Pay a pro or rattle can my hood?

My truck is in mountain or desert sun all year. The clear coat is peeling like plastic wrap. UV radiation. Same with surfboards, boat windshields and Toyota headlights.

 

Ive seen some people limp a failing clear coat along by applying ceramic coatings.

 

Not true. I had mine done 3 years ago and paid $1200 with a new windshield. Professional shop and the results were perfect. Best of luck OP.

 

I paid over $2k for both and don't regret it. I'm getting ready to sell my Prerunner and know the next owner is going to appreciate the professional job.

 

Thanks for this. Rust was the killer up north, guess the sun is down here.

I use Meguiars Ultimate Liquid wax. Wax 2-3 times a year. I apply by hand with a foam applicator. Then remove with cotton towels and sometime use the orbital buffer with bonnets made of cotton.

Soap I use is meguiars or mothers car soap.

One shop I called about an estimate asked me what type of truck I had. He said he has seen many Tacomas with my same issue , especially from the 2010-2014 years.

 

Good to hear!

 

I'm embarrassed to say this, but I did plasti dip over a section of the roof about a year and half ago.

The sun a real bitch.

 

Maaco full tacoma single stage paint job $2400 looks great and whole truck matches and shines with 3 year warranty. No dent repair done as did not care.
Just do it and don't screw around yourself it will always look off and a pain to mess with.

 

same problem roof and hood indigo blue. I see a few in my area with same color same damage

 

Bummer man.

Nice work. Nothing beats a new shine. I do love a challenge, but considering the trucks we own are bad ass and a last of their breed, gotta have it done right for sure.

 

This may be the summer i cut and pop rivet this ‘70 AMX hood skin I’ve had sitting around on then flat black and call it a day. We’ll see. I’ve been looking at doing this project for way too long.

 

I'm surprised I didn't see anyone mention wrapping it.

 

I'm leaning toward the product being the issue here. I found this video and, IMO, after a month it looks like this wax was basically all worn off and not doing all that much. Different environmental conditions of course but still an indicator. I think that this wax is basically garbage unless it's being applied every 2-4wks. If you're not getting aggressive beading (not just sheeting) of water then that means you're already past due for your next application of wax/sealant.
https://youtu.be/YAGqsqACqjU?si=fybq4v9VCBVAYjFf

I'd recommend stepping up to a longer lasting product once you get the repairs done or perhaps even consider a ceramic product rather than a more standard wax or sealant (note the "wax" you were using was not a natural carnuba and instead a synthetic paraffin). I've always used paste carnuba wax but recently switched over to a quality (but not pro level) ceramic coating which is really working wonders so far.

 

The surface has to be pretty smooth to get a decent wrap. I've heard mixed reviews about damage to the paint when wraps are removed too. Something about the glue or residue.

Also, all automotive paints are water based. The paint doesn't have the longevity or the ability to withstand UV rays over decades.

Professional ceramic coatings (Gtechnic's CSL/ExoV5) are great if you maintain them and apply them when the vehicle is still relatively new.

In this case I would have a reputable shop repaint it.

 

My 2015 MGM did the exact same thing crappy ass clear coat that toyota used, just ridculous. I wet sanded very lightly, lots of elbow grease but i removed the clearcoat and didnt hurt the color coat and did so for the entire hood and the entire roof from windshield to rear window but just bwteen the roof racks. then i bought a spray gun for my air compressor and a gallon of very high quality 2k clearcoat from Amazon and masked the windows and sides of the vehicle and grill and then i went to town making nice smooth passes up and down the hood and for to aft on the roof and let it dry about a half hour and did it again and then once more. good enough for a 9 year old truck with only 76000 miles on it shame the paint went that fast and i wash mine and wax it all the time too.

anyway. i didnt go to the extent of trying to buff it later because it came out pretty good, but i also then bought a matte black hood wrap that was cut out to cover just the raised part of the hood and go under my bug sheild and all the way to the windshield and that is gonna keep most of it from happening again. i think ill also maybe wrap some of the roof between the racks, havent done that yet but im having a bit of issues with the tip of the door at the base of each window that flat part is really going and also along the top of each door is starting to get that cloudy clearcoat look which means the clearcoat is delaminating for the base coat there too now.


toyota fricken sucks and should be held liable for paint quality being so poor on our vehicles. my jeep grand cherokee i had, it even sat outside and wasnt garaged most of the time like my tacoma is and after 19 years when the engine finally went after 242k miles last year …the clearcoat still looked as good as the day i bought it. The only reason the jeep was moved outside for the last 9 years was because the 2015 Tacoma took its place in the garage overnights but both were maintained the same way. Same method of cleaning polishing and waxing with same products and the 19 year old jeep looked better than the newer and at the time 8 year old Tacoma on the day the jeep grand Cherokee died. Paint and clear was still almost as good as the day I bought her in early 2000s


Also for what it’s worth. It’s not the product because my jeep I maintained the exact same way and it was outdoor full time and always in the Southern California sun and it sat in the acid rain over night whenever it rained where as this truck. Maybe 50 percent of the time Weekends and at work it is in the sun.and at night always in a garage So don’t tell me its product. It’s piss poor factory application of too thin of layers of clear and a chemical bonding issue of the clear to the base coat too. It’s delaminating. Hence why it’s cloudy in appearance you lightly wet sand it off. The paint is not faded under it. But to reapply clear and to have an even look you have remove it entirely even where the delaminating hasnt accelerated yet

not all trucks are doing this. It seems that batches of them do. Probably some batches of trucks they didn’t respect the set time between laying the base coat and then applying the clear because the chemical bond between layers had a set period that must be observed. My reapplication is gonna fail eventually because obviously it can’t have a chance to chemically bond to the base coat now that the base coat had cured for 9 years


Some people got lucky and got a truck that was painted observing the wait times between coats. Others like me and the op. Not so lucky

 

Good for you on doing it yourself! Clear is tricky like you are saying, and the minute you touch the base coat with the sandpaper, its game over. Yes, it is a shame that it seems certain trucks were affected. Toyota did right by owners with the frame rust issue. I get my truck is 10 years old, and Toyota can't be expected to warranty for that long, just stinks that other shit boxes out there have solid paint jobs, yet our awesome trucks may not.

It's pretty amazing how quickly it is failing though, it seems every two weeks it is getting noticeably worse for me. The clock is ticking so I have to get it done now rather then later. Last thing I want is to be those cars/trucks where the clear fails, then the paint, then the rust... that is a nightmare to contend with.

 

Great opinions given here. But your truck is not that old and a nice one...If you can afford it get it professionally done but not MAACO unless you trust the shop.

 

how tf? my old 13 tacoma was the same color and lived outside for the 6 years i owned it and it never looked like that...

 

I would PERSONALLY either rattle can it IN FLAT/MATTE/SATIN BLACK, or maybe even skin it in flat/matte/satin black.

Edit - THEN I would also do the same to other trim work here and there (fuel filler door, tailgate, etc.) so it looks like a theme, and not someone throwing a primed part on. Maybe even trim the flat/matte/satin somehow too (pinstripes?)

 

Keep in mind, the bond between the clear and basecoat is what's failing. To correct it, they will have to pretty much take it down to bare metal. There's no way to just remove the clear coat without getting into the base.
If you're not willing to sand, prime, base coat and clear it yourself, a professional repaint would be the way to go.
I see that's the direction your heading so write the check and enjoy your refurbished ride!