*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

I'm hoping I can use a 1 step compound that will work. I'm using one of those synthetic clay blocks to clay the truck. When I touch the paint right now it feels sort of "dry" feeling. It looks almost matte in some areas due to oxidization. It's not terrible but its not great either. I plan to do a test section for sure.

Here is the one I bought.

$130 Chemical Guys BUF503 TORQX Random Orbital Polisher (Safe for Cars, Trucks, SUVs, & More) 700W, Orbit 8mm, 4.7 lb

https://www.amazon.com/TORQ-TORQX-R...ocphy=9031541&hvtargid=pla-449097094539&psc=1

 

I recently debadged my truck, including removing the black vinyl on the door B pillars. This scuff was under the vinyl on the drivers door B pillar. It appears to me that there was some debris in the paint and the factory sanded this spot in order to apply the vinyl. I was wondering what would be a good product or first step to make it less noticeable? I've looked around and it seems like a lot of products claim to be able to hide scratches. I figured I ask here first to see if anyone had a recommendation before I randomly tried one. Thanks.

 

Looks like there was a defect in the paint that would have shown up through the tape so they knocked it down with some sand paper

If it was mine I would start with the least abrasive polish and work up

 

If it was mine I would take it to the dealer and bitch.

 

I did that yesterday. I got passed around to 4 different service advisors and finally ended up with the service manager. In a nutshell, they apparently had a problem with the removal of any factory decals or badges. The manager told me that Toyota "meant" for the decals and badges to be there, therefore they should not be removed. Plus, I didn't buy my truck from that dealership, which I could tell bothered them. They were going to e-mail the Toyota rep to see if the she would green light any repair. I'm still waiting to hear back, but I feel like they are going to tell me to pound sand.

 

Skip anything to claim to hide scratches, anything that does generally doesn't last long at all. Then if you use something durable like a coating and it doesn't fill, now you have a coating in the way of fixing it. Not sure I'd try to fix it without a polisher, paint is probably thin there too. Even if a light polish didn't "remove" it, it would at least look much better than what it does now.

 

@gorram Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. I'll stay away from the scratch remover type products. So you are saying my best bet would be to go with something labeled as a polishing compound like this, right? Thanks again.

 

The detailing product world is filled with words that have multiple meanings. Usually the term compound means a heavier cut than something labeled a polish which would be more for finishing. Usually you remove scratches with a compound but it leaves a haze so you follow it up with a polish. But then either term could be used interchangeably by other people or detailing brands. Never heard of that Megs product but they also have 20-30 other compounds/polishes. I know I've read some of their non professional lines that you may find in walmarts or auto stores may have fillers in them which give you the impression that the scratches are removed so a few rains later and you'll see them again.

It's hard to tell what it's going to take to fix just by a picture but if they used sand paper that is below 1000 grit you're likely not going to fix it with any compound. It would need to be refined with sand paper then compound then polish. But that would be to completely get rid of it and that isn't something I'd suggest for a 2020 vehicle without having a paint depth gauge to see what you're getting into.

Now even a fine polish will help knock it down a little, and will not remove a lot of clear coat in the process and all the area around it. But since it's on the drivers side you're likely to notice it every time you enter the truck. Or you end up using something a little more aggressive and have to catch it at just the right angle in the light to spot it.

If it was in a less obvious spot I'd say try to hand polish it out but with where it is I'd stick to a polisher. While it may seem counter intuitive the machine will be much safer and will finish down better than trying to rub that out with a microfiber wrapped around a finger.

 

@gorram Thanks for taking the time to explain all that. It really helps a complete novice like me understand this better. I was having a hard time wading through all the products on the market that deal with this issue. The last thing I wanted to do was randomly choose one, go at it by myself and make it worse. Assuming Toyota won't cover it, I think my best bet is to take it into a professional detail/paint shop. There are a few close by that have really good reviews. If they can just make it less noticeable, I'd be happy with with that. Thanks again for your help. I really appreciate it.

 

Good deal, that would have been my suggestion anyway going forward. As much as I'd advocate for doing a detailing task yourself this one is a little beyond the toolset of a weekend warrior. was the polisher I had in mind which costs more than the two polisher and a slew of pads and liquid abrasives that I own.

Make sure whomever you go with that they are bringing up "preserving the clear coat" or something similar. If they don't, you lead with that. I'd NOT have the dealer do it as they'd likely put a detailer on it that is far less compensated and doesn't have to deal with you directly. He'd likley mow it down to or past the UV protection that sits at the bottom of the clear leaving you with no wiggle room going forward. The sun is already eroding away at the clear coat micron by micron each year as it spends time outside. A good pro is likely going to reach for wet sanding trizact discs which will will take less clear than constantly mowing it down with a heavy cutting compound.

Good luck with it, hopefully it turns out alright. I guess worse case is you could always put the vinyl back on, not the greatest option if this defect was in the middle of a panel.

