buying a new F350

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JHForman

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I am purchasing a new F350 here in about a month or so. I want to know what i need to do to the paint since it will be brand new. I got a local quote of 2000$ to correct paint and apply ceramic coating. Are either of these things I can do myself? I have buffed a few things im not profficient at it but i dont mind learning new things. I have a griots DA buffer, what all would i need to buy? Please go easy on me i am a rookie, but we all started somewhere.

Thanks,
John
 
The best thing you can do your self is decon and remove as many swirls as possible . If he’s s reputable paint correctionist he will inspect your paint and if you did a good job he should only
Charge you for 1-2 polishing stages + ceramic coating . Keep in mind this process will take you a long time st least 6-12 hours in my opinion. This is most likely why the price is so high due to size of vehicle. If he’s reputable talk to his other clients and see their experience. I’m sure they will assure you whether or not to use him. If he is I would recommend letting him do it and learning tips and tricks from him while he performs it and attempt your next vehicle your self


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Breese147 said:
The best thing you can do your self is decon and remove as many swirls as possible . If he’s s reputable paint correctionist he will inspect your paint and if you did a good job he should only
Charge you for 1-2 polishing stages + ceramic coating . Keep in mind this process will take you a long time st least 6-12 hours in my opinion. This is most likely why the price is so high due to size of vehicle. If he’s reputable talk to his other clients and see their experience. I’m sure they will assure you whether or not to use him. If he is I would recommend letting him do it and learning tips and tricks from him while he performs it and attempt your next vehicle your self


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definitely a reputable guy, im not doing his work or saying his too expensive. I am a DIY guy so if its something I can do myself I will(I rebuild my own transmissions etc). How much correction does brand new vehicles usually need?
 
What is going to be your washing regimen or maintenance after you polish and coat it ?

If you are going to use a car wash I probably wouldn’t coat it. If you are going to gently wash it yourself weekly a coating might work out ok

Just depends what the paint looks like to YOU. It’s a big truck probably going to be used for towing and working. Nothing wrong with trying to keep it nice but some people’s ideas here are show car finish all the time and it’s not always practical due to life

Could just hit it initially with like Blackfire one step then a sealant or wax every few months


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I suggest taking one or 2 of The Autogeek classes from Mike P if you have not done so already. You will then be set to take care of that F350.
 
Markymapo said:
I suggest taking one or 2 of The Autogeek classes from Mike P if you have not done so already. You will then be set to take care of that F350.
Click to expand...


I agree! Put the 2000 dollars into yourself then someone else. Yes you will need to buy tools but if you are interested in doing your own detailing I suggest taking the class. If you don't care to then have a shop do the work.

But also mentioned, how you are going to wash the truck tells the whole story. If your dedicated to hand wash your truck then ceramic coating is ok. If going to any car wash then your wasting your money. A tunnel wash will just scratch the paint to death. Touchless car wash uses high PH level soaps to dissolve dirt. At same time they eat at waxes and coatings.

Andre
 
RaptorGT said:
I agree! Put the 2000 dollars into yourself then someone else. Yes you will need to buy tools but if you are interested in doing your own detailing I suggest taking the class. If you don't care to then have a shop do the work.

But also mentioned, how you are going to wash the truck tells the whole story. If your dedicated to hand wash your truck then ceramic coating is ok. If going to any car wash then your wasting your money. A tunnel wash will just scratch the paint to death. Touchless car wash uses high PH level soaps to dissolve dirt. At same time they eat at waxes and coatings.

Andre
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I don’t use the car wash ever!! All my vehicles are are hand washed. The only thing I ever use the car wash for is the pressure washer if I have crap stuck down in the bottom of the doors/rockers. The truck will be a daily driver, I am interested in ceramic coating because of cleaning ease. My truck that I’m getting ready to sell could be a good practice vehicle but black scares me to practice on lol. Are the classes online? Where do I find information on the classes? I also have a truck that was fully painted that I’d be interested in wetsanding/Buffing and ceramic coating also the quote I got for that was 3500$ it’s a standard cab short bed truck now that price was a little hard to swallow especially after just paying to paint it
 
JHForman said:
I am purchasing a new F350 here in about a month or so. I want to know what i need to do to the paint since it will be brand new. I got a local quote of 2000$ to correct paint and apply ceramic coating. Are either of these things I can do myself? I have buffed a few things im not profficient at it but i dont mind learning new things. I have a griots DA buffer, what all would i need to buy? Please go easy on me i am a rookie, but we all started somewhere.

