Flat black decals on my new Jeep Wrangler

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BigD1964

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Hello everyone,
I'm newish to detailing and brand new to Auto-geek, I'm hoping someone out there has experience with what to do to flat black decals on the Class-A painted surface of my Jeeps. My wife and I have a new Cherokee Trail-hawk and a newer Wrangler Oscar Mike (picking it up today) and both have decals on the paint. I recently purchased the GG 21 long throw Boss kit and the Pinnacle Black Label coatings kit and when the weather in Michigan cooperates I will begin to clay, polish, coat and wax them both-I can't wait. Does anyone know how to clean and protect the decals? I'd like them to bead/sheet like the paint will, but I'm not sure what to do. I'm pretty sure I don't machine polish and seal them. Any experiences to share? Thank you everyone, have a great weekend.
 
BigD1964 said:
Hello everyone,
I'm newish to detailing and brand new to Auto-geek, I'm hoping someone out there has experience with what to do to flat black decals on the Class-A painted surface of my Jeeps. My wife and I have a new Cherokee Trail-hawk and a newer Wrangler Oscar Mike (picking it up today) and both have decals on the paint. I recently purchased the GG 21 long throw Boss kit and the Pinnacle Black Label coatings kit and when the weather in Michigan cooperates I will begin to clay, polish, coat and wax them both-I can't wait. Does anyone know how to clean and protect the decals? I'd like them to bead/sheet like the paint will, but I'm not sure what to do. I'm pretty sure I don't machine polish and seal them. Any experiences to share? Thank you everyone, have a great weekend.
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Congrats on the new Jeep! :dblthumb2:

Flat, matte, and satin finishes require special care to preserve the "factory new" appearance. Using the wrong products could alter the appearance or, even worse, cause permanent damage. McKee's 37 Matte Finish Cleaner & Protectant was formulated specifically for the unique cleaning and protecting needs that flat, matte and satin finishes require. It cleans to remove dust and dirt, and protects the material with durable UVA and UVB light absorbers. Stock up on a handful of Gold Plush Microfiber Towels to use with Matte Finish Cleaner & Protectant. Wash the vehicle using the two-bucket method and a quality, pH-balanced soap like McKee's 37 Xtreme Foam Formula.

If it's good enough for a $750,000 Lamborghini, then it's good enough for your Jeeps! :)

McKee's 37 Roadshow @ Auto Dermatology

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Here's a few more helpful resources...

Review and How-To - NEW McKee's 37 Matte Finish Cleaner & Protectant

Mike Phillips said:
I am so thankful for this product.

Why?

Because anytime I go to any car show, detailing class or any other car event populated with car guys, I always have people come up to me and ask me...

Mike, is there a product for matte finishes?

Now that's a fairly vague question. Because I know what they are really asking about and what they are really dealing with because I get this question a LOT.

What they mean is they have some type of matte finish including one of the below...

Stripes running down the hood of their car.
Stripes running across the width of their car.
Some other matte graphics or decals affixed to their car.
A matte wrap over their car or a portion of their car.
A matte finish. (flat dull paint)

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Satin White Ducati vs. McKee’s 37 Matte Finish Cleaner & Protectant

Bryan@Autogeek said:
This past Saturday after driving my Ducati 959 a couple of days it was already due for a cleaning. My Ducati 959 had seen rain which left behind topical water spots and had bugs on the front from my commute home. To clean my Ducati 959 I normally use the McKee's 37 Matte Finish Cleaner & Protectant since it is formulated to use on matte and satin finishes.

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Post a couple pictures of the Jeep(s) after you detail them!
 
Thanks for the advice, I ordered the McKees 37 kit this afternoon based on the advice from you and Mike and the pics! Beautiful! I will post pics as soon as I get them done.
 
I just replaced all the stripes an my challenger because over the last 5 years I've waxed over them. The matte eventually gave way to gloss and the stripes didn't "pop" or look "crisp" anymore. So while I never polished them I definitely ruined the matte finish by waxing them. Now I use mckees matte finish and protector and touch them as little as possible.
 
BigD1964 said:
Thanks for the advice, I ordered the McKees 37 kit this afternoon based on the advice from you and Mike and the pics! Beautiful! I will post pics as soon as I get them done.
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Looking forward to seeing your results - please keep us updated!

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Good morning everyone,
I just wanted to post an update on flat black decals and finish on my wife's new Oscar Mike Wrangler JKU. It was the maiden voyage for my new GG G21 Boss system, Pinnacle Black Label coating kit, McKees 37 Matte Finish kit (and Tuff Shine tire kit which I didn't get to use due to an unexpected thunderstorm). After rushing into the garage and finishing drying I discovered that there were no swirl marks or spider webs in the paint and with only 126 miles on it, no embedded bugs, imperfections to clay or chips in the paint. I decided to move directly to the Pinnacle Black Label coatings prep polish. I used a GG Boss black finishing pad at speed 3-4, that G21 is a monster compared to to my PC btw, and it works very well-so far so good. Next I applied the Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Paint Coating which almost seemed too easy, but the results are very good, we'll see when her Jeep gets rained on. The wheel and glass was polished next using the same process as the paint and the coatings were easy to apply as well, with fantastic results. Finally I applied the McKees 37 Matte Finish protectant to the decals and the hard top and it looks great! Keep in mind that I did not do the tires yet however. In a few weeks I'll likely polish her Jeep and apply GG Best in Show wax or GG paint sealer for added depth. Thank you all for your help and suggestions. No luck posting photos tho...
 
Nick may disagree with what I did today but here goes...

I had a Jeep Wrangler "Islander" model today and hit the hood graphics ("Islander") with my Flex 3401, a white LC Hybrid 5" and McKee's 37 360 AIO. Came out incredible. I tried a small test spot with it by hand on a small corner to see if the abrasives would cause any issues and nope! I would prefer to have used the dedicated matte product but didn't have it on hand.

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BigD1964 said:
Good morning everyone,
I just wanted to post an update on flat black decals and finish on my wife's new Oscar Mike Wrangler JKU. It was the maiden voyage for my new GG G21 Boss system, Pinnacle Black Label coating kit, McKees 37 Matte Finish kit (and Tuff Shine tire kit which I didn't get to use due to an unexpected thunderstorm). After rushing into the garage and finishing drying I discovered that there were no swirl marks or spider webs in the paint and with only 126 miles on it, no embedded bugs, imperfections to clay or chips in the paint. I decided to move directly to the Pinnacle Black Label coatings prep polish....
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Did you do the "baggie test" or just assume there was nothing embedded?

I can tell you that EVERY new car (and that's a lot) has had crap in/on the paint and needed claying.
 
Yes I did, and I found nothing. I thought I was doing it wrong, my car was not like that when it was new. All I can figure is that the hood is so flat that maybe nothing stuck. Also, my wife picked it up from the dealer on a rainy day and so they did not wash or dry it and maybe that saved it from any added swirls. I think we really lucked out.
 
Wow, that turned out great! Did the Islander decal have anything (paint sealer or wax) on it already that you know of? Was it faded or scratched at all? Did it shine it up at all? Thanks for your help, have a great day.
 
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