Paint Question

When I got my truck a year ago it had spots like this on the paint. I just got it detailed today and these spots are still there. Detailer didn’t know what it could be either. Anyone have an idea? Or how to get rid of it?

 

Looks like prior owner had some decals or vinyl over those areas and removed them so paint is faded less there.
Most Tacomas in darker colors fade and/or the clearcoat starts to dull and then start peeling after 10 years, sorry.

 

What do you mean by "got it detailed today"?

What did you have done as part of this "detail"?

I'm not sure what caused the staining/etching on the paint that you see. However, what it is, is largely unimportant. What is important is getting it resolved. The paint looks etched by some type of chemical. How to address it depends on what the detailer did to address it first.

 

The truck is 13 years old! There's probably not much you can do to fix this. I don't think there is a magic fix. Live with it or consider a paint job or wrap.

 

Only thing fixing that is new paint.

 

That’s a steep hill in the 3rd pic.

 

this was my first guess as well, but the pattern didn’t really make any sense to me. Maybe a design or graphics for a business or something. But if that’s the case then there really is no fixing it. The decals protected the paint underneath from the UV’s, surrounding areas are faded from the sun.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I’ll probably just ignore those few spots as it’s really only noticeable up close anyways, was just curious if there was any fix.

 

Again, what did this detailer do when you had the truck "detailed"?

That's a term that can mean anything from a car wash vacuuming out your interior all the way to a full service interior and exterior detail that costs $2,500 and includes a total two stage paint correction with a ceramic coat.

If your hired someone do to an actual detail that included paint correction (polish) and you still have those markings. That's more indicative of paint etching. A good detailer can take a paint thickness measuring tool and tell you what the risks are of trying to do some wet sanding to remove the etching.
If this detailer is just the run of the mill fancy car wash type detailer, take it to a REAL detailer that does paint correction and have them look at it. It may be something very easily polished out. Detailers in my area will charge about $250-$350 for an exterior single stage polish job. That's cheaper than you can get a polisher and your own gear to do it yourself.

I think there is a very good chance this can be polished out.

 

Looks like it needs to be polished out. You can see were someone wiped something in those areas and etched the clear coat. I would polish it out.

 

He clay barred the whole truck and then did a 2 step polish and wax after washing it.

EDIT But yes it was just a fancy car wash type detailer, it still came out good but I don’t think he was experienced with polishing and waxing. I’ll most likely go to a real detailer like you suggested in a few months and see what they say.

 

Needs an aggressive buff with coarse compound and wool pad and then you polish/wax. I may even afraid to state that some wet sanding may be required. All in all it's an easy job with the right tools. I've restored way worse before.

 

I really wonder what it is. It's just odd. Almost looks like some type of chemical. Maybe someone used something too harsh to remove adhesive or some other gunk on the truck.

I'd take it to a pro and see what they say. I wish you luck!

 

Personally I think it's a great looking truck. Perfect? Nope. She's showing her age so you either have to accept her or pay for cosmetic surgery. Had to be decals of some sort there in the past. Used as a commercial vehicle a one time? Enjoy.