white singlestage newish car

[swadeab]

Hi All, (hope this doesn't double post i got timed out)

Been awhile since i've really bothered to use much more than meguires cleaner 1 step on a vehicle. Need opinions if the below plan sounds ok.

Vehicle is an 08 toyota tundra white (single stage). Paint condition is good only 4 years old, florida sun so there is some light dull hazing spots here and there (dull areas for the most part). That's just what i cursory notice as of now but nothing glaring like you see on some clear coats which is hard to miss. I've had ss and clear coat cars but it's been awhile since the ss cars but i do understand the +'s and -'s.

Quick summary i've been reading mikes ebook (which will take many readings to aborb wow), read up on the meg products, very confusing there's so many new type products.. products that break down into a polish, glazes,syntetics waxes i figured i better seek out advice! So assume i'm ignorant but i think i have a very basic grasp due to this aggresiveness post

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?30210-Ultimate-Compound-vs-Scratch-X-2-0

Also i've read mikes articles on single stage paints and white hardness

and i've read his article on #7 and single stage how the oils feeds the paint which is beneficial..which gets into the #7 line of products

I've also seen some post where he mentions the UP is a consumer line somewhat similiar to #7 in terms of the oils aspect.

I'll be using a da for this (have a rotary but i use it to whale on boat gelcoat, don't trust myself on a car with it yet..no experience in that regards).

So i've ascertained a basic plan using the last aggresive approach (considering i do likely have some mild dull/haze) starting with the consumer line is to wash, clay, DA with scratchx, polish (UP or PC) since scratchx is a cleaner, then wax. I understand I may discover more than scratchx can correct and the next level in the consumer line would be UC or 105/205 combo and the rest of the line..i haven't gotten to understanding those yet!

But here's where i got confused and just need some confirmation...given it's white, single stage (and the mentioned articles regarding oil and hardness) does that plan sound ok? I understand i may need to evaluate as i'm doing it or for the next time after seeing the results. If you say heck no the that stuff is great for soft clear coats but based on experience you'll largely be burning product on a white single stage i may need to reconsider =) I guess the question really is what's a good 'least aggresive' approach type product for a modern single stage white.

Thanks for any advice! I'm sure this is answered in a bazillion threads and is probably answered in the book so i'm doing searches and reading as well so i'll post back if i answer my own muddled questions =)

[davey g-force]

Re: white singlestage newish car

Your plan is sound and may well work - you won't know for sure until you try a test spot.

If you have it, or want to buy some more product, perhaps you should try M80 or M83 in place of the ScratchX. They are well suited to SS paints..

[1994Gen1L]

Re: white singlestage newish car

Welcome to MOL! I recommend that you start with the least aggressive product and then move up until you get the result's you are looking for. I have a '94 Oxford White Clearcoat F150 Lightning that has been repainted at least once since it left the factory, not certain when it was done as I am the 5th owner.

When used correctly, a DA is the safest and easiest way to polish, remove defects and apply wax to a vehicle. I own a Meg's DA and just finished an external detail yesterday afternoon. Surprisingly enough, Ultimate Polish (UP) and a Meg's yellow polishing pad (on speed 5) will clean the paint and nourish it with needed oil's. If you need something a little stronger, I would then move up to Scratch X 2.0 as a cleaner/polish. Don't pass up Swirl X if you have a bottle as it is also a very good product to start with.

I have used Meg's #6 Cleaner Wax and it does a good job at cleaning/polishing. Applied with a DA/yellow polishing pad combo on speed 4 or 5 will actually perform very well. I have gotten better result's with #6 compared to Meg's Color X.


Keep us updated,
James

[tguil]

Re: white singlestage newish car

On a four year old truck that has had quite a bit of outside time and has been waxed only with the cleaner/wax, I not worry about using the least aggressive product. I'd go straight to Ultimate Polish or maybe even Ultimate Compound using the yellow polishing pad. A Tundra is a lot of truck to be messing with. I have used both products on my wife's SS white Tacoma's with very good luck. Follow up with Ultimate wax and that's it. If you go straight to the Ultimate Compound, you probably would not have to use the Ultimate Polish. I rarely use Ultimate Polish any more. If I am dealing with micro marring or scratches, I go right to Ultimate Compound. My favorite maintenance product is ColorX.

Tom

[jarred767]

I just worked on a SS white Tundra the other day and M80 worked quite nicely, although thus paint job was very oxidized and I wonder if using M07 would have helped with oxidation even further (I didn't have it in my arsenal, do wasn't able to try it). The customer was very pleased with What M80 did, but I felt like it could have even been better. I think that next time I work on that truck I might use M07 to see if it performs any better.