Thanks,
John
Click to expand...

Congrats on your new truck. Couldn't you buy a bigger truck? LOL.
What color? I'm hoping a light color that you can tackle. If it's black, leave it to a professional.
 
Rsurfer said:
Congrats on your new truck. Couldn't you buy a bigger truck? LOL.
What color? I'm hoping a light color that you can tackle. If it's black, leave it to a professional.
Click to expand...

Nah the 350 is large enough lol I’m going with Ingot silver metallic crew cab short bed. My current mega cab is like driving a school bus!! I’ll keep buying big trucks, I’ve been rear ended 3 time in my current truck, it’s cost me one trailer hitch and 2 bumpers, all 3 of the cars that hit me we’re totalled
 
Watch some videos on polishing here on AG and also on YouTube. It looks like simple enough process although their are thing you will have to learn (arm pressure/speed). If using a D A will be hard to mess up. If new shouldn’t need much correction and hopefully just a polish. Don’t let the dealer prep it for you! I agree I went to get a quote (much smaller vehichle) and decided to invest in tools and products. I definetly will take mikes road course if he comes back to the northwest


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I wouldn't be afraid of messing up the black truck, especially with a GG-6 and I would use an all in one because that's a ton of real estate. Buy lots of pads. My crew cab F-150 takes a minimum of 8. It's way easier and faster to do a panel, toss the pad in a bucket of cleaner, and start with a clean pad on the next panel than stopping to clean all the time.

I debated coating my truck, but for now I don't think it's the best option for me. I drive a lot of rural roads and get off road. I need a polish once a year to keep it looking good. 360 in the spring, and McKee's Hi Def in the fall has been my routine for a couple years now and leaves me satisfied.

As for what to buy? Here's what I have:

5 CCS orange pads
5 CCS white pads
2 CCS black pads
6 thinpro orange pads
6 thinpro white pads

I started with the CCS pads, they worked ok. After more research here I discovered that the thinpros would be better for my PC. They are. I like them a lot more but will still use the CCS pads if I'm using a polish or compound. As for my experience level: I've 3 stepped 2 twice, 2 stepped once, and used AIO (McKees 360 and HD Speed) 4 times. Nowhere near the pros here. With your polisher, you could spend a few hundred bucks here, do some research and read Mike's book and get great results if you take your time and put in the prep needed (DO NOT skip taping off ford trim, you will be cleaning it for months to get it black again!) you will have great results.
 
JHForman said:
I am purchasing a new F350 here in about a month or so. I want to know what i need to do to the paint since it will be brand new.

I got a local quote of 2000$ to correct paint and apply ceramic coating. Are either of these things I can do myself?
Click to expand...

To me that sounds about right, that's a huge truck.

Thing is, it shouldn't need any correction work, or at least it shouldn't need COMPOUNDING. It could require machine polishing and I wouldn't coat it myself withouth doing the below,

  1. Wash
  2. Chemical decontaminate - using an iron or fallout remover
  3. Mechanical decontaminate - detailing clay or a clay mitt or towel
  4. Final rinse and dry
  5. Tape-off and cover up any plastic trim
  6. Machine polish
  7. Chemically strip
  8. Apply coating
  9. Dress tires
  10. Clean outside glass


The above is a minimum exterior coating detail. Interior would be a separate job and separate price.


JHForman said:
I have buffed a few things im not profficient at it but i dont mind learning new things. I have a griots DA buffer, what all would i need to buy? Please go easy on me i am a rookie, but we all started somewhere.

Thanks,
John
Click to expand...


