[NorcalPR]

Exactly. I'm waxing monthly, nevermind what the waxing nazis say, that "12 month" shit never lasts 12 months. I use Meguiar's Nextgeneration. Once or twice a year I use "3M Imperial Hand Glaze" for dark colored vehicles. I will not be convinced there is anything better.

Lol

I use Zaino every 6 months. Quick, lasts long, and looks way better than that meguiars BS.

I don't get thier products. Why have 50 products out there when paint is all the same? Is it too hard to just make one product that is the best that they can offer?

 

[fifthcircle]

Just got off the phone with the body shop guy. He said it's through the clear coat. Well, that sucks! He said it looks much better, but it's still there. So I guess I will either bug the dealer about it (I feel a headache already) or say fcuk it and start treating it like what it is.....just a truck.

At this point I really wish it was white! Although I do like that desert camo look :saw:

 

[redhottaco]

A lot of the places to wheel around here has sand mixed in the mud and it will actually scratch patches in your paint. The clear coat toyota uses is very very cheap crap. With how vibrant the color is on my truck you can easily see the smallest scratch. My paint is FUCKED. There are bug chips, rock chips, scratches from branches (lots of these), scratches from people getting in/out of the bed over the side, people leaning on it. Hell, my bed has less scratches than the paint does. I plan on doing a rattle can camo eventually but for now radiant red keeps the rust off and that's good enough for me.

 

[ah64id]

All of this is why my truck is white.... thou I do need to wax it before winter.

 

[00regcab]

a truck is a truck, yes.

But if you own a vehicle, no matter if its a $200 beater, or a $30k tacoma, ALWAYS take care of the damn thing. There shouldnt be any excuses for that IMO. Just kuz one may like a shiney truck doesnt mean he's any less of a wheeler then you. :2cents:

 

[redhottaco]

All of this is why my truck is white.... thou I do need to wax it before winter.

My 4-runner was white but that paint got fucked up just like the OP's did. I had dull spots in it from where the mud had "stained" or eaten the clear coat. I tell you what, Blacks creek is a SOB on paint.... and tow straps hahaha

 

[przn2nv]

Believe me, I love having a shiny truck, but I don't mind getting clumps of dirt and mud on it either when i'm out playing with it. I value its looks just as much as its capabilities, and if i can, i just want to keep it in tip top shape - all around. Because mud created problems in my case doesn't mean the trucks not going to see mud again, it just means that I need to take prior steps to avoid problems.

Before I bought my truck, I had an 04 M3. Keeping that car clean was basically my main priority, so I started experimenting with different waxes,polishes, detailing shit, etc. and was blown away when I started using Adam's Polishes. Easy on, easy off, long lasting, you name it, whatever type of look I was going for, this guys' products blew my mind. You guys should check out this guys website: www.adamspolishes.com

 

[Crazy Geologist]

Ok, a little geo-tirade:

the majority of minerals (especially the common ones) are salts of weak acids (carbonic, silicic) and strong bases (NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)2) ie feldspars, pyroxenes, carbonates. Because of this character, they are typically stable under alkaline (ph greater than neutral) conditions, and tend to dissolve under acid conditions. The alkaline nature of these minerals will give most minerals (but not quartz) the ability to neutralize contaminant acidity. This neutralization can be relatively fast for carbonates (you could sit and watch it if you had enough beers, and it may be more entertaining than nascar) but is pretty slow for silicates (you will grow old and die watching)

On the flip side, certain minerals are the opposite: salts of strong acids and weak bases. they generally are the result of weathering of sulfide minerals like pyrite, marcasite and the like. In modern geologic settings at the earth's surface, these minerals are exposed by mining of ores, coal or in hydrothermal deposits. They can also exist as accessory minerals in shales . Acidity is produced when these minerals are dissolved in fresh (unsaturated) waters.

Now to add a little organic geochemistry: when organic materials (plants etc) break down one of the major steps along the decomposition pathway are humic and fulvic acids. these are huge molecules with a variety of structures. The importance of these is two fold: they have lots of removable H+ (acid producing sites); and they are a very common component of mud, especially stinky organic mud that we tend to see photos of trucks buried in on this forum.

Ok what does this have to do with clear coat? Well, my understanding of clearcoats (please correct me if I miss this) is that they are primarily urethane. urethane has some nice properties (can be clear, is somewhat flexible when set, relatively easy to work with) but it is poorly resistant to acid attack. it doesn't hold up at all in strong acids, and has limited service life in weak acids...it will form pits.

