Look what cheap detailing products did to my daily driver's paint! How do I fix this?

[DeuceRooster]

Let me first say that I have always used quality detailing products like Pinnacle or P21S. But of course we all make a mistake sometime in life right? Hah.



I bought a 2011 Toyota Tacoma (new) back in June to serve as my daily driver. About a month into owning it I decided to wax the truck and shine it up a bit. Went to my garage only to find that my normal P21S wax container was near empty. I had a jar of Turtle Wax ICE Paste Wax sitting on my shelf I'd received at Christmas along with some Lucas Slick Mist detailing spray.



I figured it couldn't be that bad so I washed the truck with Dawn (didn't clay or pre-clean otherwise) then dried it good and applied the wax. Everything went smooth. After wiping off the wax I then wiped down the truck with the Lucas Slick Mist detail spray. Truck looked great!



Fast forward about a month later a discolored spot pops up on the hood. Then a few weeks later one on the driver's door. Then another on the hood! I hand washed the truck and the spots are still there. They look very similar to the way paint reacts when it gets exposed to direct engine heat or something.



I tried to snap a few pics, hard to capture really. The spots don't really feel any different to touch then the rest of the paint and when it rains water still seems to bead overtop of them in the same pattern as the rest of the truck.



Was this caused by a chemical reaction between two products? Bad wax? Or.....? Any ideas? I need to know a safe way to remove them the truck only has 4,000 miles on it so I don't want to risk ruining the paint.



I've been wanting to pick up a PC 7424 anyways, so could someone recommend what I would need to get this taken care of? Sorry for the long post, all help is much appreciated!

 

[Ron Ketcham]

Highly unlikely that the products did that.

More likely, after looking at the patterns of the discoloring, there was some port or dealer, spot paint repair.

Try soaking the areas with IPA and use a heat gun or hair dryer to warm the area and evaporate the IPA, it is possible that may draw out the discoloring.

Note:while this may remove the discoloring, it is likely that the next time you wax, you will observe the same pattern.

Grumpy

 

[Dan]

I agree with Ron. Those two products have been around for a while and I haven't heard any issues. If it was the products, why would it just be certain spots? I'd look elsewhere for the cause.

 

[lasthope05]

Its a case of the ****** Toyota Single stage white paint. First things first, try a paint cleaner to see if you can remove the staining.

 

[jmsc]

If that was me I would first take the pickup to a local body shop for a free look and see. Let them tell you what they think.



Then I would take it back to Toyota, involve the regional rep and get it looked at. You have a paint warranty on the pickup.



I tend to agree with Ron and say that it was an amaturish attempt at a spot repair.

 

[ca.detailchick]

This is toyota very typical defects that Ive seen numerous times now on their white single stage and even clearcoats. Usually show as round pancake like shapes.



Ive found you can polish most of it out .

 

[Scottwax]

Its a case of the ****** Toyota Single stage white paint. First things first, try a paint cleaner to see if you can remove the staining.

Agreed. And stop using Dawn on single stage paint.

 

[Brad B]

It almost looks like someone spilled coffee on the hood.

 

[DeuceRooster]

Quick update guys. I went and bought some 91% rubbing alcohol and applied it to the spots and they came right off! I spoke to a person at a local bodyshop and he asked me what I used to dry the truck with before I waxed it and I told him an Absorber.



He said that was the problem! It seems that silicone is used in the process of making them and even though the Absorber was brand new (and I washed it with hot water and no soap before using it) it still had traces of silicone. So when I waxed the truck the silicone became trapped underneath the wax. He said I should be drying only with 100% cotton towels.



So I am going to wash the entire truck then wipe it down with this alcohol in a spray bottle then rewash it and that should solve the problem hopefully. After that I will buy a PC and the correct stuff to polish & protect it.



Thanks again to everyone for your input though. Hope this helps someone in the future and I hope the body shop owner I spoke with was correct and this problem doesn't reoccur.

 

[DeuceRooster]

Agreed. And stop using Dawn on single stage paint.