John you could easily do it yourself. Besides the Griot's polisher you'll need,

Foam polishing pads
Fine cut or medium cut polish
Some type of panel wipe
Brand name, reputable ceramic coating


My take on this topic is to keep it simple and go into knowing that once a year you're going to repeat the process to pro-actively MAINTAIN the exterior of the truck to new-car status. I'm NOT a believe in long term coatings because it creates a false reality that you can do,

One and done

And life and the world just doesn't work out like that.


My favorite coating is also the easiest to use and leaves the paint feeling slippery. it's the Pinnacle Black Label Piant Coating and also the Surface Coating. I apply the paint coating as a base coating and then use the Surface coating after a thorough wash.



Here's the link to an article I wrote that has a TON of info on a single page. I don't think you can find another single webpage on the Internet with this much info about the entire process in one place.


Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips




If you have more questions, post them and I'll see if I can add more....


:)
 
I have a black 2019 F350 6.7 CCLB. I drove it from the dealer straight to a shop to have tint applied, 2-step correction, and ceramic. I also had them remove the FX4 decals. I am SO glad I had this professionally done. The paint was really jacked up (by AG standards) and though I am usually DIY I wanted it to be 100% perfect beneath the ceramic coating.

On a vehicle this large, I think ceramic is the best idea regardless your wash routine. It's too much acreage IMHO to work with unprotected paint. My wife has a recent Ford SUV of the same color and when the sealant and wax wears off it is a PAIN to wash. Once the weather clears up I'm going to have hers corrected and ceramic coated too.

My routine varies, but in these winter months (I live at the end of a dirt road) I wash it with strip wash and follow up with Bead Maker as a drying agent. That's pretty much it for the paint! I love the routine of applying sealant and wax but it is nearly impossible to physically reach parts of this truck anyway. Taping off chrome and molding takes a really long time.

The Super Duties are susceptible to water spots on the hood. There are too many valleys for water to collect and where beads remain stagnant. As you know, ceramic makes this problem slightly worse so I have to be super diligent in my routine to mitigate that.

Enjoy the truck!
 
Mike Phillips said:
To me that sounds about right, that's a huge truck.

Thing is, it shouldn't need any correction work, or at least it shouldn't need COMPOUNDING. It could require machine polishing and I wouldn't coat it myself withouth doing the below,

  1. Wash
  2. Chemical decontaminate - using an iron or fallout remover
  3. Mechanical decontaminate - detailing clay or a clay mitt or towel
  4. Final rinse and dry
  5. Tape-off and cover up any plastic trim
  6. Machine polish
  7. Chemically strip
  8. Apply coating
  9. Dress tires
  10. Clean outside glass


The above is a minimum exterior coating detail. Interior would be a separate job and separate price.





John you could easily do it yourself. Besides the Griot's polisher you'll need,

Foam polishing pads
Fine cut or medium cut polish
Some type of panel wipe
Brand name, reputable ceramic coating


My take on this topic is to keep it simple and go into knowing that once a year you're going to repeat the process to pro-actively MAINTAIN the exterior of the truck to new-car status. I'm NOT a believe in long term coatings because it creates a false reality that you can do,

One and done

And life and the world just doesn't work out like that.


My favorite coating is also the easiest to use and leaves the paint feeling slippery. it's the Pinnacle Black Label Piant Coating and also the Surface Coating. I apply the paint coating as a base coating and then use the Surface coating after a thorough wash.



Here's the link to an article I wrote that has a TON of info on a single page. I don't think you can find another single webpage on the Internet with this much info about the entire process in one place.


Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips




If you have more questions, post them and I'll see if I can add more....


:)
Click to expand...

so if I’m reading this right you’re saying don’t ceramic coat if ? This is my first new vehicle ever, I just wanna make sure I take good care of it the best way possible. I’m really thinking my dodge that I’m getting ready to sell might be a good test vehicle to learn on. I am reading your link I’ll be picking up the stuff needed. I appreciate everyone’s help and patience with a beginner!
 
I literally bought a new dark F150 this past weekend, and struggling with the coat vs. no coat myself. I like to do my own work, and have the tools to do it all. You would be surprised how well a yearly correction with HD Speed and a sealant every so often looks. I frankly would suggest trying it yourself with an all in one product and see how it goes. You can always pay to get it done and ceramic coated later.
 
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