I picked up a new Oxford White 2009 Ranger this weekend to use as my daily driver. Unfortunately, the truck I wanted had an early build date (October of 2008) and thus has been sitting on the dealer lot since late last year. Translated: almost a year's worth of baking in the sun, exposure to surface contaminants and a number of washes by the hacks in the dealer's detailing department.

This is new territory for me, since I usually custom order my vehicles and am used to starting out with fairly pristine paint jobs when I take possession of a new car. After just a "quicky" visual examination, I'm guessing I will probably have to do something beyond claying the paint and applying a good coat of wax, but I'm not sure how aggressive of a product I should use. There are definitely some swirls visible, and at this point I have no idea how much of the surface contaminants will come off using just the clay.

I noticed that Meguiar's makes a product called "Ultimate Compound" which looks as if it might work for what I need, but I'm worried it may be a tad too aggressive for the paint on this truck. Any input on what you guys think I might want to do in prepping the paint on this vehicle?

 

Here is some good information on the Meguiar's products.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...imate+compound

 

It would be much easier to take it back to the dealership and show them the swirls (or in most dealership cases, holograms). Tell them you don't want their "detailing crew" to fix it--you want to take it to a professional detailer of your choosing. Then get them to pick up the tab.

That's what I'd do if I were in your shoes, especially considering you just picked it up this past weekend.

 

Least aggressive first. Clay it, then try M205. If that's not strong enough, try M105 and follow up with M205.

 

I think I'm going to get a bottle of Swirl-X and a bottle of Ultimate Compound to have on hand when I do my detail. After claying I'll try the Swirl-X first and then move on to Ultimate Compound if I need more cut. Hopefully it cools off enough down here in Houston that I can get after it toward the middle of this week!

 

Swirl-X can work, but it takes a very long time. Their new formula is supposed to have more cut to it but it's still not that strong. I'd suggest sticking to the 105/205 combo to avoid paying for stuff you will never use again. Take it from someone who has been there, as I now have a full bottle of Swirl-X sitting on the shelf. Probably never going to be opened again. :o

 

You can go ahead and get some Ultimate Compound and Swirl X. If you need to step it up to Ultimate Compound, you may want to follow it with Swirl X.

Swirl X is not necessarily something that you will never open again. Each person has unique paint that reacts different ways and is in different conditions. Chances are that after you take out all the swirls, with time you will get some light swirls just from washing (it's kind of inevitable avoiding very light swirls) You would open up Swirl X rather than UC in this case as you have a smaller project to tackle.

 

Great point.

 

Whatever you get, a DA will make the job go a lot easier. If you are going to do all this by hand, use NXT 2.0 as your LSP because it has some light fillers.

 

Yeah -- I have a DA but will have to assess the condition of the paint more closely once I get the vehicle washed and clayed and have the time to take a good close look at it. I'll play around with the products and see what seems to yield the best results.

Wish I had more time to deal with it. Back in my "pre-kid" days I could indulge myself with spending loads of time with a project like this, but with a three-year-old running around the house the hours available to worry only about yourself are few and far between.......

 

Swirl X is not reformulated, just to point out. It is a new product based on the new S.M.A.T., instead of the now old "diminishing abrasives."

Ultimate Compound is close to the new M105 in regards to cut-level, but you don't have to buy such a large amount of it and is generally easier to find. Swirl X is more aggressive than M205, but would still be fine to follow the UC with.

 

Well, this past week was slow at work for me (I work out of a home office) so I had an opportunity to put in some quality time with the new Ranger out in my garage! After a good wash, I took a few hours to clay the paint and then applied some small pieces of painter's tape to areas that would need some more attention.

I was actually surprised at how many of the issues were cleaned up by claying alone. Most of the other blems came out using my old formula Scratch-X, although a few spots required me to break out the new Ultimate Compound, which is a product that really impressed me. Everything I needed to do could be done easily by hand.

A final coat of NXT 2.0 and the Ranger looks like you could roll her out onto the floor of the local Auto Show! For what it's worth, although Oxford White is a tad boring (I really would have preferred Torch Red) it sure is a far easier color to work with than the Medium Wedgewood Blue that's on my F-150!