*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

I keep some rinseless wash (Optimum No Rinse) mixed up in a spray bottle in my garage. It works really well. Helps to loosen up the dirt, and ONR has some great lubrication properties to prevent scratching the paint. Just soak the spots, let it sit for a minute, and then wipe them off with a microfiber towel. Works best if you can catch the spot early. Last thing you want is to do is let the bird crap sit for a few days and bake on in the sun - that's how you end up with paint etching.

 

Great advice. ONR works very well

 

Hi guys, how far gone is the paint and clear coat on my 2015 DCSB MGM truck? I don't know anything about base coats, clear coats, etc. so that's why I'm asking here! Any advice would help ease my pain.

Background:

• Socal
• Got the truck 2.5 years agowith 30K miles. I have 90K miles on it now, mostly from 120 miles round trip to work.
  
• Wash every 2 - 3 weeks with either Meguiars car wash soap, or Optimum No rinse depending on how dirty. Finish off with Meguiar's ultimate quik detailer spray.
• Wax every 1.5 - 3 months with Meguiar's ultimate liquid wax
• Really started going down hill right before Covid. During and after Covid looks like below.

What are my options??

• Is paint/clear coat too far gone? Needs repaint and no other solutions?
  
• Can i just sand down or compound some spots and re-spray with clear coat and be ok?

New (January 2019)


Last week:

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the roof is toast and will need a re-paint. The clearcoat is totally done for.

 

Yep. Thanks.

Also, it's not just the roof. It's the door sill and a very tiny part of the hood.

Any idea how to stop the spread on the other panels until I can repaint?

 

Grab something like Turtle Wax Seal and Shine. Not my favorite product, but it’s cheap, can take a beating, and will add some UV protection. Apply it every 2-3 months.

Best thing you can do is protect the paint from UV light. My guess is your wax broke down too much in between applications. No excuse for cheap paint (blaming Toyota), but that’s my suspicion.

 

As has already been said, frequent coats of a wax or sealant with decent UV inhibitors will certainly slow it down, but unfortunately you cannot reverse the process. A good car cover will go a long ways towards slowing it down too.

 

I own a 2021 black Tacoma and I have water spots all over my paint finish. How can I get rid of them? I purchased a bottle of Adams water spot remover and it doesn’t work.

 

First question since the Adams product didn't work. Are you sure your have hard water spots? What caused the spots?

 

Yes it’s water spots. I washed my truck and then they appeared.

 

You might try a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and distilled water and see if that works first.
If the spots are really etched on (and it sounds like it) there's not much you can do other than polish them out with a machine polisher and a mild correcting polish. Start with the softest pad and polish available and work your way up to something more aggressive if needed.

I've always had good results with Adam's white polish and their white pads for correction. I use a speed 4/5 for correction on their swirl killer mini and 2 for sealants. Rupes makes really nice pads/polishers and Jescar makes high quality polishes/sealants.

$21 Jescar Micro Finishing Polish 8 oz

https://www.amazon.com/Jescar-4333116277-Micro-Finishing-Polish/dp/B0742P17DM

You might also try some that are designed for hand polishing, but they won't work as well as a random orbital machine polisher.

If you have really hard water use a water deionizer tank when washing. I like this one:
https://dirinse.com/product/d-i-rinse-pro-100-system/
https://clean-garage.com/spot-free-di-rinse-systems/ (same thing)

Otherwise, you'll need to spray the paint with a spray wax or detail spray while the car is still wet to buy you some extra time while drying.

I'm a huge Adams Polish fan, but their stuff is not what it use to be when he was small time. Also, a lot of their new stuff is gimmicky. P&S offers similar products (wheel cleaners/ interior cleaners/ bead maker sealant) for a much cheaper price.

 

Adam no longer owns Adam Polishes. Sold out a few years back.

 

Yep, Recochem in Canada bought them out. I have several gallons of their older stuff from before Adam moved to his bigger warehouse in Colorado. It's really good. The new stuff is inconsistent, seems watered down, and turns brown after a few months. I've been slowly switching out my regular go to's with other brands. Plus, a few years ago Adam's Polishes had a rash of credit card theft do to some unscrupulous employees. I got a $500 gift card out of it and my credit card company didn't charge me for any of the fraudulent activity, but I haven't bought anything from them in a long time. It's too bad. They had a really good product line and customer service, but sold out.

 

Thanks for your reply to my question and also thanks for your help. I will try this and let you know how I make out. Thanks again my friend.

 

So I'm trying to put together a simple kit and repertoire to keep my new MBM Tacoma looking good. I've had the truck less than a week, and the dust, pollen and water spots are already bugging me. I'm not looking to spend hours a week washing and detailing, so the more efficient, the better. After doing a bunch of reading here, it seems like the Garry Dean method with something like ONR would be the best option for weekly washing. Just wanted to pick your brains with a few questions.

I've got a short list of stuff to buy; anything you would add? ONR, Pump Sprayer, bucket and grit guard, stack of microfibers (are the bulk microfibers from the local big box store ok?), various wheel and tire brushes

If I'm just using one bucket (with frequent folding/swapping microfibers instead of 2 bucket), I should wash the paint first, then wheels after, right?

With ONR (or similar products), should I be putting on Turtle Wax Ceramic Hybrid Spray (or similar) after?

