Man this thing has only 16K and all over it are little rust specks even on the plastic white trim. I polish them out with wax but they seem to come back. How do you get rid of them and what is the best wax for shine and longevity ?? Thanks

 

I'm not sure on this one.... Might be rail dust?

Can you take some pictures of what you have and post them?

RP

 

every white truck or car I have seen has these. GM Dodge Cheby Ford all of them. It looks like tiny specks of rust but again its on the plastic trim too. It will come off but you gotta work your butt off. Also what kind of wax will do best on white and last longest ? NXT? Nu-Finish ?
Thanks

 

You might want to try claying and see if that will take it out of the paint…

 

Rangerr91 are you still wear the tinfoil hat and taking the medication the doctors prescribed?

I checked out my 2002 white SCrew this afternoon, and I saw nothing like you described. Even had my glasses on.
Do you think it's just sap from trees this time of year, sometimes that can be very difficult to remove after the sun bakes it for a day or so?

 

I dont have anything like you mention. I do get black spots on the tailgate-rear bumper but think its tire debree. I am going to try the Meguiars NXT soon and try to get the current dull truck (as shown in the pic below) a little more shinny!

 

I had what sounds like similar spots on my new F250. They were sort of yellowish/rusty looking spots. Very small but mine were confined mainly to the hood. I used clay and got them out. As far as wax for the white truck, I have been using a couple of coat of NXT with a day in between and topping with #26. Looks great. GS

 

An Oxford White truck with small rust colored spots huh. Since I’ve owned more white trucks than I can remember, maybe I can comment intelligently on this one. First of all, I know exactly what you’re talking about and you’re not crazy. The spots look like small rust colored blemishes on the surface and they’re not really visible unless you get right up close to the surface. They do not appear to be raised, but come off with some elbow grease using wax (with a cleaner in it) and / or some polishing compound. I’ve never tried clay to remove them. Yes, they do seem to come back over time – but maybe not in exactly the same places.

So, are these spots unique to Oxford White paint? I think not. My personal opinion is that they’re probably there in all colors – you just can’t see them as well. I’ve also seen them in white paint from other manufacturers. (My 1987 Dodge had them.)

Where do these spots come from? From what I can determine, the spots come from small iron particles adhering to the surface of the paint and then oxidizing (rusting). One common place to get them is from transport on a rail car. (Iron wheels on the train cars, steel rails – you get the picture.) This is commonly called “rail dust” and the most common removal method is a quick buff job. I’ve also seen this effect when somebody (like my ex) continues to drive a vehicle (like my old ’93 Oxford White Ranger) with the front brakes in the full “machine shop” mode. The metal on metal contact caused all sorts of iron to get deposited on the sides of the vehicle and then to rust. It was a rather awesome display and required a full rub out with a buffer and fairly aggressive compound to get out. (This worked on the truck, but not the ex.)

Are these spots a big problem? Other than what the ex did to the Ranger, I don’t believe they’re a huge problem. Remember, I also believe they’re present in all vehicles. My opinion is that regular care (washing & waxing) with good quality materials will keep the problem in check. I’d also venture that if the true cause is small iron particles, once they oxidize into oblivion, the problem should go away all by itself. Hope that helps!

 

If they are from rail dust or metal filings from the brakes, sounds like claybar is the answer. You can wash and wax all you want but those metal filings will still be there and continue to oxidize. Claybars were made just for this sort of thing.

 

Just out of curiousity, do you park/live/work/hang out near anything that has to do with railroads/subways/trollies?

Is there a machine shop nearby where you park/live/work/hang out?

 

Hey, I know exactly what you are talking about too. I had a 2001 blazer that had them. Mostly on the lower half of the car, even on plastic parts. I took an electric buffer with some polishing compound and lightly went over the whole car. I did this after I washed the car and then after I finished I washed it again and then waxed it really good. I dont think they are back yet, but I'll have to check next time I see it. They are a pain in the a$$, but they come off luckily.

 

Before you try using compounds that “may” take some clearcoat off, like cleaners etc try clay first. Clay will NOT harm nor remove any paint or clearcoat…

 

Ehh, a little late for that with me. The paint actually looked great afterwards though. Just have to be very soft with it. Came out great.

 

A very brief note on clay...

If you're not familar, do some searching here on f150online, autopia, meguiarsonline, detailcity, showcargarage, or other 'serious' car care forum.

Clay is very simple. It works by abrasion. That abrasion can and will DESTROY your paint if you drop it on the ground and then drag it across your paint. One tiny grain of sand can thrash any painted surface. Again, it's very simple and very safe to use but, you MUST use common sense when utilizing it. Just a FYI...

RP

 

Its hard to sat were it comes from. maybe your brakes, rail dust, dust from other cars in front of you...can't say. But if you look on your tailgate you should see that there is alot more of it. Go to Pep Boys and buy some clay NOT rubbing compound. A compound can rip your clear coat. After claying it you'll have to wax it. A so - so wax is Meguire’s gold glass. That'll work fine. More or less if you can't see it, you can feel it and that’s what the clay does.....takes all the debris off your paint