Clear coat failing.....

Not if you are stripping the wax (intentionally or not) every two months. I'm assuming you clay bar before you wax. If you do this all prior wax is taken off so it's not like it's layering on top of each other (which would haze over time so you would know). Should be fine.

How often you need to wax and/or seal depends on how much you drive, climate, whether or not you sit in a garage etc.

 

No. I wish I did that with mine. The top of my fender flares are fading. And I am very good about waxing multiple times a year.

 

I co-own a detail business and we only do it by word of mouth on weekends, but have been doing it now for over 10 years. In that 10 years products on the detailing market have taken off tremendously and there are so many options now to choose from. We mostly do high-end cars, lots of Luxury German cars etc. We stopped using wax over 8 years ago and have switched to sealants, Glass Coatings and more semi-permanent coatings like OPTI-COAT & OPTI-GLOSS so the client has a long lasting look after we're done with the vehicle. Just wanted to give a little background before giving my opinion. Some of my work can be seen @ www.rennsportdetailing.com

There are a ton of factors that go into how long a wax will last but 100% carnuba wax can and will certainly burn off due to heat from the sun. Typically 100% carnuba wax only lasts 6 - 8 weeks especially in a place like San Diego with high heat and sometimes high humidity from the Ocean. Its an organic product that although gives a beautiful wet look to the vehicle and some protection, it simply doesn't have the compounds chemically to prevent breakdown from UV rays over time. There has been tons of debate on this over the years in detail forums but a good long running thread on Meguiar's site regarding this discussion can be found here: http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...Longevity-of-Carnauba-Wax#4iqYh33heYyUGBT2.97 . Also there are a few threads on autogeek and Meguiar's forums where full-time professional detailer's have done longevity tests for different products (Wax, Sealants etc): http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ew-extreme-testing-opti-coat-2-0-cquartz.html

This is a very good point with regards to the automatic car washes. They use heavy detergents and those chemicals don't play nice with traditional wax. If you're a DIY'er like most of us on here are, hand washing is always preferred but its more important to note like PackCon mentioned; use an actual car wash shampoo and not Dawn Dish Soap or the like. Just as mentioned with automatic car washes; dawn dish soap (or insert your own generic brand) is heavy on de-greaser which at a chemical level will breakdown carnuba wax. If concentrated enough it can even break down some known sealants if used weekly/bi-weekly to wash with.

Something that is a pet-peeve of mine I'll discuss regarding as I like to call it "the myth surrounding detail sprays"......
Detail sprays do not provide longevity to your wax/sealant. They do not contain any material/compounds that provide protection and rather are a lubricant that can help trap dust/dirt particles for removal by a microfiber towel and leave a "just washed/waxed" look. Mike Phillips is a detailing GURU and now even has a TV show on Velocity. He's been doing this for so many years and has written up some awesome articles on detailing. Here is an extensive article he wrote up on how to properly use detail spray, but more importantly when NOT to use them: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...r-remove-light-dust-fingerprints-smudges.html

Sorry to rant about this, but its the number one cause of minor scratching/marring in clear coat these days simply b/c people don't really understand what they are used for.

Finally and apologies for such a long post but below is an article on defining what is WAX , SEALANTS and COATINGS do. For most of us Tacoma owners, I assume you're not trying to win car shows etc with our truck's but using a Sealant or Semi-Permanent Coating will keep your Tacoma looking like new and prevent clear coat failure like the OP.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...categories-waxes-paint-sealants-coatings.html

Personally, I "Glass Coated" my Tacoma with two layers of VX PRO Signature Glass Coat also known as 22PLE. The product manufacturer states the product is good for 2 years when applied correctly before it needs a new application. I'm coming up on 2 years this August and so far so good. Every time it rains or I wash my truck the water sheets off as if Teflon is on the surface and whatever water remains is beaded up and can easily be wiped off or blown off with air. I also use a spray sealer from CarPro known as Reload. . This product is to be used with a vehicle that already has a base layer of "Glass Coat". I apply this during my drying stage once every 2 - 3 months. More information on what these coatings are all about can be found here: <<<<< For those of us who are not into washing their Tacoma every week, or 2 weeks or even once a month will certainly benefit from a glass coating. Keep in mind there is a lot of prep work that goes into applying a Glass Coat but after using it myself on my Tacoma I will never go back to Wax or Sealants again.

Again, apologies for such a long post but I hope you find the information useful if you want to maintain the look of your Tacoma for many many years to come. Stop clear coat failure and Coat your paint!

