Faded red paint on Toyota Pickup

[GotToyota?]

Hey guys, I have a 95 Toyota Pickup that I just bought. The paint is faded, and I'm looking to bring back the color and shine it had before, or as close as possible. Here's a picture of the truck to give you an idea.



I made a trip to the store and bought some Ultimate Compound and Gold Class wax. I'll be doing this by hand (I know, it *****) so if there is any advice or something you'd recommend let me know. Will these products help me do what I need?

[Murr1525]

Oooh.. that will be fun. Do you know if it is single stage paint?

If so, I would want to add:

1. Wash Gold Class
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit
3. UC
4. #80 Speed Glaze, or at least Ult. Polish
5. Wax
6. Wax

If you see a lot of tar or anything, you might want to consider something like the TRIX or TarX from Car Pro also. That would go after the wash.

If the paint seems very dry, lots of red coming off, you may want to UC first, then Clay.

[Nicholas Winn]

Welcome to Meguiar's Online! Ultimate Compound and Gold Class Wax are great choices to get you going. When working by hand, it is best to apply Ultimate Compound with a soft foam wax applicator pad and remove with a high quality microfiber towel like our Supreme Shine. Work on a clean and cool car in the shade in small, 1ft square areas at a time. We would recommend doing a test spot and apply the product in tight, circular overlapping motions, with moderate pressure for about a minute to a minute and a half, keeping your hand flat. The product should break down to a light wet, translucent film which you wipe directly off. If you are going to wipe the product off and there is a thick coating of white product, you are either using too much or not working it in long enough. The product should not dry on the surface as it can become more difficult to remove, but if it ever does you can simply re-apply a small amount of more product and remove. A lot of users will also put down a piece of low tack painters tape for the test spot, apply in the shade, and then take the tape off and pull it in the sun to see your results! You may also want to consider using a clay bar like our Smooth Surface Clay Kit after washing, to remove any bonded contaminants, then moving on to the Ultimate Compound. More information on these steps can be located here:

5 Steps to Paint Care Cycle

This section also has some great before and after pictures of this process:

Pictures from Saturday Classes

[GotToyota?]

Went over part of the front end tonight. Here's a comparison.



I agree with you though, once it dries (and it does quickly) it's somewhat difficult to remove by hand.

[Mark Kleis]

Isn't it fun to see the transformation? Gotta love oxidized single stage paint!

Try a slightly shorter working time and/or smaller area and removal should get a bit easier.

[Murr1525]

Was that just with UC? How many applications?

[BillyJack]

Outstanding results with your UC!
Like Murr, I agree with using M80 when time permits. I did a similar job years ago on a Celica and the single-stage red paint reacted very well to the M03 I used at the time. M80, IMO is more aggressive than M03, but still finishes LSP-ready in most cases.

Bill

[GotToyota?]

Was that just with UC? How many applications?

Roughly 1-2 applications on small areas with UC. I didn't get to get any pictures after applications of the Gold Class because I ran out of daylight.

[GotToyota?]

Alright dudes, just finished the whole front end.



Newer vs. older




The bed will have to wait until Monday, but I'm extremely happy with how it turned out!

[Murr1525]

Looking good so far.

If you are waxing right after, you wont want to go back over it right away. But a cleaner/polish with a lot of oils I think will improve things even more next time. #80 is always good for single stage, though Ult. Polish is an option that may be easier to find.