HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

[JoelStolarski]

Got a 2003 Dodge ram 1500 that had what I learned now is the acid ran hard water problem.
I got a little carried away with the hood and used rubbing compound before I read about the different products for oxidation/acid rain.
I also made another goof yesterday because I found something called barkeepers friend that ends up having oxalic acid in it. I washed the barkeepers friend off with baking soda figuring it should neutralize the acid. So far I haven't got too many scratches, but do have some so my obsession with this isn't over.
This is driving me nuts and I guess I'm getting carried away because the truck has had some rough treatment as far as the paint is concerned.
It looks better and the scratches don't show unless you get real close and look sideways across the paint.
So, two questions, 1)did I neutralize the oxalic acid?
If not what do I do, did only one fender.
2) Can I use the Meguiars Marine Heavy Oxidation remover or something else?
Thanks and tell me I'm stupid, the neighbors are making fun of me !

[Murr1525]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

We'll see what we can do.

Is there any chance of pics?

[Shawn T.]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

Yes, you effectively neutralized it as far as I know.

For now, don't touch it until we get some pics. We really need to see the damage before making any recommendations.

[JoelStolarski]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

Thanks guys, BTW I'm new on here, but been using Meguiar's for awhile now.
Been raining 2 days now here in bustling Vidalia, GA.
I'll try and get the truck inside the garage and dry it down and take pics sometime today. Should be a trick in getting close-ups of the paint.
So far I've been having a tough time with the camera when I photograph dark colors. Gonna have to play around with the camera and see what works.

[Murr1525]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

Try putting your finger, or a coin, etc on the paint to focus on.

[JoelStolarski]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/41654/size/big/cat/

[JoelStolarski]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

Here is the compounded hood.I'm having a time posting and editing theses pics.
Not that I don't know how to, but most other forums you don't have to resize, rename or do all this, plus have a moderator approve picture. Phew !

[JoelStolarski]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

I got the pictures in my gallery, but it's about an hour now, and I posted a picture here in the thread and so far nothing !

[Murr1525]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

New members have to have pics approved, I am sure we will get it soon.

[Shawn T.]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

Because you are under 30 posts, it needs to be checked out by the mods first.

[Murr1525]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

Looks mostly like bad water spotting, and a bit of a dull finish now. Is the whole truck similar?

At any rate, I think I would want 3 products on my shelf. The Smooth Surface Clay Kit, SwirlX, and Ultimate Compound. And then you wax of choice for after.

You would normally clay first, but with all that white residue, possibly from the Barkeeprs friend, etc, you may want to use the UC first, then clay.

I like to apply products with a smooth foam applicator pad, you would want to work the UC in a bit, not just wipe it around. Try to work a 1x1 area, and take your time.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

It wasn't a moderation issue but rather an incorrect link to the image. No worries, we've corrected that for you.

That is some serious water spotting - and a nice little scratch or two thrown in for good measure! And if what you've done thus far has had virtually no impact on these then you be looking at quite a bit of work ahead.

First off, keep the Marine Heavy Oxidation Remover off the truck. That product is designed for use on gel coat finishes ONLY and is not recommended for automotive paint. We highly recommend going to Ultimate Compound and hand applying it in small areas at a time (like 1' x 1' max) using a foam wax applicator pad and some elbow grease. Maybe even a lot of elbow grease. Wipe it off before it dries and inspect the area closely in good light. If you're making progress then keep at it. If it looks like you're removing the water spots but the paint is looking a little hazy, don't worry. Go over the area again as needed to remove the water spots and then follow up with a light pass of UC - just easy pressure - to remove the haze. If an easy follow up of UC doesn't remove the haze then go over it with SwirlX. There is a very good chance that there won't be any haze to deal with in the first place, but in case there is you've got a plan to resolve it. The paint will tell you what it needs when you start working on it. It's already told you it doesn't like the rubbing compound you tried, or the barkeepers friend.

[JoelStolarski]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

The picture that is in the message is the top of the truck cab.
That is what the whole truck looked like when I bought it.
The hood looked worse !
The hood except for the scratches is looking better, the one side of the
hood I did with the Ultimate compound followed by the swirl x, really looks pretty good now.
The barkeepers friend fender looks fine, I made sure to use the wax stripper, then the baking soda flush. Did ultimate compound, then swirlX, then the tech wax 2.0.
I read a Ford TSB, and there's a kit with acid wash, alkaline wash and a strong wash.
enough to do 15 cars, so if I can find somebody to split it with, I don't need that much.

[Shawn T.]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

Why do you need an acid wash?

[JoelStolarski]

Re: HELP I tried to get rid of bad Acid Rain

The Ford technical service bulletin supposedly references their 3 step process. Since it's not Meguiar's related then I'd rather not go further on that product. You could do a search and find the the bulletin, and then also do a search for the product. Been awhile since I had chemistry but from reading the rationale behind the 3 steps, it seems to make sense.