First post...question about my truck finish

AV8R

AV8R

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While in the past I've maintained all my own cars, kids and life got in the way and I haven't really detailed any of my cars in a few years. Last time was with my buddie's 2 handed giant buffer with those cotton bonnets that fly off at the least opportune time. I've ordered the Griot's 6" machine and a slew of goodies, but have questions about my first target...

2005 F250 in Oxford white. Paint is kinda chalky/oxidized. It sits outside 24/7 in NE NY and is really only used to tow our camper. I did use my buddie's buffer and some Meg #2 and with some effort I was able to get part of one panel back to somewhat shiny (after a coat of wax...don't ask) I'm assuming that this is single stage paint based on how chalky it looks...maybe not? I ordered a few tangerine/orange LC Hydro Tech pads and 105 to get things back in shape. Sound like a decent plan?

Also...after washing this, is it OK to clay bar paint when it's chalked up like this?

Any other insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
First, the 2005 ford f250 is a base/clear paint.

It would not hurt to clay the paint before polishing to get rid of all the stuff that has planted itself on the paint and in the paint. It would actually be a great idea.

As far as the 105 goes, it is a very aggressive compound but has potential to finish out nicely, but i would follow up with a finishing polish like 205 with a lighter cutting pad.

You will want to do a test section before going at the whole car with 105, start with the least aggressive method and work up to the cut you want. I have worked on a white neglected 2005 F-250 and found that 105 with a wool pad was necessary to get the cut I wanted even with a rotary. I had to finish out with a black 3m pad and 205 to get it looking perfect.

The test section lets you figure out a good process so you can just repeat the process over the entire vehicle. With a DA and what you are describing it would be a good idea to work slow in smaller sections to get more out of your polishing.

It would probably be a good idea to use a paint sealant instead of a wax for a truck that is used like a truck. You will get longer lasting protection. Also, the edges on the F250's hood are a little thin, so be careful around them, I learned that lesson the hard way on a red 2006.
 
Jon's right, if your truck has the factory paint it should be a bc/cc

Here's an article about this topic,

The practical differences between single stage paints and a clear coat paints


Clear coats do oxidize, just not as quickly or easily like an old single stage unless you let it go for a long time, (which sounds possible in your case).


Wash, clay, compound, polish and then seal with a wax or paint sealant.

Here's a few more...
The SMAT Pack - Everything you ever wanted to know about Meguiar's SMAT products...
The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!
How To Choose The Right Wax or Paint Sealant for your Detailing Project
Tips and Tricks for using detailing clay
Do I need to wash my car after I use detailing clay to clay the paint?
How often do I need to clay my car?


See my Signature Line for links to some videos and lots of articles...


And welcome to Autogeek Online!


:welcome:
 
JonMiles said:
First, the 2005 ford f250 is a base/clear paint.

It would not hurt to clay the paint before polishing to get rid of all the stuff that has planted itself on the paint and in the paint. It would actually be a great idea.

As far as the 105 goes, it is a very aggressive compound but has potential to finish out nicely, but i would follow up with a finishing polish like 205 with a lighter cutting pad.

You will want to do a test section before going at the whole car with 105, start with the least aggressive method and work up to the cut you want. I have worked on a white neglected 2005 F-250 and found that 105 with a wool pad was necessary to get the cut I wanted even with a rotary. I had to finish out with a black 3m pad and 205 to get it looking perfect.

The test section lets you figure out a good process so you can just repeat the process over the entire vehicle. With a DA and what you are describing it would be a good idea to work slow in smaller sections to get more out of your polishing.

It would probably be a good idea to use a paint sealant instead of a wax for a truck that is used like a truck. You will get longer lasting protection. Also, the edges on the F250's hood are a little thin, so be careful around them, I learned that lesson the hard way on a red 2006.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Jon. I appreciate your reply.

I mis-spoke when I said I bought 105. I bought Meg's Ultimate Compound which the tech at AG told me was the same as a more expensive compound (I thought he said 105...maybe not) I had planned on starting with the tailgate as I can remove it and work on it horizontally. It's one of the worse looking panels on the truck.

I did order some Meg's NXT 2 as they have some deal where you buy 2 products and they rebate you $10. Would this be OK to use as a final on my truck or is there a better choice?

thanks
 
AV8R said:
Thanks, Jon. I appreciate your reply.

I mis-spoke when I said I bought 105. I bought Meg's Ultimate Compound which the tech at AG told me was the same as a more expensive compound (I thought he said 105...maybe not) I had planned on starting with the tailgate as I can remove it and work on it horizontally. It's one of the worse looking panels on the truck.

