Flat super white revival questions

I’m on my 3rd Super white Tacoma, and like the others, the hood, roof, and tops of the fenders are getting flat. They’re not too bad yet, but does anyone have any suggestions for paint correction?

 

@Too Stroked can fix you up.

Once back to where you want it, keep up with it and it won't happen again.

 

Somebody called? Super White? My specialty! Before I offer any advice, got any pics to show how bad it is?

 

Unfortunately it seems unstoppable. Admittedly I don’t drive it much, barely 35k on a ‘14, but it sits outside. I also have to fold the mirrors in, if I don’t, I get faded spots where the mirror reflects on the rear doors of my DCLB.

Sorry no pics, it’s currently covered with snow. It’s actually not real bad yet, my 06 got so bad I had it painted and cleared.

 

Rookie. 33k on a '13 here.

Give the man the pics he asked for........ then follow his suggestions.

 

You must have some environmental issues causing the degradation of the paint. I'm somewhat north of you and our weather isn't all that different. I have no problems. That said, let's get to correcting your paint.

First question. Do you have access to and knowledge of how to use a random orbital polisher? The will be key to which direction I suggest.

 

I have a random orbital polisher but it’s not a dual or one of those real good quality ones.

I’ll have to wait for a bit better conditions to get pics. My truck is a sport, and from in the cab it looks great, I still get blinded from the reflection off of the scoop. It’s when you look closer when in front of the truck is where it’s not great.

 

**Tagged**

 

Ok, without being able to see pics of your paint - or better yet lay actual eyes on it - let's lay out a path forward. Keep in mind that diagnosing and correcting paint over the internet is pretty difficult. And not being able to actually try a few different pads, polishes and techniques in person makes things a bit more interesting.

No matter what we're going to do for correction, there are several pre-correction steps that will need to be done regardless. Start by thoroughly washing the truck with a good quality Car Wash Soap. Follow the wash with clay and / or Iron X (or similar product) to eliminate surface contamination and imbedded iron particles that show more on white than any other color. Rinse well and dry.

Next, using Blue Painter's Tape, mask off any black textured plastic such as bed rail tops, tailgate latch, side mirrors, etc. This will eliminate the possibility of getting polish imbedded in the texture which can make for a real unprofessional looking mess later on.

Now it's time to polish the paint and remove oxidation and swirls. Generally speaking, you want to start with the least aggressive product / process first and work up from there depending on what you see. I detail Toyotas all day long at a dealership, so I have a pretty good feel for what works and what doesn't. But I'm using a Flex 3401 which is sometimes called "the beast" because it can do some pretty serious correction in a fairly short period of time. It sounds like you have a more basic machine, so I'll take that into account.

I'm going to suggest 3D One as a polish because this one product can do anything from fairly serious correction to final polishing by simply changing the pads you're using with it. For pads, I'd suggest Lake Country Orange CCS (Cutting) and White (Medium polish) pads. Start with the White pads and the 3D One and apply about 4 dime sized drops to the pad. Spread the product around about a 3' square area at low speed, then start polishing at full rated machine speed and light pressure. Make 4 full passes back and forth and diagonally both ways.

Now for the test. Using a clean microfiber towel, remove the polish residue and see what you've got. Based on what you see, you're either going to move up to the Orange pad and the same process if it didn't correct enough, or keep going with what you started with. Keep in mind that you can actually do a pretty impressive job with a non-aggressive pad and polish, but it will take you longer. A more aggressive pad and polish not only corrects more, but does it faster. The risk in getting too frisky, too fast is that you can remove too much paint and / or induce marring that will need to be removed later. Based on my experience with 3D One, I'm going to bet that the Orange pad will do the trick and actually finish out quite nicely. Even if it does, you might want to try following it up with the White pad for some extra pop.

Next, you want too protect and seal your nice, shiny finish with something. I'd recommend Menzerna / Jescar Power Lock polymer sealant. It's super easy to apply (with a foam pad) and remove (with a microfiber towel) and lasts much longer than traditional carnauba waxes.

How's that sound?

 

Badass post. I have 3 white Toyotas. I am going to give this a shot. Any tips on dealing with other colors with a clear coat?

 

WOW.... definitely going to give it a try as soon as weather permits. We got an inch of snow this morning and they're calling for 6-8 more tonight. And on top of all of this, I think my converter shield just came loose. At 1800 RPMS under load, its loud and heck!

 

Pretty much the exact same process for basecoat / clearcoat paint.

 

These are couple years old but when I bought my 05, the paint was horrible. Super chalky and dull. Followed a similar process as posted above and man, it cleaned up really nice. Wash, clay bar, cutting compound, polish and wax.

 

So being an expert on Toyota paint, is it true that super white and silver are just single stage paints? If so, what actually happens to the paint that it gets so flat, its not oxidation I would assume or is it? I'm wondering if it really can be brought back to like new or it just looks better than it did. I would say that mine isn't horrible yet but looking bad. My '06 was really bad, there seemed to be no bringing that one back. I had it fixed and clear coated and it probably still looks great now.

 

The Super White is supposedly single stage. I say "supposedly" because I haven't taken enough off to see if there's white residue on the pad. That would indicate white paint coming off. I do not believe the Silver is.

What causes paint to dull out like that? The sun oxidizes it, plain and simple.

Can oxidized paint actually be brought back? Generally speaking, yes - with a qualifier. It depends on how bad the oxidation is and how much paint you have to remove to get the shine back. I've seen a few hacks completely remove the clear coat layer by wailing away far too hard with an aggressive pad or polish. Once that happens, you're all done and have to go to the paint shop. That's why you always start with the least aggressive process first, then work up - if needed, then back down.

 

OR.....find a professional detailer (especially if your time is worth more than a professional correction)

 

Super white 040 is single stage. I just painted another one and it definitely didn’t have any clear on it. Single stage paints have poor UV protection. That’s why they fade and oxidize. Without proper care the paint will eventually delaminate and fall off. Any metallic or pearl paint will have clear coat.

 

Here's a trick question. Which of these Super White 4Runners is a 2016 with just under 75,000 miles on it that I just detailed at work and which one is the 2021 that I just bought?





Confused? The top pic is the 2016 which was pretty well cared for. The bottom one is my new ride. See, Super White can hold up and / or be brought back pretty nicely. The 2016 lasted about a week on the used car lot. My 2014 Super White Tacoma with 115,000 miles on it lasted less than a week on Craigslist and returned over half of what I paid for it.

 

I buffed out a couple Toyota Superwhites recently. It buffs out really well.

At no point did I see white paint transfer.

On one Tacoma I used Griots orange pad with Griots complete compound and finished with Zainos Z5 with a Griots black pad.

On the second Tacoma I used a Griots white fast correcting pad with fast correcting cream at low rpm and light pressure. This combo cut the oxidation faster so I could move along quicker. For some of the scratches I switched to Rupes coarse compound with light pressure and had a great result. I finished it with Zainos Z5 and a Griots black pad.

Definitely going to try the Jescar Power Lock polymer sealant here soon.

 

No buffing mine out