Its a case of the ****** Toyota Single stage white paint. First things first, try a paint cleaner to see if you can remove the staining.

This is toyota very typical defects that Ive seen numerous times now on their white single stage and even clearcoats. Usually show as round pancake like shapes.



Ive found you can polish most of it out .

My lack of experience really is showing here....so the white on my Tacoma is a single stage paint? As in doesn't have a clearcoat on top?



Thanks for this information guys, I should have researched that before hand I just didn't think manufacturers still used single stage in 2011. But after a quick Google search seems like that is indeed the case.

 

[togwt]

Process over Product



A product represents a very small percentage of the equation; identification of the materials, correct diagnosis of a suitable method and the selection of an appropriate product along with the correct surface preparation and application methodology will result in the desired result being obtained

 

[imported_Erik Mejia1]

I doubt the Absorber caused this effect. That product has been out for years and have never heard of this issue before.

 

[Dan]

I doubt the Absorber caused this effect. That product has been out for years and have never heard of this issue before.

I agree, if it was the absorber, you'd have issues all over the truck, not just in spots.

 

[DeuceRooster]

I doubt the Absorber caused this effect. That product has been out for years and have never heard of this issue before.

I agree, if it was the absorber, you'd have issues all over the truck, not just in spots.

I know, it does sound strange. I've used them for years as well. I suppose it's hard to pinpoint the exact cause really.

 

[Thomas Dekany]

Read up on car care. The miss info you have typed in your posts are unbelievable.



wash

clay

POLISH!!!!!!!!!

wax



Wax often if you are not using a durable LSP.

Stay away from that body shop at all costs.

do not use cotton towels to dry the car.

 

[Thomas Dekany]

Buy the Griot's PC, not the porter cable version.

Quick update guys. I went and bought some 91% rubbing alcohol and applied it to the spots and they came right off! I spoke to a person at a local bodyshop and he asked me what I used to dry the truck with before I waxed it and I told him an Absorber.



He said that was the problem! It seems that silicone is used in the process of making them and even though the Absorber was brand new (and I washed it with hot water and no soap before using it) it still had traces of silicone. So when I waxed the truck the silicone became trapped underneath the wax. He said I should be drying only with 100% cotton towels.



So I am going to wash the entire truck then wipe it down with this alcohol in a spray bottle then rewash it and that should solve the problem hopefully. After that I will buy a PC and the correct stuff to polish & protect it.



Thanks again to everyone for your input though. Hope this helps someone in the future and I hope the body shop owner I spoke with was correct and this problem doesn't reoccur.

 

[Scottwax]

I know, it does sound strange. I've used them for years as well. I suppose it's hard to pinpoint the exact cause really.

Body shop guys don't know crap about car care, what they said about the Absorber is wrong. However, I wouldn't use one to dry the paint since there is no nap. Miss any dirt and you will end up grinding it into the paint when you dry. Microfiber only.

 

[Ron Ketcham]

Quick update guys. I went and bought some 91% rubbing alcohol and applied it to the spots and they came right off! I spoke to a person at a local bodyshop and he asked me what I used to dry the truck with before I waxed it and I told him an Absorber.



He said that was the problem! It seems that silicone is used in the process of making them and even though the Absorber was brand new (and I washed it with hot water and no soap before using it) it still had traces of silicone. So when I waxed the truck the silicone became trapped underneath the wax. He said I should be drying only with 100% cotton towels.



So I am going to wash the entire truck then wipe it down with this alcohol in a spray bottle then rewash it and that should solve the problem hopefully. After that I will buy a PC and the correct stuff to polish & protect it.



Thanks again to everyone for your input though. Hope this helps someone in the future and I hope the body shop owner I spoke with was correct and this problem doesn't reoccur.

Your results are the result of alcohol being a "drying agent" and it pulled the discoloring, which was not part of the paint, from the pores of the surface.

The paint was very porus, so no matter what you used, especially if it had a dye in it, sucked down and that is that.

Grumpy

 

[5.0GTCS]

Did you use a buffer and burn the paint??! Maybe lol