*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

What coating? Usually all surfaces are good except maybe the windshield because it can make the wipers skip. Tires is pointless but they do make rubber coatings that work but I would only go there for a low mileage driver.

The detailing world has a dedicated coating for each and every surface if you look around. But they'll also sell you a coating for your coating...

 

Fender flares? I didn't bother, but they make ceramic coatings specifically for plastics. For the fender liners I use an APC and soap and occasionally follow up with under carriage spray from Adams Polishes. Aerospace 303 works fine for plastics too.

 

Thank you to the group for help and advice. My 3.5 year old truck that looked like a 7 year old now looks like a new truck, minus some stone chips and pintstriping, but that’s okay.

Inside and out both cars now look great

 

Do you all have any suggestions for protecting the door paint behind the door handle. My truck will be coming out of the body shop for collision repair and they repainted almost the whole truck. That area behind the door handle was all scratched up from daily use and I notice it on lots of Tacos when I see them in parking lots. Id like to find a way to protect it more from scratches if possible. Is ceramic the best/only way to go?

And Yes I clip my finger nails. LOL
TIA!

 

You can buy transparent plastic protectors for there. I think I saw them on Amazon or Etsy

 

@tattooedsnake I bought a used MGM and noticed all the scratches behind the handle so I got these black ones back in April 2020:

FitsToyota Tacoma Auto Accessory Door Handle Trim Molding Scratch Cover Guards Carbon Fiber 4 Door Pack

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I2504EW?ie=UTF8

They've held up well the last 3 years. I'm sure there are cheaper ones if you hunt around. I've seen them in clear and color match too.

 

My truck had door handle cups installed when I bought it new. I think Amazon sells them for specific year/make/model vehicles.

 

Love it. Thank you. I will see what's available, They will be going on my Barcelona red 2nd gen.

 

Hey everyone quick one for you…has anyone put ceramic coating on their TRD Pro Grill? Thinking about putting some Gentechniq C4 on it to prevent fading. Did my flares on my TRD OR seems like its legit going on a year and a half strong. What do you all use for trim?

 

What would be the best course of action?

 

Respray the clear on the fender; hood will likely need paint and clear. Replace those tires first though.

 

Mud tires and send it.

 

theyre sitting in my room right now waiting to be mounted

 

Yep. I just got mine back from the detailer yesterday. Put that Gentechiq Crystal Serum Ultra on my Grill and all plastics when they did the whole truck. Looks fantastic.

 

Cleaned and coated all of the black plastic yesterday. First needed to remove some old, dried wax/polish from a few spots. Had good results with 91% rubbing alcohol (IPA) on a microfiber and some all-purpose cleaner. Then I used Cerakote wipes. Some parts dried a bit streaky so I went over it with 303 Aerospace and that evened it out.

 

Trying to zero in on cleaning? Soap, wax, wheels, tires, interior. There is a nice post that started this thread but is from 2008, updates?

 

Best course to remedy this scuff from another cars door

 

Anyone had experience applying CarPro Gliss over Chemical Guys Carbon Force coating? I’ll have access to a garage around Thanksgiving and my coating is 15 months old. I have been using Reload every other wash starting at 3 months mark and the coating seems to be holding up great so far. I am heading to off-road in Utah in January, so it feels like a good time for a topper.

 

Hello everyone! I just purchased my first Tacoma this month and have been researching this week about cleaning and what products/tools to use. This is my first time embarking on doing proper cleaning since I feel a black Tacoma deserves it. Based off the steps and logistics so far I have the process down like this:

- Rinse less wash(using two bucket method with grit guards)

- clay bar(I saw that chemical guys uses a clay lube spray, is that normal or just additional care)

- polishing is the step I am kinda getting lost in the weeds. Based off what I’ve read polishing using a dual action orbital polisher is the most recommended. Problem is I don’t have access to an outdoor outlet at my appartment so I would have to use a cordless one. Then I read cordless orbiters can’t do paint correction and really only excel at applying wax/sealant. Should I skip the polishing step if in restricted to only a wireless orbiter?

- next step is to apply the sealant to the truck. I’m going with a sealant as I live in Texas and more worried about UV and heat issues.

- final step I heard to do is add a ceramic spray to really make the paint gloss.

Am I heading in the right direction or is there a critical step im missing? I assume I would do all these steps twice a year then just do a rinse less wash/ceramic spray monthly?

 

Since you are at an apartment, I am assuming you do not have access to an outdoor water supply.

• for your very first wash do a normal 2 bucket wash at a DIY bay with a pressure washer, (bring your own grit guards, wash, and rinse buckets.
• then for light cleaning, use the gary dean method with a rinseless wash, (1 bucket, a bunch of plush mf towels soaked in rinseless wash solution, an empty bucket to discard your wash towels in)
• yes you need to use something to lubricate when clay barring, your rinseless wash will work, clay towels and mitts are faster but more aggressive, the white claybar from meguiars is super fine and doesn't mar the surface much in my experience. so for a new vehicle it is a great choice.
• If you absolutely want to machine polish, milwaukee or flex would be my go to cordless polishers, but that will be expensive ($500 or more with pads) and working outside sucks, but if you must, then work small sections, 1 panel at a time after you wash, (Clay, polish, seal), Honestly, I would skip this or pay a professional, learning to polish can be frustrating in a shop on junk panels, learning outside on soft, thin, black toyota paint that you own would be much more frustrating.
• for your sealant, I cannot recommend Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze enough, It is Cheap, easy to use, give long lasting protection and a little goes an extremely long way. (i still have some in a bottle I bought in 2009) I would say it is a better product for a DIY detailer's daily driver than a ceramic coating. apply as a wipe on, wipe off product with a damp MF applicator and buff with a good MF towel.
• Skip the ceramic spray, get a good spray detailer and add an ounce of the Klasse HGSG to it in a 32oz spray bottle.