Polishing compound use

My paint on the 11 year old white Tacoma I bought was quite oxidized, almost matte looking. I started using Turtle Wax polishing compound on it and it is starting to look great.

My questions are, will a second application help any or should I take it easy on the paint? I am doing it by hand with a Terry covered applicator sponge.

Secondly, should I use or not use it on the body colored pieces like the bumper and wheel surrounds?

It is fairly fine cut compound from what I can tell. Unfortunately I can now see some dents that we're invisible when the paint was flat lol.

 

Have you looked at the detail threads?

 

If your white paint hasn't been polished in 11 years and is oxidized and covered in scratches and swirls then chances are a cutting compound and polish job by hand is not going to cut it. Especially not using cheap Walmart/Auto Zone compounds.

If you really want to restore the paint I would look into getting your own Dual Action (DA) polisher and some entry level detailing supplies. I have a Porter Cable DA polisher I like. It was around $120 which is pretty standard for a beginner polisher.

OR

take it to a certified/insured and reputable professional detailer and have an exterior detail done probably around $300-600 depending on how hardcore you go, if you want the interior done too, and if you need a multistage job done.

You can polish by hand as much as you want. You are taking off virtally no finish by hand. Although do make sure you do full wash and clay bar before you do any type of polish or you will just continue to mar the paint.

Youcan polish any painted surface but stay away from the black plastics, polishes/sealers/waxes can stain them and its hell to remove lol.

 

Not looking for perfect by any means. I figure people that pay detailers don't have severely neglected paint, so most of what I read really didn't apply all that much. The first go around with my $6 tube of polish did miracles as far as I'm concerned.

 

False assumption. People of all kinds hire detailers. I have a bunch of detailing stuff I bought and still considered hiring a pro because of how bad my paint is. I've had to go over it twice and second time I did a 2 stage polish (you do this when you have to use a very abrasive compound). Still isn't perfect, and I have a 2013.

Chances are the hand polish you did won't continue to look good for very long. It probably cleaned more than corrected. Get a DA polisher and join the detailing club!! I promise it's fun. Just like every topic in this Forum though, be prepared to spend every cent you have haha

 

That, in fact, is exactly why people pay detailers. They usually have the best products to restore just about any paintjob in any condition. If you're not looking to put in much money and effort into your paint (nothing wrong with this, btw), then I would suggest you take it to a detailer and have them restore and polish it, then all you have to do is keep up with the washing and waxing. But if you're interested in restoring the paint yourself, a simple orbital polisher will get you further than doing several applications by hand. Harbor Freight has an inexpensive DA Polisher, and I've gotten really great results from it. And if you REALLY want to get in to it, then stick around and give us your credit card number, and we'll get you all set up with everything you need

How much "oxidation" do/did you have? Was it actually oxidation, or clear coat failure? There is a big difference, and the solutions to each problem is very different. Check out this thread about the two:
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...oat-Failure-Photo-Archive#VTCSq2w8ZxmKYYYj.97
Posting a few pics will help us point you in the right direction.

Lastly, hand applications are recommended for the plastic painted surfaces (fender flares, bumpers, mirror covers, grills, etc.). From what I remember, the paint is fairly thin on these parts (especially on the fender flares) so using a machine and compound may take too much clear coat/paint off.

I hope this helps!

 

His truck is white, no clear coat

 

Just got finished doing it a second time, it was mostly to hit the little spots I missed. I think it turned out good, looks as good as most peoples 5 year old vehicles.

As you can see I have some areas I want to touch up, etc.

I'm going to get a load of shit for this but I think most people simply go overboard with the whole "detailing" thing. What many people consider detailing I just considered a good cleaning. As a highschool kid I gave peoples vehicles a good cleaning for $50 and quite a few people told me I did a better job that the guy that charged them over $100, guess I sold myself short but hey I was just a kid and happy to make $50.

I have a 1979 Buick LeSabre with original paint that looks as good as new and all I ever did to it was wash and wax with cheap walmart wax. It use to be my grandmothers car, she got it brand new.

 

I prefer to do my own detailing --it's mostly labor intensive so it you just take one body panel at a time it's manage able...Nice looking truck--great engine 4.0.

 

I use a Porter Cable random orbital sander (model 7424 its old) with polishing/waxing pads. Really saves the shoulder and arms.

 

Put it in the sun and then let's talk. It's easy to do pictures in the shade. As others stated it is nearly impossible to get same results as a machine by hand. I don't doubt you saw some improvement but I suspect it's only temporary.

 

I just looked this up, and I didn't realize companies were still using single-stage paints!!! But the yellowing over time makes sense why they would.

 

Can't say I have ever been able to see swirl marks on any white vehicle, ever.

I use to have an 01 Rav 4 in black, could definitely see them on it. I love a clean black vehicle, but vowed to never buy one again after my first April in Maryland. If you don't know, the tree pollen is so thick that my new black Rav 4 looked like someone dumped a bucket of dirt all over it when I came out to go to work the 3rd day I owned it. It blows around on my driveway like a desert dust storm.

 

They are there. I can spot them on our work trucks at the place I work.

 

They are there, just not as noticable on white.

The scratches and swirls are likely what you are seeing as oxidation. The swirls refract light making the paint finish appear dull. It also increases surface area for more oxidation to occur when it does.

 

Its hard to imagine, because the truck was so white but the horizontal surfaces looked and felt just like a piece of computer paper. I did have some odd gray stains on it that wouldn't wash off but the compound took care of as well as making it look and feel like gloss paint should.

I also had undercoating over spray all over from where the dealer refurbished the truck before selling it to me.

 

Did you clay bar prior to doing the compound?

Over time paint picks up contaminants and holds onto them making the finish feel rough. Clay bar picks this right up and makes the paint feel smooth as glass.

This is easy to do after a wash. Usually takes me like 20 minutes. I also clay the glass to keep it clean and free of stuff that will embed in the surface. I do this twice a year during my details.

You should clay prior to using any wax or polish, if not you run the risk of rubbing contaminants into the paint causing swirls or marring the surface.

Clay it after the winter to help with the computer paper feel.

 

[/QUOTE]

I hated having the junk look on the clear plastic on the rear fenders like this.

I taped mine off and plasti dipped them black (the clear part). Looks better now.

 

I hated having the junk look on the clear plastic on the rear fenders like this.

I taped mine off and plasti dipped them black (the clear part). Looks better now.[/QUOTE]
Do you have a pic of how it looks?

 

I'm doing a full detail this weekend with a dual action polisher, I'm using chemical guys v36 polish and will follow up with butter wet wax. My paint isn't horrible, but It can be better.