White Paint Woes

[Damselfly352]

Hi,

I have a 2011 Dodge Ram. I have been taking it to the triple wax to wash it but definitely not weekly. Last July I moved and at the end of August noticed strange specs on the truck that dont wash off. I had no clue what to do so I found Autogeek which led me to this forum after reading and article about contaminates being trapped in wax which is why they dont wash off.

Ok. Its a big truck. Not doing this by hand so I bought an Orbital Polisher, Meguiars Wash n Wax and Meguiars Cleaner Wax. Even with the polisher It was rough going to get rid of the spots and still had to work on some by hand. Spent 2 hours on the roof today. Was thinking about moving up to ultimate compound and a finishing wax for this job and after this using the cleaning wax. This experience is an incentive to maintain better.

Direction appreciated. The last time I waxed a vehicle it was my Dads about 35 years ago.

[Murr1525]

Re: White Paint Woes

Pics could help, but I would look at some T.R.I.X after washing.

Then on to the cleaning/polishing type products as needed.

The Cleaner/Wax is fairly mild, so something like SwirlX or Ult. Compound may be better.

Did you pad turn white at all?

[Damselfly352]

Re: White Paint Woes

Yes. The roof is in nearly perfect condition a few tiny pin pricks left but not very noticable.

[Damselfly352]

Re: White Paint Woes

I am not familiar with T.R.I.X. and must confess that my retail endeavors include Walmart

[Murr1525]

Re: White Paint Woes

Actually, I guess I missread it, and though you had mentioned claying.

If you have not clayed, then you should be able to find the Smooth Surface Clay kit at Walmart, which would be easy enough to try. Its a fmild clay, and you may need an extra Quick Detailer bottle with it.

And that could do the job just fine.

The T.R.I.X. is an iron/rust dust (not like rusting metal) and tar remover. Those things can show up more easily on white, and so could also be what are you seeing and be hard to remove.

You could try clay first, then TRIX, or just get them both. TRIX may be an online order, though a few speacialty shops sell it.

[jarred767]

I would definitely second the clay advice from Matt. It sounds like the exact scenario for what clay is intended for. You have contaminants bonded to the paint and the clay bar will pull them out and clean the surface. Then you can use the polisher to actually polish the paint. The bonded contaminants show up the brightest in white paint like yours.

The clay will work wonders, but if you've never used it before, be aware that it will give your hands and arms a good workout as you have to do it all by hand. Good luck; the finished product will be well worth it.

[Damselfly352]

Re: White Paint Woes

I found TRIX on Autogeek. I really wanted to work on this tomorrow. From what I've read claying is difficult to do correctly. Thats why I skipped to cleaner wax.

[Murr1525]

Re: White Paint Woes

Claying couldnt be easier, and is pretty much the thing to correct your issue (and available tomorrow...)

[Damselfly352]

Re: White Paint Woes

Are the funny stains iron deposits? They are a reddish brown. I was thinking clay. Never thought about iron.

[Murr1525]

Re: White Paint Woes

Just use smaller pieces, or work over some cardboard. You dont want to drop it and then re-use it on your paint.

[Murr1525]

Re: White Paint Woes

Claying can handle bits of everything (road clay being different from clay bar), so yeah, dirt, dust, bugs, etc.... but iron dust, esp if down in the paint, or real stuck on tar... can be hard or impossible for clay to remove.

So the two products do kind of do different jobs, if you wanted to be "complete" about it. But most would clay bar first.

[Damselfly352]

Re: White Paint Woes

There was a lot about introducing scratches if claying is not done correctly

[BlueZero]

Re: White Paint Woes

I have a 2012 Ram in white also. I never knew white was such a pain to keep clean. It's not as bad as black showing swirls but I get all sorts of little black specs too. I have TRIX but only tried it once and can't really speak to how well it works. The clay is what I use to get rid of the specs. It's pretty easy to use. Make sure to wash the area your going to clay well before hand. Spray the area and clay with lube. You will feel the clay grab if you need more lube, you want to avoid letting that happen. Work in small areas maybe 12"x12". Just use light pressure. If the specs don't come off right away, keep working the clay back and forth over the area and it should break loose. If your clay bar starts to look dirty just knead it a bit so you are left with a clean surface.

[Damselfly352]

Re: White Paint Woes

When I washed i didnt feel any grit. The paint felt smooth but has the specs on it despite feeling smooth

[Damselfly352]

Re: White Paint Woes

It took a fair amount of hand rubbing with the cleaning wax to remove the stubborn specks that the polisher didnt remove with the wax