Howdy guys,

Well, summer is coming, and I'd like to see if I can't do something to make my paint look a little better/last a little longer.

Personally I'd say my paint is in pretty good shape considering it came from the North and it also had 96k miles on it when I bought. Also it's a 4x4 and it appears to have seen it's share of un-paved roads

Here's a shot I took of the hood today (you can kind of see the rings (swirls?) where that sunlight is htting...Im sure it is very obvious to some of you):


When I compare my paint to my dad's '02, my paint is "rougher" and his is really smooth.

So I'm looking for suggestions on what kind of wax or other steps I should take here. We have good ol' turtle wax here at the house, Im sure it isn't great, and obviously Im sure it's better than nothing, but none the less, Id like some insight here.
I'd rather not be out there *every* weekend cleaning my truck, if thats possible.
Also I would rather not spend a fortune, once again, if possible.

Thanks

 

Well, whenever Boss or RP get on here, they can tell you what you need alot better than me, but for now, here goes:

1. If your paint feels "rough", then you probably have contaminants embedded in the paint. First thing you need to do is buy a clay bar and clay the entire vehicle. This will make the trucjk feel as smooth as glass, while removing the contaminants. You also need some type of lubricant to use while claying - this is a very good "package" that you can get from Meguiars - Quik Clay Detailing System

2. To remove the scratches, you can go HERE and get either the #9 swirl remover, or the Dual Action Cleaner Polish (DACP). To make it easier on you, these products will need to be machine applied. A rotary buffer like THIS will do very nicely for you. You do not have to worry about burning the paint or making more scratches as long as your pad is clean. If you do not want to use a machine to apply, you can try some ScratchX . This you can apply by hand, and will take the faint or light scratches that you have out.

3. A good wax to use would be either NXT Wax or #26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax . These can be applied by hand also, but you will get a better look and save time by using a DA polisher. Hope this helps a little bit. There are plenty of knowledgeable people here to help you with your truck. Meguiars is a great product that many folks on this site swear by (me being one of them). Good luck!!

 

Looks like a good place to start.

I figured I would probably need to go over it with the clay bar.

And in an attempt to clarify how my paint feels...it's not really rough, but I guess a better description would be that my finger doesnt glide over the paint as easily as it does on my dad's newer truck. (if that makes any more sense

Thanks

 

You will be amazed at the difference a clay bar can do. The first time you do it it is gonna take a while and you get to know your truck real well - but it's well worth it. Those tiny specks in the clear coat will oxidize and eventually do your paint job in.

 

Alright, so does this look like a good start guys?

I'm not sure what a good site to buy stuff from is (cheaper is better, but I would also like to GET the stuff I pay for

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/vk-103.html (will replace the old t-shirts I use now)
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meg-g-12664.html (will replace the Ivory dish soap)
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meg-g-1116.html (quik clay)

I'm thinking about getting a towel, but I'd like one that's under $10 if possible. As of now I just use regular old bath towels that we dont use anymore.
Is this one any good?
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/vk-988400.html

Also, other links are welcome, but I'd like to buy everything from one place.
Thanks.

 

i would recomend a big blue drying towel from premiumautocare.com. It is the best towel ever for drying.. 1 of these will dry your entire truck with ease if you rinse right. They are a little pricey, but the time, effort, and quality they provide is worth it.

 

Johngs,

The good news......... you've recieved some great recommendations for towels, clay bars, Etc.

The bad news.......... those products won't help remove those "spider web" swirls you have there. As Engine391 said, you will need to do some pretty serious polishing to get those swirls out of the paint.

The clay bar will make the paint smoother........... a good car wash, and quaility towels will minimize the introduction of "new" spider web marks........... but without getting the marks out be begin with, it will all pretty much be for naught!

Just my 2 cents.

 

hey boss, what would be your recommendation on a polish for light spiderwebbing, that would be applied by hand? My paint is silver, so you can hardly see them at all, even in direct sunlight. Alot of people seem to like the 1z products over at autopia.

 

gmorf33,

I'm not personaly familar with the 1Z products, so I really can't comment on their ability to be hand applied........... but I have heard some pretty good things about their products.

I am familar with many other products. For hand application on light swirls, I would recommend Poorboy's SSR2, or Meguiar's #9. The SSR2 is a tiny bit more abrasive than the #9. Poorboy also makes an SSR1, which is a tiny bit less abrasive than the #9.

If you can "see" the swirls on silver paint, they are probably pretty significant swirls, as silver doesn't show swirls very easy. That would probably make products like #9, and SSR1 borderline in your case. Therefore, I would go with a bit more aggressive product like SSR2, and then follow up with a very light polish like Meguiar's #81, or SSR1 (glazes so to speak).

Obviously, if you had a PC, the range of products would become a little broader. You could then opt for products like Meguiar's Swirl Free Polish (some use this by hand), Meguiar's Speed Glaze, Poorboy's SSR2.5, 3M's Finesse It II Machine Polish, Menzerna IP............... Etc.

Hope this helps.

 

I think the rotary buffer is a little out of my range. Would have to see if my dad would be willing to help out on that one.

But I can go for the Scratch-X

Thanks.

 

well boss.. you really have to get down and look HARD to see them in full direct sunlight. When I mentioned it to my mom she couldn't figure out what I was talking about, so normal people won't see them even if they are looking. Just crazy folk like us . You can't just stand there and look straight on and see them. #9 sounds like it would be what I need, since I can get it easily here in town. I'll try that out next time I do the full shabang. To be honest, using anything real abrasive scares me since I'm a noob at it.

 

Ok, went ahead and ordered that stuff

Scratch-X
"Handi-Grip" Applicator
Wool wash mitt
NXT car wash
meguiars quik clay
viking microfiber drying towel

Should be a good start.

Thanks guys
Should keep me busy next weekend

 

Yep!

 

So it all came.

Do I do the scratch-x before the clay?

1) wash
2) scratch-x
3) wash
4) clay
5) wash again?

Thanks.

 

Clay first.