Ultimate Wax to cover a minor "oops"

[tguil]

I think that when my body shop was doing some correction on my truck's hood repair/repaint, the tech might have scuffed though the shop clearcoat. The scuff is about 3/4 inch long and about 1/8 inch wide. My truck is white and I only notice the scuff under flourescent lighting at a "just right" angle. I found it as I was carefully checking for marring while using Ultimate Polish. I do not want to polish that area any more just in case it might make the scuff larger. Most folks (99%) would never have found this scuff.

This part of the hood did not receive a basecoat. The hood repair involved an area quite a distance from the scuff. The repainted area was a basecoat blend with the whole hood being recleared so if this area is scuffed, it may only be in the clear applied by the shop not in the factory clear.

Is all this confusing enough?

Whatever...The repair/repaint is guaranteed. I will talk to the shop owner about all this. Thing is ...I don't want a repaint for such a small blem. The hood had already been repainted at the factory. (That's another long story.)

Right now I have Ultimate Wax on the whole truck. Think a good coat of wax will keep the problem in check? This truck is darn close to being a garage queen and I'll probably trade it in a year or two. Again, it's white and doesn't show much at all.

Tom

[wifpd4]

Re: Ultimate Wax to cover a minor "oops"

I have the exact same concern, except I did it not a body shop. If you rarely drive in the winter or summer rains you maybe okay is my hope. It's not like the bare area has this edge of clear coat you can catch with your finger nail and start chipping off clear(like a rock chip). It polished to a razor thin microscopic edge.

I wondered if one of the "permanent" coatings would be better? The ones that say they add a layer like clear coat.

[tguil]

Re: Ultimate Wax to cover a minor "oops"

...I wondered if one of the "permanent" coatings would be better? The ones that say they add a layer like clear coat.

Sort of wondering the same thing. Might check with the Optimum Opti-Guard folks. Whatever....I sure am not going to rush out to have the hood recleared. But then my truck is white and it simply does not show all that much.

Tom

[tguil]

Re: Ultimate Wax to cover a minor "oops"

Did extensive checking about applying Opt-Coat. It should provide the protection needed...especially since my truck is pretty much "garaged" when it is not actually being driven...no day long sits in parking lots nor nights outdoors. Very little pollution in my area. However, I'd still much prefer using just Meguiar's liquid Ultimate Wax two or three times a year combined with regular touch ups with Ultimate Spray Wax.

Further checking shows the scuff is only about 1/16 inch wide and 3/4 inch long and it has no edge that can be felt. It simply cannot be seen in the sunlight. At his time it definitely does not justify a complete reclearing of the hood. Sometimes "perfect" just doesn't happen.

Sure would like a comment or two from some Meguiar's pros, especially from someone who has experienced something similar.

Tom

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Ultimate Wax to cover a minor "oops"

If the clear has in fact been totally removed from a small area, odds are the surrounding areas could well fail much sooner than expected. Of course, exposure is everything here and it sounds like the truck spends very little time outside. As you probably know, the clear coat provides all the UV protection for the color coat below, and most of that UV protection is in the upper reaches of the clear. If a spot has been buffed through completely but it's very difficult to see, that tells us that the effective "edges" have been "feathered" to such a degree that you may have a fairly large area of extremely thin clear and therefore very little UV protection. While regular waxing does provide UV protection, it's nowhere near the amount of protection provided by a healthy clear coat. This may well be a situation where a semi permanent coating like Opti-Coat or CQuartz is a good idea. Both are fairly straightforward to use though certainly more finicky than any wax you've ever encountered. It appears that CQuartz may be the more durable of the two, but without a multi year side by side comparison of the two it's kind of hard to say for sure.

[tguil]

Re: Ultimate Wax to cover a minor "oops"

Michael,

Thanks much for the response. This is what I needed to know. Now I'm just not sure how to proceed. Guess that's for me to figure out.

Tom

[tguil]

Re: Ultimate Wax to cover a minor "oops" --- Update -- Four plus years later

For what it's worth.

I still have the 2012 Ram with almost 110,000 miles on it. It is in excellent condition. The finish is actually better than when I bought it...a long story. No major mechanical issues. Now about the minor "oops". After all of these years, the "oops" is still minor. It has not increased in size nor has there been any sign of paint deterioration anywhere else on the hood. I have not applied any coatings. I usually wax the truck two or three times a year using Ultimate Wax, but recently I have become quite fond of Mirror Bright Polishing Wax. When using anything with abrasives in it (polish or AIO wax), I am very careful in the area of the "oops".

I simply never got around to doing anything more than my usual waxing procedure. The paint work was guaranteed (and still is). Another option that I had considered is having a matte black wrap installed over the center section of the hood. No need to do either.

I have been considering trading the Ram for the past two years, but I simply can't find a truck that I like better.

The moral of the this meandering post. "Sometimes it is best to wait and see before taking any action on minor paint flaws".

[Nick Winn]

Re: Ultimate Wax to cover a minor "oops"

Thanks for the update. Feel free to post a picture we would be happy to see.