Does M07 have more oils than M80 and possibly a little better suited for a dried out SS paint? I'm interested to hear about this as well.

[Murr1525]

Re: white singlestage newish car

#7 is all oils.... While it is a good pure polish to use after cleaning steps, it also can be used on really dry paints to make it workable before using something like #80.

Mike Phillips also wrote an article about using only #7 and a lot of elbow grease.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: white singlestage newish car

If this is truly a single stage white (admittedly quite rare for such a new vehicle) we wouldn't hesitate for a moment to go straight to Ultimate Compound on a yellow pad, speed 5, and use a fair bit of pressure. This paint, if indeed single stage white, is going to be really hard due to the pigments used and a light touch like Ultimate Polish or even ScratchX 2.0 isn't going to do much.

While we're huge proponents of the "use the least aggressive method to get the job done" philosophy, you shouldn't take that to the extreme. If you have just the faintest of fine marks in the paint and you can remove them with UP or M205 then you're best to do so. But for widespread swirls and even light oxidation, starting with Ultimate Compound is perfectly valid unless you know for a fact that you're dealing with super soft and delicate paint. Our goal is to help you remove the defects from your paint, not sell you a shopping basket full of products so that you find the level of cut that finally works. Yes, Ultimate Compound will cut faster than ScratchX 2.0 but the difference isn't huge, although it's often enough to make the correction process go a bit quicker and with perhaps more uniform results.

Where the "least aggressive method" mindset becomes very important is when dealing with more severe situations that require more serious compounding or even wet sanding. These are situations where you can and will remove significant, measurable amounts of paint in a hurry. Yes, 1000 grit sandpaper will cut faster than 3000 grit, but here the difference is significant and it's only the first step in what will be several steps of heaving cutting/paint removal in order to return to a clear, high gloss finish. Product and technique selection become hugely important here from a safety factor.

[BillyJack]

Re: white singlestage newish car

Very few people are more dedicated fans of M07 than I, but my first test spot on this vehicle would be with M80. M07 is absolutely phenomenal stuff on old-school lacquers and enamels, but IMO, the modern, tougher SS paints would benefit more from the balance of abrasives and oil in M80.

Bill

[swadeab]

Re: white singlestage newish car

Wow lots of good info to absorb here. It may be a day before i have a completely non-ignorant response as I have to read up on each.

I'm pretty sure this is single stage, toyota says their white is single stage and i've had both type cars before and it does certianly look to
have just spots of that dullness single stage look in areas, there's certainly no obvious clear cloat like my last metallic car. I'll of course double check a towel right after starting but i'm 99% positive.

Sounds like what i should do is pickup M80 as well as have UC (general consensus seems to be have M80 on hand). If it cleans up with M80 good. Likely if there's defects i'll need something harder and should consider UC
and if i wanted to be super careful go with UP first (but it's possible this may not do much of anything depending on the paint hardness).

Michael, right that's the main thing i was wondering myself considering mikes info white ss = hard...which may make sense, a lot of work trucks are ss white paints, i think fords,etc work trucks are all ss...but i guess they're maybe cheaper to make too @ the factory with ss white ..dunno.

Though toyota camerys,etc i've had before have been white and were ss as well. Honestly i think these are my favorites, i've always liked how well the ss white cleaned up. Though the clear coat ones i've had and after x number of years and started neglecting can sure take some shocking abuse and cleanup easier.

[tguil]

Re: white singlestage newish car

My two cents again. Just do what Michael Stoops suggested. Pretty much what I suggested. Ultimate Compound followed by Ultimate Wax is hard of beat on white. I was a big fan of #80 and #83 until Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish came out. Still have a bunch of the old stuff. Haven't used #07 in years and it was the first McGuire's product that I used (in the early 70's).

Like I said earlier, I find that I don't need to use Ultimate Polish after Ultimate Compound. Your white Tundra is single stage white...for sure. This was true of both of my wife's white Toyota trucks. I checked this out with the factory several years ago and again about a year ago. Folks just don't want to believe that single stage paint is still used. I like it. I think it is tougher than the white clearcoat on my Dodge Ram.

On both of our white trucks I use pretty much the same procedure and both look great.

If some of the truck is micro-marred and has a few scratches, I go right to the Ultimate Compound and do the whole truck. Heck, on white it is hard to tell what really needs to be done, right? I follow this with Ultimate Wax. When I am ready to wax the truck again, I look closely at the condition of the paint. If it looks pretty much OK, I simply put on another coat of Ultimate wax. If it is just a little bit "iffy", I use ColorX and call it "good enough". If there is considerable marring, I use Ultimate Compound and again follow with Ultimate Wax. (Now I see why I don't need Ultimate Polish, darn.)

