I have a 2006 F150 SCrew that is a couple months old. Before I ever washed or waxed it myself I noticed a cloudy spot about the size of a tennis ball on the 2nd door on the drivers side.

I finally had time to wash and wax last weekend with Meguires Deep Crystal soap and waxed with Meguires Cleaner Wax. The spot is still there. What can I do to get rid of it? I bought some Scratch X today to use when I wash and wax this weekend. Will that help or do I need to try and clay it?

 

We're going to need some pics... 'cloudy spot' is pretty general.

One thing I would check on is if the dealership did any 'touch up' on your truck off of the transport. This is a common thing - unfortunately.

 

... also, if these cloudy spots aren't affected by the abrasive techniques that you've described, it may be in the color coat (hence, beneath the clearcoat) and you're out of luck. The only fix there is a sanded and refinished panel.

 

I will try and get some pics tomorrow. The truck was detailed by the dealership before I got it. I did not notice until a week or so later but thought it would come out with a wash and wax.

Rockpic another question is should I use Meguiars Gold Class wax or NXT on top of the Cleaner wax for better protection?

 

NXT will give better protection, but also think about the look aspect of it. Depending on whether you want a wet, glossy look or a deep rich luster depends on which you should use. (glossy =NXT, deep/rich=GC)

Both have great properties of protection, and each has it's advantages and disadvantages. But from the sound of it, it seems like you care for your truck pretty well (ie: frequent washing/waxing), so as long as you're waxing every month or so, you should be fine with either one.

I did a test myself to see how long each one lasts. They will both last 1 month (or so, depending on weather and how often I wash), and in certain areas, up to 3 months. (Don't bite my head off, I was out of town very often for the duration of this time, so it got a good detail before and after I left)

As long as you're willing to put in an hour or two a week, you shouldn't have any major problems. Even every 2 weeks will suffice if ABSOLUTELY necessary. This preventative maintenance keeps you from having to spend very many "full detail" hours that you hear of. (ie: 6+ hour details)

Anyway, good luck with the spot, and I highly reccomend both of the products you've chosen, so either way, you'll be fine.

 

Great. We'll look forward to the pics.

Hard call on what this 'spot' in your paint may be. I am worried, though, that abrasives didn't touch it -- it may be a 'deeper' problem.

From the standpoint of NXT or Gold Class...

Gold Class and NXT synthetic are both very good products but, here's my honest take.

Gold Class is far from as durable as NXT. In fact, I have quit recommending/using Gold Class wax all together because of a lack of durability. It looks fantastic -- just about as good to me as #16 but, the overall longevity of it seems to fade VERY quickly -- like a week and a half quickly during some of my tests.

For that reason, NXT would be my choice between the two. While it's not perfect -- there's nothing out there that is in my opinion -- it will provide a more durable protective film build versus the Gold Class. Further, you'll probably note that NXT is a little bit easier product to work with from an application and removal standpoint.

f150sport brought up a very good point in his reply last night -- that being preventative maintenance between your full-scale details.

My neighbor came over not too long ago and asked me why the NXT wax that I had let him borrow was already not beading water. This was about 2 weeks after he had applied it. My simple response -- it's that "Joy" dish washing liquid that you're using to wash your Toyota with! LOL! He couldn't understand that some soaps are so harsh that they can actually take wax off (in a jiffy might I add).

Keeping your vehicle washed is a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. The reason being is that when you wash, you are going to be pushing the protection level a bit. As the abrasion of your mitt or sponge and the chemicals (shampoo) are on the surface, they will have a tendency to affect the overall durability. So, if you're washing on a very frequent basis, you may find yourself needing to wax on a more frequent basis.

Other simple items like keeping your wash water as clean as possible, storing your supplies that will touch your paint in secure containers (like towels and such), utilizing the two (or three) bucket system to wash, blot drying, and mixing your chemicals to the right dilution ratios (mainly shampoo) will also go a long way to keeping the wax on your vehicle -- like he said, preventative.

Sorry I went off on a ramble there... Let us know when you have some pics of the spot...

RP

 

Thanks, RP.

BTW--I totally forgot to say that the carnauba I tested was step 3. and it lasted that long in a nice shady spot on the front part of the door. It never was touched by a sprinkler, and there was virtually no rain at the time. Sorry for the confusion. (I usually just think carnauba when I hear GC wax.)

As for proper ratios, I learned this after a friend made his acura look disgusting. He pomptly got it fixed with a good 6 hour deatil on paint alone. This goes to show that along with preventative maintenance, prevent all stupidity. Read the directions and follow them.

 

Sorry no pics today. Too many soccer games for the kids then football games to watch on TV.

I will have them tomorrow but I really appreciate the info for a newbie trying to learn how to take care of his vehicle.

I think I will take the Gold Class back and try the NXT. I am more concerned about protection than the look overall. I am sure both will look very good.

 

No problem. I've been in your shoes (and sometimes think I still am), and I want to help as best I can. I hate the feeling of not knowing what to do about a blemish on the beauty...

As for the wax...good idea. If you're really crazy about protection, and not worried about price as much, look into Zaino. It by far has the longest protection span of all, but I know it's more pricey, and have heard that it can be a pain to work with. All these waxes look great, though. Any way you go, it'll look good.

Good luck. (BTW--if the compounding doesn't work, try talking to FMC. They may fix it for you...I dunno. Worth a try, though. What's the worst they can do? Tell you no?....)

 

RockPick I can not get the spot to show up on my digital camera. We had two days of rain and cloudy skies and I was hoping when the sun came back out it would show up better. I have noticed before that the spot is more visible sometimes than others.

I did look very close and it does looks like the dealer covered up a ding. don't know what they used but the covered up spot is a little more visible now that I rubbed on it some.

When I wash and wax my truck this weekend I will try some scratch x on it and see what it does.