I did order some Meg's NXT 2 as they have some deal where you buy 2 products and they rebate you $10. Would this be OK to use as a final on my truck or is there a better choice?

thanks
Click to expand...

All honesty, I'm not a fan of NXT...not saying it isn't a good wax, but the durability just isn't there compared to other sealants I've used.

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant delivers a deep, wet, liquid shimmer unlike anything you can imagine.

this is one of my favorites along with the menzerna power lock.

It seems like you need as much protection as possible for this truck and the best durability possible. Zaino also has some great stuff along with DG for durability.

Your idea about removing the tailgate is a great idea, I did the same thing to learn how to use my makita. You can just bring it inside and work in the AC to figure out a good process lol.

UC is a little less agressive than 105, but it will definitely eat away a good amount of oxidation, if you feel like trying the megs twins I know they just released a smaller bottle that costs about 10 bucks. You really can't go wrong with any of the SMAT products because you can stop when the paint problems are gone and just wipe off, no breaking down the product to get a complete cut.

Meguiars Mirror Glaze #105 Ultra-Cut Compound, polishing compound, ultra cut compound, paint compound, car polish

Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Finishing Polish, final polish, car polish, M205, Meguires

If I were in your situation right now, I would pick up the megs twins 8oz bottles and pick up a few sealants on the free sample page, it will cost you 20 bucks and you get some great stuff.
 
AV8R said:
I mis-spoke when I said I bought 105. I bought Meg's Ultimate Compound
Click to expand...

It's close enough for what you're trying to do...


The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!


Super Micro Abrasive Technology = SMAT
From left to right, the most aggressive to the least aggressive SMAT products
SMATaggressivenessOrder.jpg


From the most to the least aggressive...
M105 Ultra-Cut Compound/M95 Speed Cut Compound = The same in abrading power
Ultimate Compound
ScratchX 2.0
M86 Solo Cut & Polish Cream
D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream
SwirlX
M205 Ultra Finishing Polish​
 
JonMiles said:
If I were in your situation right now, I would pick up the megs twins 8oz bottles and pick up a few sealants on the free sample page, it will cost you 20 bucks and you get some great stuff.
Click to expand...

Thanks again...I wish I had known about the free page when I ordered $300 worth of stuff this morning! LOL!

Thanks again...I'll take your advice.
 
I would suggest getting the Megs twins, your clear is on the harder side. Here is a before and after with just 105 and a wool pad. Granted it took several passes to remove the acid rain, swirls and all the defects but the second pic is what 105 can do on it's own.
vette105.jpg

vette111.jpg


This last pic is after 105, 205 and Ultrafina.
vette125.jpg
 
ASPHALT ROCKET said:
I would suggest getting the Megs twins, your clear is on the harder side.
This last pic is after 105, 205 and Ultrafina.
Click to expand...


Wow...looks great!

So I have a bottle of this:

417KGBJHABL._SS500_.jpg


I don't see this in the lineup posted above. Am I safe to assume this is similar to 205?
 
Megs SwirlX is gonna be your closest equivalent to 205. Should be available locally if you dont want to wait for mail order from AG. If you are gonna order from AG, then get the 205.

Either way, finish with one of them. 105 will finish OK on its own, but, it is worth is to go that extra step with the finer polish/pad.
 
AV8R said:
I did order some Meg's NXT 2 as they have some deal where you buy 2 products and they rebate you $10. Would this be OK to use as a final on my truck or is there a better choice?
Click to expand...

You asked if there is "a better choice" than NXT - answers are subjective.

I have used NXT for years and find it to be a good product for the price. There are many similar products out there and I found a couple that I like over the NXT - HOWEVER, they are more expensive, may last a bit longer (by a few weeks), may be slightly easier to apply/remove.

Are the "top shelf" products worth the expense? Only you can decide. But, the NXT is a good product and I have no hesitation recommending it. Apply it every six weeks and your ride will look great.

Regards,
GEWB
 
gewb said:
You asked if there is "a better choice" than NXT - answers are subjective.

I have used NXT for years and find it to be a good product for the price. There are many similar products out there and I found a couple that I like over the NXT - HOWEVER, they are more expensive, may last a bit longer (by a few weeks), may be slightly easier to apply/remove.

Are the "top shelf" products worth the expense? Only you can decide. But, the NXT is a good product and I have no hesitation recommending it. Apply it every six weeks and your ride will look great.

Regards,
GEWB
Click to expand...

