*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

@JaCado where are you located?
I will help if at all possible
And know several detailers around the states that could probably help out
Some for money
Others just to help

 

So yesterday I washed and waxed my truck and I came home to see what appeared some tree sap on the hood. I attempted to wash it off and then use the NANOSKIN auto scrub fine grain mit to remove the sap and noticed what appeared to be the clear coat missing. I'm not sure what to do at this point and could use some suggestions. I have attached a picture to attempt to show the damage. Forgive the morning dew around the suspect area.

 

The nanoskin probably marred the paint. One drawback to that particular product. Should be able to polish that out.

Also, Toyota's white is a single stage where the white and clear are mixed together.

 

So does that damage look like marring and wouldn't the damage (marring) be larger for the width of my hand going back and forth?

 

Can you circle or point out the "damaged area". White is harder than heck to see any damage too, hence why it's the greatest color of all time.

If its the spot I think it is, I would clay bar that spot with a medium/heavy clay. Use a clay luber and take your time. You might just have residual sap still hanging on the paint, I doubt heavy marring would occur in such an isolated spot when your hand would go over a muchlarger area. But it could it the contaminants in that area were causing the marring.

Use clay. I don't trust that nano skin stuff.

PS Dont park your truck under trees. Get a garage, truck cover, or a chain saw if you have to.

 

It ended up being residue that my nanoskin couldn't remove. I was planning on getting a new clay bar anyways for tough to remove sections. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

First clean and clay bar the pinstripped area. Any scratches deep enough to catch your fingernail will not be repairable through buffing. But white cleans up nicely after a clay bar so those deeper scratches will become less noticable.

For heavy swirls and pinstripes I would go with either a yellow or orange pad. Then I would finish with green or white. Test the fiberglass top with a lighter pad first. Not sure what that paint job is compared to the Toyota factory paint.

 

I have the Chemical Guys All in One and it might not pack enough punch for what you need. Plus its is an all in one so no need for another sealer.

I personally prefered the V38 and V36 cut/polish combo I got from them. The all in one really did nothing to remove my swirls, probably won't touch pin stripes. And 4oz might not be enough.

I use their Jet Seal and I've loved it as a sealer. I put it on in April and with the exception of my grille its still going strong. The grille has failed to hold up because of bugs and scrubbing them off. Other than that its doing as well as the day I put it on.

 

What @PackCon said.

$40 Chemical Guys GAP_VKIT_101 V36 Optical Grade Cutting Polish and V38 Final Polish, 16 Ounce, 2 Items

https://smile.amazon.com/Chemical-G...rd_wg=PbUPd&psc=1&refRID=PWC139QQYYHMTH6TSD2Z

Chemical Guys WAC_118_04 JetSeal Anti-Corrosion Sealant and Paint Protectant (4 oz)

https://smile.amazon.com/Chemical-G...rd_wg=PbUPd&psc=1&refRID=PWC139QQYYHMTH6TSD2Z

 

I just used that same orange pad and some compound to get some light scratches out of my wifes is250 and it took too long and too much work. Next time I am picking up the heavier cutting pad. And the scratches were not as bad as yours.

 

Megs has better polishes/compounds out there compared to the Scratch X.

 

Typically Scratch X has fillers. The other Megs products actually remove the scratches. Besides I noticed the other day that Walmart was carrying some of the Mirror Glaze line.

 

And that stuff flongs everywhere with a machine. IMO not a high quality product. The Chemical Guys stuff will pack more punch.

 

That purple is bad ass.

 

Never detailed a car before. I hose them down with some water to get the big chunks of mud off and then I move on.

Just got a new Tacoma and want to treat it a little better. She's been parallel parked in the sun every day since I got her 4 months ago.

There's a lot of info out there and in here. I just need a good starting point. A simple starter kit would suffice. Any recommendations?

I was eyeing this:

$85 Chemical Guys HOL121 Best Car Wash Bucket Kit, (Safe for Cars, Trucks, SUVs, RVs & More) 11 Items

Chemical Guys HOL121 Best Car Wash Bucket Kit (11 Items)

 

Love Chemical Guys products. Think the kit is OK but needs 1 more bucket and dirt trap.

 

That's definitely a good start in the right direction. It's better than just a hose lol

Another option, being it's a new truck, would be to take it to a detailer and have them wash-clay-polish-wax it to give you a nice, clean canvas to start out with. Then, the kit you have there would be perfect to maintain the paint from here on out.

 

First off, I'm sorry if this has been covered before, but a few searches and poking around didn't turn up any usable info. I need some help removing some paint transfer and light scuffing to my powder coated front bumper guard. It's a mat black textured finish; which I'm guessing is relatively standard. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

do not let the dealer touch it, it will come out worse than before you took it in

 

I'd hit it with a clay bar and see how far that gets you. Are you familiar with claying?