 

Damn that VX Pro is expensive.

 

It is indeed expensive but one little bottle would do 4 Tacoma's easy (single coat) or look at is as one bottle would last you over 5 years.

There are cheaper Glass Coatings out there. Dr. Beasley's coatings is a good product as well.

http://www.drbeasleys.com/shop/exterior/coatings.html

 

Thanks, but I wasn't asking for Toyota to take care of it, only if others had the same problem. I know back in the mid-90's, when the EPA made all the auto makers change to a more "environmentally friendly" paint formula, that a LOT of vehicles had paint flaking off in sheets. Truck was waxed at least two or three times a year, washed weekly-every 10-days or so. It's also the dark grey color and I've seen one other last week with the same issue. But, none of the other color Gen-2 trucks seem to have the same clear coat failure.

Anyway, thanks for all the replies.

Ray

 

That's a bummer yours is peeling man. I'm the same color but from the sounds of it and the way you've been maintaining the paint; the clear coat just failed from the factory for any number of reasons. It might be worth a call to Toyota of America? Maybe take pictures of other Tacoma's in your area with the same issue? Probably won't do anything due to age and what they'll consider "minimum complaints" but hey it might not hurt to see what they say.

VW had this same issue on 2004 Golf R32's in what was known as "Tornado Red" - the clear coat from the factory on almost every single R32 painted red has failed.

 

Anything by the gas fill up.Enthanol eats away at paint and clear coat over time also.But no peeling on my 05 so far.

 

I see tons of vehicles like that here in San Diego. It's not a Toyota problem. It's not a problem at all if you educate yourself and properly maintain your finish.

 

Sounds like I might just need to change products. I'm just using a Turtle Wax standard car wax now. I want this baby looking good its whole life.

 

Great articles, thanks for posting.

I have a question about how detail sprays wouldn't add longevity to waxes or sealents.
If you are using a detail spray between heavy washes to help clean off water spots and some light dust, how would that alone not help the wax do it's job? Especially if the detail spray contains carnuba. Granite, I don't think it would make a carnuba wax last 6 months but I would think it would at least help that carnuba last that 1-2 months it normally would just a little better.

 

Nick over at Autogeek.net explains it very well in this article below but I'll sum it up as well in this post. There is some excellent photos and information in that thread about spray waxes and detail sprays:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...xes-quick-detail-sprays-waterless-washes.html

Below is copied from the article:

So in a nutshell, detail spray although they do contain carnauba, when compared to a spray wax, Detail Spray doesn't have enough protective properties to help your base layer of wax last longer. A spray wax will certainly help better than a detail spray.

 

Thanks for the cliff notes and the article.
I'm just getting into detailing so I'm learning all this.

I just got my first polisher and did a full exterior detail two weeks ago. I'm trying to make that 8 hours of work last as long as possible.

 

That's awesome man! Feel free to PM me anytime to talk detailing. What polisher did you go with? Its a lot of work & time to get the paint where you want it, but in the end its worth it.

 

The clear coat on my 05 is pretty much completely gone from the roof. Possibly from it being a chicago vehicle in its previous life I seem to notice alot of cars missing the clear coat from their roofs that originate from the north. Im sure the sun doesnt help either.

 

i seem to have the clear coat failing on me hood scoop, not entirely sure how to fix it lol rest of truck is fine

 

What I see in the pic is the insert peeling, which is likely some form of plastic. Does it come pop out from some underhood mountings? If so, you can remove and have that one piece refinished.

Or chromed.

 

I bought my 2012 DCSB SR5 in February. It has some scratches, but overall the paint looks pretty good. The truck only had 19k miles on it and will probably be the newest vehicle I buy. Therefore, my focus is preservation and keeping it as clean/new looking for as long as I can (interior and exterior). After reading this and other threads, it seems my best approach might be wash -> Clay Bar - > Dr. Beasleys or other Glass coat. And repeat that maybe once a year. Does that sound about right?

 

Yes that's correct as far as the steps. If after clay barring you have a polisher handy (i.e. Dual Action Polisher like the Porter Cable

$140 7424XP PORTER-CABLE Buffer Polisher, Car Polisher for Car Detailing, 6", Orbital, Variable Speed (7424XP)

7424XP) you can polish the paint to remove any minor scratching etc and then finally seal all your hard work in with a glass coat like 22PLE, Dr. Beasley's.

 

Thanks Tex. Dr Beasley looks to have a few different sealant products. Which one would you recommend?