been happy with the shine I get after washing and waxing. On the flip side, since I intend on keeping this one till she dies and going from silver (my old truck) to blue I am a bit more nervous about the care. Silver was easy, i figure blue will be a bit more laborious to take care of.

 

The new "ceramic coatings" that they're coming out with really do sound pretty amazing. Apparently they've come a long way just in the last couple of years. You can apply them yourself, but need to study up a little. If you're interested, search around on the Autogeek forum. Lots of info. These are NOT the "never wax your truck again" sealers that dealers try to sell (although I think in your case- the simonitz maybe is a decent one?). Sounds like they can last 2-3 years and really do act as a sacrificial barrier for your clear. I've not used one- just read about them on Autogeek.

 

I ordered my truck with the Toyota OEM factory-applied paint protection film.

Can I still use all of these detailing products directly on that film?