The bottom line... there's an absolute SLEW of great products out there. Once you're comfortable maintaining your paint at a level that you find acceptable, I'd encourage anyone to dance around on a few different products to see what might be able to raise the bar.

By following this technique, I've discovered some absolutely fantastic products that I wouldn't have typically tried. Lots of times, the product that I tinkered with will replace an old stand-by that was in my arsenal. While the old product may not get tossed, it typically has more of a chance to collect dust on the shelf.

All of that said, I still find that certain products work better on certain colors. For example, #7 is really great on dark colors at darkening the paint (polishing oils) and adding depth whereas, I didn't see it do nearly as much on white.

Even beyond all of that -- it's ultimately in the eyes of the beholder. The beholder is typically you, the owner. If you're not happy with it, then you need to move to something that will make you happy. Be prepared to take the ups and the downs to this. Any buffoon can slather on a coat of wax but, it takes an enthusiast to dance around within a few products to determine what yields the look that he or she desires.... that same enthusiast uses good techniques, procedures, and copious amounts of common sense!

 

His truck may not have a show quality paint job but I bet it's still a damn nice looking vehicle when clean.

A good set of wheels/tires would probably go a long way to make it stand out even more.

 

nobody said none of the trucks look bad...he first asked how to make his 2007 2 week old paint pop and stand out and and "not look like every other clean black truck" i simply stated that to look better than the rest it takes more than just wax...alot more. i posted a colorsanded car he responded "thats the look i am going for" and look at the second post...a simple wax will not do that. now it looks like many are jumping around thinking that i dont know what it should look like and the other trucks that were posted look as good as the one i posted, they were not even close. none of the finishes i posted look anything like any of the trucks that were posted later..all clean new factory finish paint, they all look as good as pretty much they possibly can.

 

My truck has plenty of orange peel too, as most F150s do.

 

you would be amazed how much of a diffrence custom paint can make

 

Every FoMoCo product out there... from the Fiesta (at $5K new) to the GT (at approx $500K new).

Sad... but, definitely true.

 

I had some parts painted a few weeks ago and I ran a few ideas by my paint guy.First I asked him if he thought I could color sand and buff the orange peel out of the factory clearcoat and he didn't like that idea.Then I asked about adding more clear and then color sanding it.Again he looked at me like this > He said it could be done but talked me out of it.I guess I can live with it for a few years.

 

It can certainly be done .... troberts definitely has a point when he mentions 'taking it to another level' but, that other level is quite a bit up the pricescale for most...

I mean, if you're looking at a respray, you're likely going to be working towards showing the truck or something similar.

If you're looking at a full wetsand (pending it's the clear that has 'slouched' causing the OP), you're looking at a bunch of work in someone's VERY skilled hands. I've never claimed to be a body shop guy -- I'm far frome it -- I know some guys that are in that business and even have a few contacts that I've made through detailing at PPG and Dupont... if I have questions about how a clear product from a certain vendor sets up, I call those guys. Otherwise, I leave it to someone that would 'want' to do it. Like everyone here, I could wetsand a vehicle (bust out the Nikken papers and let's have a sanding party!) but, I just don't see that the work warrants the result... at least not for me.

-RP-

 

I am just surprised he finds the paint so objectionable on his new truck. Maybe he should have a shop color sand and buff the '07. Then if they blow it he can pay for a new $6k paint job.

Must have gone down hill at Ford. My 1998 has an excellent factory finish, still looks good enough that my boss thought it was a new truck.

 

the only thing I disagree with here is the premise that all wax jobs are the same ..

I would agree that there is a different level that can't usually be reached without what some would consider drastic measures with most factory paint..

but I do not agree that all waxed factory paint jobs look the same .. can't tell if that is what you are saying, troberts6874 ..

There is a difference between what a pro can do with a factory paint job, and what a novice with a can of turtle wax can do ..

if I am off base on what you were saying .. then just ignore me

 

my 2 black vehicles were a BMW and a Nissan that had a very expensive respray on it. I've never owned a black car with so much OP. thats all, I'm not super picky, I just want it to be deeper

 

It's unfortunate that your new truck has that much OP. I'll have to look close at the paint next time I see an '07.

 

Color sanding is great for show cars, but color sanding factory clears on a daily driver that's spends a lot of time outside can compromise the finish long term. A good portion of the UV protection ends up in the outer edge of the clear and removing more than 1/3 of a mill (~8.5 microns for the metric nerds here ) can sometimes compromise the long term UV protection. It's just something else to think about before starting down this road.

 

I've got an 07 Harley Davidson Edition with Amethyst paint..The amount of orange peel in my paint is disappointing theres so much, Ford could really afford to step up quality a bit when it comes to finish. Its only a month old I haven't tried claybar yet. I might just have to try and give it a really good full detail, so far all I've done has been give it a good coat of Carnauba after the dealer detailed it and then just cleaned it up with Mothers Showtime.

 

You can read a paper in mine, I guarantee you. I have no orange peel AND I have factory paint. And this was BEFORE the wax my friend. You can count each utility line in the hood, and how high up are those off the ground? Reading text on paper would be a piece of cake. How small ya want it?