 

I love my dog, Polly is the best pup I've ever had!
But that girl sheds like crazy! I've got an okay shop vac and a much newer vac for inside the house, normal standard attachments. What's the most efficient and simplest way to get the hair out of the seat backs and carpet with what I have on hand?

 

So, I clay bared my hood to see what condition my paint was in. It's very contaminated almost feels rough to the touch but it's very smooth after using the synthetic clay bar. What's interesting is there is some white milky residue on the clay after which I guess it is common with single-stage paints.

So, if I don't want to have to paint correct the whole car what is the best route to go?

I'm also working to fix a few rust spots caused by rock chips. Is there a good way to go about this? Thanks for all of the help so far!

Ps. I fell in love with Car Pro Pearl after using it for the first time. It's great.

 

I would suggest using Iron-X or a similar product then clay the whole truck. Single stage will result in color residue.

are you having any other issues with the paint?

 

Good idea. The paint just looks flat. I live near the beach in Southern California. It's not peeling or anything. I honestly have neglected to protect the truck because I didn't know much about all this when I first got it 4 years ago. It had a full detail when I bought it but I haven't done anything except wash it since and spray wax it.

If dirt or let's say I touch the car with an oily finger it seems to get "stuck" on the car and it's very hard to get off. Rather than being able to be washed off easily.

 

My vote is for basic oxidation. Now that you've decontaminated the surface, that would require a light polish followed by a good coat of wax / sealant / coating.

 

What about trying to find a vinyl that matches the paint close enough to apply over it?


The clear coat is probably compromised there already. Maybe not, but....

If you could find a vinyl that matched your paint closely enough, maybe you could simply cover it and it would blend well.


Just a thought.

 

Great. I think that's it too. I can always take pictures for you guys. My only thing is I also de-badged the car and I have some "ghosting" around the letters as well.

What polish would you go with? I'm guessing I would have to do this with a DA polisher as well correct?

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I figured if the repair wasn't going to look good or be cost prohibitive, I would just have the black vinyl reapplied. I never thought about going the route you mentioned. If I end up doing the vinyl again, I'll look into that. Thanks again.

 

Okay. So here are my steps that I'm thinking of doing. This is my first time going for it so let me know if this is okay.

- Wash Car using foam cannon and two bucket method
- Dry Car and scrub off any areas missed by wash.
- Use Ironx (idk what brand) on car and wipe off.
- Wipe down car with IA?
- Clay Car using Autoscrub clay block.
- Apply wax by hand (need a wax) maybe Collonite?
- Apply sealant by hand? No idea on a sealant.

I have a cheap buffer for wax but not a DA yet. I can get a DA for $100 if I really need one.

 

Rinse off iron remover, don't wipe it off. Iron X is a product by the brand CarPro, it is kind of the Kleenex or Windex of the iron remover product category. Other brands iron removers generally aren't much different. Some wheel cleaners also can do this but make sure the label says it's ok on paint. If the truck isn't that dirty do the iron remover first that way you're not having to wash and dry it, but you're right dry would be better than wet as it will just dilute the already expensive iron remover.

Not needed yet, usually an isopropyl alcohol wipedown is only necessary to remove polishing oils. Either to check the work on your polishing or when laying down a coating just to make sure you're applying to completely bare paint. You could argue for a wax or sealant it's probably not as necessary. Make sure it's diluted fairly well, not sure what the best recommendation is maybe no more than 25% alcohol. Even better would be to suck it up and buy a panel prep product like CarPro Eraser (most brands will have their version). Or go with something like Prep-All wax and grease remover which you can find in the paint section of auto stores. Besides with the way the pandemic went down I'd rather have the alcohol on hand for non automotive things. Though I think it's starting to show back up on store shelves.

A rinseless wash product can work well for this and a handful of other things. Great for glass cleaning too. Optimum No Rinse is the OG of this category though other brands are ok too.

If you're insisting on doing wax and sealant you put the longer lasting product on first, sealant then the wax. Though you need to space this out, you want that sealant fully curing before wiping on a wax as it can damage the sealant. Jescar/Menzerna Powerlock and

$21 Collinite 845 Insulator Wax-Easy to Use Carnauba+Polymer Wax Sealant-High Gloss Shine+Durable Hydrophobic Beading & Long Lasting Paint Protection for Cars/Boats/Trucks/RVs & Motorcycles (16 fl oz)

Collinite 845 are the recommended combo. Personally I'd just stick to the sealant and not use the wax or find one product as an LSP (last step product). Layering products generally don't lead to benefits, you're more likely to reduce the great attributes a product has than enhance. Of course every detailing brand will gladly sell you their various base product and topper(s) even with coatings.

Didn't you say you had a Torq buffer? Buffer is kind of a universal term from wax spreaders, DA (also referred to as random orbital) to rotary which only spins and no orbit. The Torq is plenty capable to try to tackle your oxidation. I've never tried a sealant or wax on oxidized paint, it might be worth testing it before doing the whole truck. Don't use the sealant or wax if you are going to polish, as it's just adding unnecessary work.