*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

Greetings,

I just picked up my new 2010 Tacoma TRD Sport tonight. I refused to pay $800.00 for paint and fabric protection and thought I would do it myself. After reading this thread, it seems like 303 fabric guard is the way to go on the carpets and seats. Can someone tell me if 303 comes in an aerosol can? All I can seem to find are spray bottles.

Thanks

cbreeze

 

First of all, thanks for your help, I appreciate it. I have these annoying nicks in my paint on my doors from *#$!ers parking next to me and dinging my doors and quarter panels (sliders should be here on thursday) is there any way to fix them without having to get my doors repainted? Also, my rear window, right side panel was scratched (the tint?) and was wondering if there is a fix for that also. I appreciate any input.
Cheers,
Josh

 

Great thread... I painstakenly went through all 21 pages to get to my question... Someone also asked this question earlier - but I didn't see an answer.

Normally I use all Meguires products, including the Gold Class Wax (which I love)...
but does anyone know anything about AutoGlym? I saw their stuff in the store over the weekend and wanted to ask the experts here.

 

What is the best product/ procedure to remove light scratches for the guage cluster clear plastic? After searching, the best recomendation so far is a product called Quixx. Any input would be helpfull.

 

I need some clarification peeps. In the first section about washing it talks about not using towels because they have a polyester threading which can scratch. Then it mentions to use waffle weave microfiber. Isn't microfiber polyester??

 

I need some rookie advice here. How often can I use a scratch remover on the same spot on my car before I begin to ruin the paint? (Scratch X 2.0 used with a microfiber pad)

 

If you are going at the defect like mad with Sx2.0 and it is not coming out you need a stronger polish and a foam pad. That being said, you will have to scrub pretty darn hard and for a long time with Sx2.0 and a MF.

 

There are several factors, not limited to (1) how hard you are pushing (2) how much polish you use (3) how thick your clearcoat is and (4) how deep the scratches were that you took out.

ScratchX 2.0 uses diminishing abrasives which means larger cutting particles break down as you use it. Initially, you may notice a haze (especially on darker finishes) as you use it and then the haze fades as you continue to rub it in. These initial larger cuts go deeper and take off more clear coat.

You can and will polish through the clearcoat if you rub in one spot long enough. Most paint jobs have about 3-4 mils of paint (that's primer, sealer, base coat and clear coat combined) or roughly the thickness of a piece of paper. The clear coat is in the neighborhood of 1 mil on my truck. So there's not a lot of material to work with.

Focusing on one area presents a higher risk for going through, especially if you end up bearing down with just one finger under the microfiber. I wouldn't use ScratchX...instead I'd recommend a micro-abrasive polish like SYSTEM ONE X3, CSI Cut N Polish, Meguiar's M205, 3M Ultrafina (for very light scratches) or one of the Menzerna polishes.

Just out of curiosity...why are you polishing the same area again and again?

 

^ because there's a bunch of scratches on my passenger door that aren't deep enough to be considered "unrepairable" and so I continually polish it to get more of the scratch out.

 

I've been using a wash and wax to wash my truck. Today I decided to use a regualr wash (no wax) that is also ph balanced. Low and be hold as I'm washing my Tacoma the paint feels like sand paper. Really freaked me out cause it felt like primer but still had a shine. I'm thinking that wash and wax I used before was comming off. When I dried the truck and slowly ran my finger over an area i would see little white flakes start to form. Do i need to use Dawn soap next time i wash to strip the old wax. Also I waxed the truck to see if this would help but it didn't. What should i do?

 

Sounds to me like you should clay the surface. Go ahead and do either a citrus based wash or a dawn wash the next time, then clay and finish w/ a nice coat of wax. Sandpaper type feel will be all gone

 

Clay is time consuming but damn it is worth the time.

 

Alright, here's my amateur question:

How do you know when the clay bar needs to be retired? And how many times can I keep kneading it and folding it over to find a fresh surface before I have to get rid of it?

Thanks

 

IF you have never clayed before, retire that piece to the windows. After that, I would say 2 total clay sessions before retiring it to the windows and throw the window one out.

 

Thanks I already ordered Chemical Guys Citrus Wash..I will just head on over to my auto store and get some clay.

 

wait you can use clay on windows?

 

x2

 

Thank you.

 

Yes, clay can be used on windows. And should be used once a month or do so.