Restoring Paint

xhimsa12x

xhimsa12x

New member
I'm wondering if anyone has done any major detailing to bring back the paint on your 4runner. I have been trying to do some research but with soo many products and types of paint it been more confusing than anything. I would like it to be super shiney again so besides a clay bar and wax anything else I should do to really make it look great again?
 
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It will cost you but if it's that bad I'm sure there is a shop around you, especially in Tampa, that does paint correction. It's a little more precise than just a clay bar and/or wax.
 
Hmmm Any idea what this would include? It's really not THAT bad, I would just like it to so as good as physically possible so I can then take care of it for years. I'm really not that interested in a new paint job as I would rather spend on modding.
 
You'll have to look up "paint correction" b/c I really don't know all of the details. If you're rig is just dirty and paint is beginning to look dull then all you may need is a good clay bar wax. It takes time to do (and master, which I have not) so either have plenty of time set out to do it or pay a shop to do it. It will be cheaper obviously to do it yourself but it's not too horribly expensive to be done. It will shine like new and paint will greatly appreciate it. Just keep in mind that your rig is white. Which means you probably wont see a HUGE difference either way compared to a waxed colored vehicle. Lighter vehicles tend to show less blemishes, scuffs, swirls, scratches, etc etc.. so when you can't see them there's nothing to compare it to when it's done being detailed.. get what I mean?
 
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xhimsa12x said:
Thanks for the advice. The rig certainly performs well, I would just like it to look as well as it runs.
Click to expand...

no problem.. trust me, I hear ya. I've got plenty of scratches and dents I'd love to get removed. Other members might chime in with some suggestions as well so keep looking.
 
What paint issues do you have? From your avatar, it looks like you have natural white paint, which is a single stage. If there are no gouges or ridiculously large scratches, its awesome to work with.

If you look in my 3rd gen build thread you can see the difference between my old paint and clayed, polished, and waxed. It does wonders. Each time you wash, just give a good wax as you dry with a microfiber.
 
A detail shop should be able to run a buffer over that and make it shine like new. You could buy a buffer from Harbor Freight and try it yourself, but as one who has burned through clear-coat before (fortunately I was able to re-spray it), I'd recommend paying a pro. I'm not talking about an orbital polisher, which will probably not generate enough friction to remove the oxidation, but a professional car buffer. By the time you buy the buffer ($50 at HF - the cheap part), professional car polish ($35 or more from the paint store), and some 3M foam pads ($15 each from the paint store), you could pay a detail shop to do it right (or yell at them if they burn through your paint!).
 
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Paint correction steps are as follows:

Wash
Clay
Polish
Glaze
Sealant

The clay is for removing embedded dirt in the paint that washing misses. If you do not get this off, the polishing step will just swirl the dirt around and cause more scratches. The Polish step is where the true correction comes in. There are a lot of products out there. I suggest pick one of the big names like Meguiars or Mothers and stick with their line.

I like Meguiar products. So, if the paint is pretty oxidized and lots of swirls, you may want to go directly to Ultimate Compound. I suggest using a dual action (i.e. orbital) polisher, Use a light to inspect the paint. As you polish, stop and inspect your work untll you see the oxidation/swirls/imperfections are gone.

After the polish, you will want to "feed" and condition the paint (I know, sounds hippie). I use Show Car Glaze #7 for this.

The last step is to seal the paint (this is the normal wax stage. I am using Meguiars NXT 2,0, but not completely happy with it as it takes a long time to dry. Wolfgang's Paint Sealant (not Meguiars) has been recommended to me. I just recently used it. It was easy to apply and remove. Time will tell how long it lasts.

Some great detailing forums are:

Autogeekonline Auto Detailing Forum
Detailing 101

Good luck!

Vince
 
blizz86 said:
What paint issues do you have? From your avatar, it looks like you have natural white paint, which is a single stage. If there are no gouges or ridiculously large scratches, its awesome to work with.

If you look in my 3rd gen build thread you can see the difference between my old paint and clayed, polished, and waxed. It does wonders. Each time you wash, just give a good wax as you dry with a microfiber.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! Your 3rd Gen looks great! I'm going to be starting a thread soon and I will start by claybar and wax to see if condition improves.
 
Thank you guys for the good advice! Going to tackle this, this weekend. I'll post pics and hopefully kick off my build thread with this.
 
i need to do this soon too. when i was doing my winch, i was cutting steel in my garage and didnt think about the sparks hitting the truck, well it left little spots all over the rear quarter panel, i hope that some claybar and some nice compound and polish will take care of it.
 
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