Do I need an additional water repellent product for the glass, like Rain X?

As for washing the microfibers, is a standard detergent OK, or is there some special detergent I should be using?

Thanks in advance!

 

Check out www.theragcompany.com for microfiber towels and P&S Detail products. I like the eagle edgeless 500 for exterior and the edgeless 365 for interiors. I'd also recommend the rags to riches microfiber detergent. This will keep the microfiber towels fluffed up and remove any wax or sealants in them (regular detergents won't do that). Wash on cold by themselves and dry low or hang to dry. (No fabric softeners of any kind like dryer sheets or detergent with fabric softener as it will clog the microfibers and cause streaking).

https://theragcompany.com/collections/microfiber-care/products/ps-detail-products-rags-to-riches

I've never used ONR especially on a black vehicle, so I can't say much about it other than the eagle edgeless 500 towels would be a good match if you want to go that route. The idea of a waterless wash doesn't sit well with me (possible scratches), but others have had great results. (I also have a Black TRD 4runner, amazing when clean, but a chore to keep clean.) I prefer to rinse it, foam cannon it, rinse again, foam again, then hand wash, then rinse and dry.

https://theragcompany.com/collections/rinseless-wash-towels

As far as exterior detailing chemicals I really like the stuff from P&S Detail Products available on the rag company website (wheel cleaner, interior cleaner, bead maker sealant, ect.) Adam's Polish blue shampoo with their pink exterior detail spray as a drying aid is a solid combo. Adam's Polish interior detailer is also a favorite. (Matte sheen, non greasy.)

Turtle wax makes some quality ceramic stuff. You can apply a spray wax after ONR if you want. Regular glass cleaner is fine. I like Sprayway glass cleaner. It's cheap, cuts through grime well and sold at Walmart. Glass sealants are optional. They don't last very long. Especially, if you use your windshield washer fluid a lot.

Speedmaster makes nice wheel brushes. Grit guards are very helpful as are separate buckets for wheels and paint. The detail factory makes nice quality brushes for interior and exterior as well.

https://theragcompany.com/collections/bucket-accessories
https://theragcompany.com/collections/brushes

With all that said, start will a small assortment of things and add as you need. Look for discount codes and sales. Detailing can get expensive.

 

I'd skip the grit guards if going Garry Dean method, even when I do a traditional wash I go with 4-5 wash mitts in a similar fashion to 9-10 rags when doing rinseless. While 2 buckets might make a little sense while the water is still a little fresh in the initial dunks the grit guards barely contain anything at the bottom, its a bullshit gimmick. Now using the grit guard in the fresh water bucket as a washboard might make more sense to loosen the dirt off a wash mitt. I'd go with The Rag Company edgeless 350s for rinseless. Skip the big box store microfibers at least on paint.

If you're using aggressive wheel and or tire chemicals and using brushes that might sling onto the paint then do the wheels first. When I do rinseless the vehicle is less dirty so I do the wheels last. I started using the "big red sponge" from the Rag Co, but it's black now. This is the only time I dip the dirty item back into the rinseless bucket.

You can, it's advisable to at least use something as it will only help keep clean. Depending on the product you might want to hold off on every week. If you've got a good laydown of sealant/coating this week, it's likely rejecting most of it when you spray it on next week so it's just a waste of product.

Sure, though try your product you're using on the paint first and see if you like it there. If you still use the wipers througout the week it may need to be applied more to the windshield. I find when I've got something on there I just about never need to turn my wipers on, even in the worst downpours.

As MGM said, don't use products with fabric softeners. Look for "free and clear" labeled wash detergents. I hear most long term detailers say they see little difference between this and dedicated microfiber wash. I've used Micro Restore and Rags To Riches neither is more special than the other, other than one is marketed more.

 

I would definitely apply some level of protection to the paint before you get into the maintenance washes. Depending on how much you drive and whether your truck is garaged or parked outside, you will see different longevities with different coatings. The Turtle Wax coatings you can find at big box stores will last anywhere from 3-5 months. After they break down, you'll need to use a strip wash to remove what's left and then re-apply. If you want something that lasts a little longer and is almost as easy to apply, I'd take a look at something like Gyeon Can Coat. Can Coat is a little more expensive, but it should last for 9-12 months (or longer, in some cases). Whichever coating you choose will make the washing and drying that much easier. It should also help protect the paint against UV radiation, which is one of the major causes of clear coat failure.

Glass coatings are a matter of preference. You could go with something like RainX or something from Adam's or Chemical Guys, but you'll probably need to re-apply the coating every couple months. My personal favorite is Gtechniq G1. The application process is pretty simple, but it will take 1-2 hours if it's your first time applying it. I applied it on my girlfriend's RAV4 this time last year, and it's still holding strong today. If you do decide to go that route, prices from Amazon are all over the place right now, so I'd get it from Detailed Image or Autogeek. The 15 ml kit is enough for one vehicle and shouldn't cost you any more than $20 (excluding tax/shipping).

 

Wash with a good PH neutral auto soap and a soft auto wash brush. Blow dry with one of those auto drying blowers. Put on a coat of good wax once a year (See Scott HD vids on YouTube), wipe off with a new 80/20 microfiber towel. Don't touch your paint with a wash mitt or a used towel.

 

Baller.