A Tundra is a darn big truck and a daily driver. Try to make your job as easy as possible. About #07, note that it is called Professional Show Car Glaze and that is just what I used it for in the 70's. I don't think your Tundra is a show car, right?

Hope this helps.

Tom

[swadeab]

Re: white singlestage newish car

Tom, that's the way i'm going to go and even better all of those are OTC up the street from me.

Thanks for all the advice from everyone, i'll keep reading and educating myself. i think you guys got me on an express track for getting some product to hopefully get this done this week instead of sitting here confused with all of the new products.

[tguil]

Re: white singlestage newish car

Swadeab,

As I think about it I am starting to use the over the counter Consumer Line more and more. You really don't need a lot of "pro" stuff to "git-r-done". Have fun(?) with that big ol' truck. Careful with the pc on the roof. I dropped my pc on the roof of my three week old Ram. Good thing I have a friend who can work wonders with PDR (paintless dent removal).

Tom

[swadeab]

Re: white singlestage newish car

Tom you got that right on the enjoying part! If you're a truck guy you don't realize how much utility you're missing till you don't have one. I had an older
tacoma for years, then an f150 long bed both great trucks but small extended cabs. When my kids came along a couple of years ago i switched back to my old suv for the 4 seats as the
wife needed a new minivan. Not too bad i drove it through the throwing cheerios everywhere stage the last couple of years and it was already 10 years old so i didn't worry about it getting trashed.

...but i cursed like no tomorrow everytime i needed to pickup something large, haul something to the dump or pickup wood or something else for projects! I was even removing the passenger seat for long stuff which meant first removing kids car seats then folding down the rear seats.

Luckily i don't have much of a commute now, I only do 5-6k miles per year, but even if i did i'll never not have a truck again, life is too short for the frustration without one, i'd pick up a beater commuter or pay the gas! But i get a big grin on my face this month pulling up to the big box stores and grabbing what i need and watching people wrestle plywood onto the roofs of cars =)

[swadeab]

Re: white singlestage newish car

Well been a few weeks and finally got around to working on this truck and now I'm left with some nagging thoughts.

It was much worse than i thought. I washed, clayed, isp it and it was pretty apparent, obviously florida sun hood roof are the dullest spots, sides aren't too bad.

Used the pc with a yellow cutting foam pad and ultimate compound. Maybe it's been awhile since I've done this (my last car 13 years i stopped bothering with it much the past 5 or so years,
plus it was clear coated), and it was improving it some but there was still hard water stains and I was using a lot of product...was dissapointed in how it was coming out.

Before i had even finished my first panel (hood) my backing plate split (my nieghbors been using it). So here I am with this big truck, washed, 1/2 clayed and isp'd and no where local i know
to get a backing plate, and 2 kids, figured i'd never get this done =)

So i said what the heck and grabbed the dewalt rotary i was using on a boat (never used it on a car), course no foam, but had new wool cutting and polish pads. I gotta say, it was immediately amazing the difference,
hard water stains gone, only deep scratches here and there left I could readily see. Finishing off with a wool polish and ultimate polish really made the difference. I had the original foam pad that came with my pc i was
able to use to apply ultimate wax and man it looked good with out sitting there vibrating my hand and making multiple runs over the panel using a good bit of product.

So tonight I only have the hood and front fenders done (started late will finish in the am) but it really has me wondering about my da and this rotary now. I didn't find the rotary alarming to use on the truck. But i've heard nothing but horror stories andcautions (burned paint, edges and what not), and the DA wasn't even making much of a dent ...it was removing oxidation and cleaning but seemed to be slow progress, a test with the rotary didn't seem like it was stripping paint off or anything
alarming like that so i went with it.

So i guess i'll read up on this stuff more but my immediate conclusions are:

1) correction in single stage white, the dewalt seems the way to go, i'd have been there for days with the da..heck i'd have probably called someone in the way it was going to do it for me! Future maintenance though with polishes and waxes the da seems would be fine.

2) Clear coats must be much tougher to work on with a rotary and maybe that's why everything i've read said get a da?

3) I'm assuming maybe you could get greater correction with a da with a stronger product? Out of curiosity what would be stronger than UC? I was running the pattern over a 1-2 foot square section at a time.


Either way i'm glad that backing plate broke!

[h_bomm]

Re: white singlestage newish car

M105 would be a step up from UC. It just may be that the paint on your truck is just that hard that it needed a little extra muscle from the rotary to respond. You may also look into the Dual Action Micro Fiber system (DAMF), I have never used it, but everything I've seen and heard says its supposed to give you rotary like results on a DA machine. Less of a chance of ruining your paint with the DA vs using a rotary with bad technique I suppose. But it sounds like you are well on your way to cleaning up your truck! Good Luck!