3rd Gen Magnetic Gray Thread

Looks like the Smittybuilt logo

 

I assume you're asking in order to polish? I haven't tested it yet cause the paint is in basically perfect condition right now. But, my 2 cents here, it seems to be soft. Under the door handles scratches insanely easy,and the level of perfection that the dealership was able to obtain on my paint, leads me to believe its soft. If you're going to polish, grab a couple bottles of product, a finishing polish, a cutting polish, and if you have a lot of swirls and some random deeper scratches, a compound. Then start with the least aggressive and work your way up.

 

It's pretty soft. I got real good results with a Meguiars yellow polishing pad and 3D HD Polish+.

 

Is it best to avoid polishing unless absolutely necessary or is it something that should be done annually or regularly? I’ve always kept my truck waxed at least 4-6 times a year, but was always scared of polishing in case of making a mess. My previous truck was silver mica though, and it hid everything really well. I don’t think MGM will be as forgiving.

 

You only have so much clear coat. Should be done as needed or before applying a coating/PPF. Adhere to what @HamTaco23 said and start with the least aggressive method and work up until desired results.

 

Thank you !

 

And learn how to use a scratch/swirl evaluating light. They aren't cheap, but you can do just about as good with a good flashlight or LED lamp. As stated, least aggressive finishing polish on least aggressive pad first, review surface with light, then one step more aggressive on either polish OR pad if needed. You should only advance to the next most aggressive pad OR polish, but not both pad and polish. A step up in polish while using the same least aggressive pad will give you a half-step more aggressive. Changing both will advance the cut possibly too much. If you have been vigilant in maintaining your finish a white finishing pad is a good place to start. Orange pad should be your next step up IF you need to advance the pad. On a fairly new vehicle that has minimal swirling I use a black finishing pad. EVEN A BRAND NEW CAR WILL BENEFIT FROM A LIGHT POLISH. You think it looks good just off the lot? Give it a quick claybar job and a light polish with a black pad. WOW! Beyond any normal expectation. I am most impressed with CarPro Essence right now. Its an all-in-one polish with ceramic nano technology. Easy. Quick. Awesome gloss with only one coating. Perfect base coat for additional ceramic coating, or just use by itself. I've got a basecoat of Essence on my MGM, two coats of CQuartz UK 3.0, and finished with Gliss. Looks awesome, but quite honestly, it's hard to justify the investment of time and effort beyond the first coat of Essence. It's that good. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that a less-than-scrupulous professional detailer might give you your car back only having done one application of Essence and call it a ceramic coating job. And unless you have experience with ceramic coatings you'd probably never know. It's that good. If you don't want to use a ceramic coating, take a look at Zaino Z2 or Z5. Zaino may be the best kept secret in the auto detailing product industry. They only sell direct, not through the high profile internet auto detailing vendors. Therefore they are not as well know, but well worth you giving them a try. Have their Z5 on my G8 since 2009. Only reapplied it once. Yields a glossy clearcoat polymer coating that is DEEP, looks as thick as a fine motorcycle helmet. Multiple coats only deepen the effect to showcar depth. Ten years old, 85,000 miles and looks damn near new.

 

What tires are you running?

 

Can the essence be used as a wax or? Just got a new 19. Not sure if I’d need a polish.

 

It is an all-in-one, meaning it has minor polishing ability with built in gloss enhancement (Fillers).

You can apply it like a wax.

1. Apply ESSENCE to a sponge pad. work in circular motion all over the surface.
2. Wait 3 min. to flash and wipe off with new microfiber towel.

 

Added a custom bedside decal. Can't wait for Game of Thrones!

 

Who makes essence? Just trying to find it online ! Is there a good place to purchase it through, I’m in

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/custom-made-vinyl-stickers-bedsides-made-in-hawaii.281228/

PM @CBoy808 and tell him what you're looking for. He could design a SR 4x4 Nightshade Edition, really anything you want.

 

To me, its not worth doing paint correction unless your coating it right after. With how thin the pant is, I would rather live with some imperfections then the paint looking perfect and less clear. Just use a good sealant/wax like

$21 Collinite 845 Insulator Wax-Easy to Use Carnauba+Polymer Wax Sealant-High Gloss Shine+Durable Hydrophobic Beading & Long Lasting Paint Protection for Cars/Boats/Trucks/RVs & Motorcycles (16 fl oz)

Collinite 845 to protect the paint and call it a day.

 

Stock tires buddy. 265/70/16
Looking at getting some Toyos soon

 

Smittybilt roughly $600 on sale. No complaints so far.

 

CarPro is the manufacture.

Autogeek.net
Detailersdomain.com
Autodetailingsolutions.net
theragcompany.com

 

AutoGeek.com or DetailedImage.com. They put CarPro stuff on sale for 25% off periodically, so if you are not in a hurry you can get a good deal. Do a good claybar first.

 

New to the tent game. Are there racks you have to buy or is that included?

 

I know everyone is giving you their opinion but what I recommend when my customers buy a brand new vehicle is
1. Clay bar
2. decide if you need to polish. It's pretty likely all you'd need is a good 2 in 1 like essence that others mentioned, HD Speed is another incredible product
3. If you decide the paint is almost perfect, check it in the sunlight, you could use a glaze instead of polishing. This is incredibly easy and fills in minor imperfections
4. Wether you polish, glaze or neither, put a good sealant on. JetSeal by chemical guys is the one I use in my professional business, it's honestly one of the best out there.

At the very least I would highly highly recommend steps 1 and 4. 2 and 3 are more on the optional side.