First Attempt At Detailing

[Tacoma]

I recently purchased a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. Beautiful truck (in my opinion anway) with Black Pearl paint. Anyway, I noticed it had water spots, but I just figured I would give it a wax when I got home.



The extent of my prior detailing knowledge was buying the best car wash "soap" and wax money could buy, as long as it was at G.I. Joes or Wal-mart. :)



Wanted to make the truck really shine this time, so I got Meguiar`s Gold or something like that. Tried to wax it, didn`t remove any of the water spots!



Tried vinegar too, didn`t help.



Found autopia.org by accident, and what an eye opening experience!



Anyway, David & Peggy were very helpful people, I decided to go with the following to really make the truck shine, and to get rid of the spots:



Washed the truck with 2-3 times normal amount of soap. (to remove wax)

Then used Meguiars Quik Clay Detailing System

After that, used Sonüs Paintwork Cleanser

Then, Pinnacle Souverän to top it off.



Unfortunately, this still did not remove the water spots. I must admit, the truck looked much better, but with the money I spent I was disappointed it didn`t look better.



I think I have been looking at the member`s pics with Porsche`s, Corvettes, etc., and thinking my truck would look like that too! :)



Oh well, Toyota paint is not as good as those of course.



Anyway, rereading everything, there are a couple things I could have done differently. Evidently I didn`t use a "sealer," which I missed the first time looking around. Also, I did everything by hand, which I could have got a PC.



At this point though, I hate to throw good money after bad, and also, getting into a PC ups the risk factor, since I have never done any of this before.



So, after that long winded speech, at this point I still want the water spots gone, but am a bit leery about spending hundreds more on products that "may" work.



Should I live with them, and accept the fact that the paint will never look like the expensive cars, or did I make a huge blunder somewhere, and the solution`s simple?

[Amkeer]

Why do you have water spots? Ohhh, from the previous owner. I would just keep cleaning the vehicle and make sure you dry it with a chamois or cloth. Eventually with good maintenance the spots will be gone.

[lammarwell]

I have a 02 S/C`s Tacoma black and recently detailed it.

If you really want to do a numbger on it purchase a Porter cable 7424 orbital polisher and the Menzerna twin polishes ( IP and FP2) then wax it with S100 either over top of a sealant ( like it did- Zaino) or even by itself. I am pretty sure you will love the results and the water spots will be gone after the IP polish.

Here is a link to some pictures and a list of all the mods i did to mine;



http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/627740

[04BlackAV]

First off don`t get disappointed by looking at the pic. here.Any daily driver is not going to be perfect,especially black.They may shine or look deep and wet but your not seeing I guess the whole picture.They may have marring and you just can`t see it in some pictures.Or they may be garage queens that get driven twice a year and sure there paints going to look good.Chances are your truck looks better than it did before you started.



I`ve been working on a bright red 00` Jetta and even with the PC there`s marring there that`s just not going to come out.Your water spots may come out with a PC but that depends on how deep they`ve etched the CC.Heck go out and get a tube of Scratch X and work a small area,go over it several times and see if you make any progress,if not then you know your going to have to do something more aggressive and spend some money for them water spots.

[shaf]

:eek: Woah, what`s this? A Toyota Tacoma convention? :D



:welcome



Jeff, you really do not need to use a "sealer" (polymer sealant) if you don`t want to. They are like waxes, except a lot of times people like them for their better durability or different appearance.



Those water spots probably did not come out only because you didn`t use a polish that was abrasive enough. To take worse water spot etching out you really have to polish the damaged paint off until undamaged paint is exposed. "Cleansers" like the Sonus product you used are always designed to be quite mild and can be applied to new paint. Unfortunately this also means they can`t repair anything but the lightest problems.



You may need a moderately strong product to deal with them, but if you`re not sure then you are right to try a gentler approach first by default. Do a search on "water spots" (or one word) and there should be several threads that come up with product suggestions (ignore the vinegar suggestions as you know, you have etched/damaged paint, not mineral deposits).

[tguil]

If you are willing to invest about $200 for a pc and accessories and a few sort of aggressive products, I have some suggestions that might work. Another suggestion would be to take the Tacoma to a pro detailer and have him/her work it over with a rotary buffer. You might want to go this route the first time and then work on maintaining the finish.



My wife has a 2002 silver Tacoma 4x4,regular cab SR-5 with a 5 speed. Not a bad truck for a "chick" who is appoaching 62.



Yep, this is a Tacoma Convention. :D



Tom:cool:

[Tacoma]

Thanks for all your help!



Well, i`m ready to break down and get a PC.



So far, i`ve already got Sonus shampoo and souveran wax



I am ordering the PC ultimate polisher, the Menzerna twin polishes, anything else?



Also, do people dry the vehicle with MF towels?



Should I get extra pads for the PC? How long do they last?



I`ve got products in the shopping cart, so if someone could help, that would be great! :)

[ehgvette]

Once you are done, we need pics because:



:showpics

[wash-girl]

Originally posted by Tacoma

the best car wash "soap" ...Washed the truck with 2-3 times normal amount of soap. (to remove wax)



If you`re using a good car wash product ("soap"), it is formulated so that it does not strip wax, even at 2-3 times the recommended mix. If you want to strip the old wax and get to the clearcoat to see if the water spots have etched it, or are just in the wax, you`ll want to use some Prepsol, or try the "Dawn Wash" that many use.



I would suggest that after properly stripping the existing wax, you re-inspect for the water spots. If they are still there, I would give the vinegar wipe-down another try, then use a polish, paint cleanser and re-apply a quality wax or sealant.



I certainly don`t think any paint job on a 2003 vehicle should be beyond help. My crappy Jeep paint looks phenomenal and it`s a `96!

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by Tacoma

Also, do people dry the vehicle with MF towels?



Should I get extra pads for the PC? How long do they last?





I dry with Waffle Weave MFs ("WW"s).



Yeah, get extra pads; [stuff] happens, and usually at the worst possible time. Some pads (Griots`) last a lot longer than others (Meg`s). Lake County ones are sorta in-between.

[Dennis H.]

I agree with 4DSC. Start with the least aggressive approach first and you are not dealing with mineral deposits. Your paint is etched. Don`t forget the paint you are working with is only a mil or two thick. The etch mark you see may be at a significant depth to damage the UV protection. UV protection is built into the clear and removing too much can damage the protective layer and cause the paint to do some strange things. There are a number of products out than will do a good job of hiding the marks, ie a glaze. I`m not saying you`re going to burn or ruin the paint, just be aware and don`t throw caution to the wind.