Paint Job Advice

Yes, remove emblems, mirrors, belt mouldings, bumper cover, lamps, etc.

You can clean and retape the emblems or replace them, whichever you prefer.

 

Thanks for the tip. Definitely going to pay them a visit.

 

Schieb is a good choice as well as Maaco. The more work you do yourself, the better the results will be. You can get a solid quality paint job at those places, but you've got to put in the effort beforehand to maximize the results.

 

I'll be checking out Maaco. The clear coat makes a big difference, eh?

I must say, I thought the original Tacoma paint (Impulse Red in my case) was gorgeous. Chipped waaaay easier than the Ford I owned before it, so that was a bummer, but it sure looked good for many years, until it didn't.

 

Maaco/Earl Shieb will probably chip even easier. At least that's my experience. I've never had paint chip like their paint.

As far as your Toyota vs Ford example... there's a lot going on here. The past couple (at least?) of decades have seen automotive paint move to more eco friendly formulations. Lots of OEM's had a hard time making this switch so paint quality suffered. It's quite possible this is what you're seeing. An older Ford with that toxic paint which is durable vs a newer Toyota where they still haven't figured out the newer paints yet. In general, modern day paint just isn't what it used to be. Personally, I'm now putting a lot more effort into maintaining the paint on our cars than I used to because it seems to be more susceptible to damage and more expensive to fix.

 

Very interesting. And good advice on maintaining it. My dad would spend every weekend waxing his car, and it always looked brand new. Me, if I get a wax or two in a year, I'm lucky. And it shows. :/

 

The separate clear coat can make a big difference as if it's painted well and you get it wet sand/buffed you can get a mirror like finish as it will remove the orange peel. Plus it can last longer than a 1 stage paint (clearcoat mixed with color). but of course it'll all depend also on the cost you're willing to spend. I have an 01 rav4 that I got repainted 1 stage paint. it's still ok from 10 ft away but up close you can see markings on the paint from enviormental damage. and unfortunately to remove it it'll need another respray.

Go check out some paint shops in your area, get quotes, and check out examples of their work on the cars they're working on.

 

Done correctly, with good products, waxing 1-2x per year should be sufficient. Unless you have some really harsh conditions or otherwise aren't keeping the car clean regularly. Waxing weekly is a waste of time. But then again I'm talking about applying a good thick coat of a quality carnuba wax or other high quality sealant/ceramic after proper prep has been done. Spritzing some "spray wax" on your car after a wash does not count as "waxing" your car, but can be very helpful in extending the life and effectiveness of the wax you apply 1-2x year.

 

Great advice. Thanks much.

 

care to share what you paid?

 

After reading this, I went onto YouTube and found a video on waxing your car annually. He mentions washing the car, then "clay barring" it, then using a "detox spray" on it, then applying a "ceramic-based wax." Is that the proper prep of which you speak?

 

Yup. At a bare minimum you should be using a "strip wash" to remove any old waxes/sealants plus clay bar and a good iron remover. That will give you a pretty clean surface to apply your wax to. If you want to take it a little further, you can polish the vehicle prior to applying the wax. That will give an even better/cleaner surface to for the wax AND it'll just make the paint look nicer by removing light scratches and swirl marks. Then you can use a good detail spray or spray wax after each of your maintenance washes and that product will help extend the life of your wax.

If you're using a ceramic coating rather than a more typical wax/sealant then polishing becomes mandatory because the only way to completely remove ceramic coating is by mechanical means (polish/compound).

Sticking with the same ecosystem of products is a good idea as they're usually meant to work together. I recently switched from regular waxes to ceramic. I chose Adam's Graphene with is a mid/high level consumer (not professional) product. It's been about a year now since I applied it to 3 of our vehicles and I'm still getting good water beading on all 3 of them - which is a sign that the coating is still doing it's job. I'm quite happy with these results considering these cars sit out in the sun all day, every day. I can also tell that the use of Adam's Graphene "Detail Spray" or Graphene "Boost" after maintenance washes is helping extend the life of the original ceramic application.

For years I was quite skeptical of ceramic coatings but I think I've all but officially changed my view on that. But reserving final judgement until I reach the lifespan of the coating on these cars and have to go thru the re-application process.

 

After a good wash, you want to do a chemical decontamination first (bug and tar remover, then iron remover like IronX), then mechanical decontamination (clay bar).

 

Spending $6000 to $8000 on a 2006 prerunner paint job is insane. You will never ever ever get your $$$ out of it. Heres what I did with my 2009. Paint was fading clear coat peeling. I live not far from you in Elk Grove. I took mine to Maaco in Rancho Cordova a block from Costco. I didn’t do any prep. Just dropped it off and picked it a few days later. That was 4 years ago. It still looks like new. I got the 2 stage paint job and it looks as good today as the day I picked it up from the shop. They also painted my camper shell. Cost at that time $2500. I believe the guaranteed it for 4 or 5 years. I get compliments all the time on my truck. My neighbor across the street took his Chevy truck to the same place a month before mine. He loves his and it still looks great. A lot of people will bad mouth Maaco but my neighbor and I are completely satisfied with their work.
Here’s a couple pics of mine

 

If you have any quality wrap shops in your area, you should consider getting it vinyl wrapped. Should be way less expensive than a paint job and it will look like new. Just an option.

 

Wraps are good but there are some drawbacks. They last anywhere from 2 to 5 years sometimes 7 years or so. Factors like sun exposure, climate and frequency of washing affect how long your wrap lasts. It’s also suggested that you hand wash it and not use car wash’s. The intense summer sun here in the Sacramento valley is going to be rough on a wrap. If you can garage it when not in use that would be the best. Cost to wrap can fluctuate greatly. It may cost as much or more as a Maaco paint job. I’m not bad mouthing wraps but just check out the pros and cons of wrap vs paint before you decide.

 

Single stage paint is not color mixed with clear. It's usually acrylic enamel or acrylic urethane. You mix it with hardener and reducer, but not clear. 2 stage paint is a base coat followed by a clear coat. The base coat in a 2 stage paint job is not meant to be left by itself. You have to clear over it.

Me personally, I would not spend the time color sanding/buffing a respray on an 18 year old vehicle unless I was either bored to tears and had absolutely nothing else to spend my time and money on, or I was building a show vehicle.

 

I’d like to add that I am in the same boat as OP. If you’re considering a vinyl wrap, it will not adhere properly to a very damaged paint job so that’s really not an option. I called a local business that does vinyl wraps and that’s what the owner told me. It’s looking like the best option is to take it to a place like @Sprig took his truck to.

 

Thanks much for the detailed reply. I'll save this for later.

 

Wow, your truck is gorgeous! If Maaco did that, then I am very impressed and will be setting up an appointment with them right away.

Edit: Side note: Looks like these photos were taken at one of my favorite spots: Dike 8 on Folsom Lake (now known as Folsom Point, I do believe). Great backdrop.