Thanks...I realize how subjective this is, especially on a forum like this! I've used Nu Finish for years (I'll wait for the laughing to stop) and although it's probably not a highly praised product on here, I've had really good luck with it. I did the wheels on this truck when I bought it (4 years ago) and they literally never dusted until this last fall. I cleaned then again and used the Nu Finish to do the final clean and polish and they look like new again. I used to use Carnuba and the Zaino stuff on my vettes and really liked the way it made them look wet all the time....well..at least until I drove them down the road once, but I've been away from this stuff for so long that a lot has changed so I'm back in research mode. Sounds like it's hard to buy a bad product now.

Thanks again for all the replies. I'm soaking it all up...
 
For what it's worth...

The M02 you shared a picture of is equivalent to M83 in cutting power. I know that doesn't mean much to most people so let me try help a little.

In the Meguiar's line they have

Compounds
Cleaner/Polishes
Paint Cleaners
Pure Polishes --> Non-abrasive
Waxes and sealants



M02 and M83 are body shop products, not really consumer products. How aggressive these two products are would depend upon your point of view.

If you work in a body shop or as a Pro Detailer and are used to using aggressive compounds than M83 and M02 are not very aggressive.

If you are an average car owner, then you might think M83 and M02 are really aggressive.


It just depends upon your point of reference.

How aggressive M02 will be also depends upon how you apply it,

  • By hand?
  • With a DA Polisher with a foam pad?
  • With a rotary buffer with a wool pad?

Just the way you apply any product will affect how aggressive it is.

If your car's finish is dull and lacking in gloss and shine, then the fastest most effective way to restore gloss and thus shine would be to use a more aggressive product than than the M02 like a true compound as has been suggested. If you want to use up your bottle of #2 then work a small section at a time and apply it fairly aggressively. Ultimate Compound is also a good option when working by hand.

After that you can further polish the paint or seal it with a wax or paint sealant. Be sure to wash and clay the paint before using any compound or polish on it.

If you don't own an electric polisher, you'll find you can get better results faster than working by hand, check out this article.

How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project


:)
 
Thanks, Mike. I ordered a Griot's 6" machine and another $180 worth of goodies yesterday morning from AG. Tangerine LC Hydro Tech pads, Ultimate compound, etc. I can get 105 and 205 locally so I'll stop and get them today in anticipation of the stuff arriving from AG. Many moons ago I worked in a Lincoln/Mercury/Jaguar dealership and did learn how to use a rotary, but I can't see using one when the DA stuff has such a smaller learning curve and far less risk. I'm tired of compounding by hand so I decided it was time to treat myself to a decent orbital. Hopefully, I'll practice on my truck and then do the wife's Hyundai (which has some egg damaged clear on it..wet sand time) and my Toyota..then I'll put some wax/sealer on our new fifth wheel camper...not a job I'm looking forward to...35' of Filon siding to wax...ugh.....

Again...all the replies are greatly appreciated.
 
AV8R said:
Thanks, Mike. I ordered a Griot's 6" machine and another $180 worth of goodies yesterday morning from AG. Tangerine LC Hydro Tech pads, Ultimate compound, etc.
Click to expand...

Your about to be one happy man. I've been impressed with the Hydro's so far. Post your results and experiences with the new stuff. :dblthumb2:
 
A4 1.8tqm said:
Your about to be one happy man. I've been impressed with the Hydro's so far. Post your results and experiences with the new stuff. :dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

Thanks and will do...I got so confused reading about CCS, Kompressor, Hydro Tech and Uber pads...I just told the guy at AG to send me a bunch of whatever he recommends.

Congrats on quitting smoking. Just like getting a nice raise in pay with the benefit of living longer!
 
AV8R said:
Again...all the replies are greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

This is a very good forum, there's a lot over very talented detailers that are always willing to share their knowledge and experience to help others be successful in their garage.


If you like the helpful and informative answers your received here on the AG forum then be sure to share our forum with your car buddies that might also be looking for help...

Each one teach one...


:dblthumb2:
 
AV8R said:
I just told the guy at AG to send me a bunch of whatever he recommends.

Congrats on quitting smoking. Just like getting a nice raise in pay with the benefit of living longer!
Click to expand...

LOL, That's a surefire way to get some good stuff! :xyxthumbs:

Thanks, my assistant at work calculated my savings so far to be ~$1125.00, and that was like a month ago! Im the MAN
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
If you like the helpful and informative answers your received here on the AG forum then be sure to share our forum with your car buddies that might also be looking for help...

Each one teach one...


:dblthumb2:
Click to expand...


Already done....what surprised me most is the lack of ill-mannered folks you find on most forums. Either the mods are very much on top of things of the people here are respectful of others. Either way, it's a nice change from some of the forums I frequent!

thanks
 
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