So depending on the geology of the specific hole you get stuck in, it can possibly be a pretty corrosive environment. that said, my 06 tacoma gets a new layer of mud or dust every day depending on the weather, and i don't have the time or inclination to wash it off every day. I guess that is why I bought the silver one.
:2cents:

 

[mojavegold]

Damn crazygeo: can we all send you mud samples for analysis Thanks for the chem 101 class, it was very interesting BTW. Bottom line, Toyotas new paint system is shit. My truck had paint chips within the first month of buying it and bird shit does a real number on my hood.

 

[Uncletruck]

The system Toyota uses is no different than what any other manufacturer uses. Base coat- clear coat.

If you are motivated you can put a good wax job on in about an hour or two. Not only does this make the truck look nice, it makes it much easier to wash, and more resistant to things like bird shit, bugs, acid rain, mud, road salt, etc. It's worth the time invested. Even a quick spray wax such as Maguar's Final Detail ($5 or so at Autozone, one bottle lasts all year) after every wash is much better than doing nothing.

-UT-

 

[PB2theMax]

Whoa. Easy with the rubbing compound recommendations. You should always use the least abrasive polish first, and then step it up if you need to. I highly doubt that you need rubbing compound. I would just try a medium and a fine cut polish. NAPA carries the pro line of Meguiars and 3M polishes.

 

[mojavegold]

The system Toyota uses is no different than what any other manufacturer uses. Base coat- clear coat.

If you are motivated you can put a good wax job on in about an hour or two. Not only does this make the truck look nice, it makes it much easier to wash, and more resistant to things like bird shit, bugs, acid rain, mud, road salt, etc. It's worth the time invested. Even a quick spray wax such as Maguar's Final Detail ($5 or so at Autozone, one bottle lasts all year) after every wash is much better than doing nothing.

-UT-

Thanks for the info, but I beg to differ on this one. I have owned all sorts of trucks from different MFRs and can honestly say that Toyotas paint, chips like crazy compared to anything else I have owned. Plus the clearcoat doesn't seem to hold up. I am a maintenence freak, so it's not a waxing issue. :2cents:

 

[Uncletruck]

Chipping is an entirely different issue compared to resistance to envronment and elements. CA built Tacomas use paint from the same suppliers and the same application procedures as those from other manufacturers. Not saying that it's always done right- I too have had an issue with the paint on my '07 Taco- Not chipping, but the front fender had a very noticeable light spot in the base coat (silver) on the front fender that had to be corrected by the dealer. I guess to seek perfection in anything is absurd, but with the standards the world is seeming to set now, it's like trying to achieve an impossible goal because as the expectations go up, the criticizing becomes more intense.

-UT-

 

[przn2nv]

DUDE!! I have the same issue. I have a small light blemish spot in my front drivers side fender on my '06 Tacoma. I purchased the truck back in march of '06. I've been fighting with the dealership to give me $$$ back for the repair amount. Nothing beats factory paint - period. They've been more than willing to repair the blemish, however even their own body shop manager told me "it's not worth it, you'll just be opening a can of worms, go ask for some $$$ back". I've seen a good 20 - 30 silver streak mica taco's with this same problem - Light blemish on the front drivers side fender. The Toyota rep even came out to see my truck, and might I add, was quite rude about the situation and even said that it's "normal" to have paint flaws. He said, "flaws come at a price, if you spend 100k on a car, it's probably not going to have an issue, but when you spend 30, then it's quite normal to have small issues - live with it"

 

[kapena]

a truck is a truck, yes.

But if you own a vehicle, no matter if its a $200 beater, or a $30k tacoma, ALWAYS take care of the damn thing. There shouldnt be any excuses for that IMO. Just kuz one may like a shiney truck doesnt mean he's any less of a wheeler then you. :2cents:

truth

it just takes a lot more effort on something that gets pounded offroad a lot. i don't think it's worth the effort to not only keep a vehicle in good mechanical condition but to also keep it in shiny showroom condition as well. the amount of time involved to do both is silly i think. if i care about looks ill get a 2wd.

 

[mojavegold]

Uncletruck, we could argue this point all day long. I see your point, but I'm telling you that toyotas paint "application" quality is shit compared to other trucks I've owned. The paint is thin, clearcoat doesn't hold up well, chips easily etc.. I'm not bagging on Toyota, just stating mine and other peeps observations. :2cents:

 

[przn2nv]

Well, you should all be glad to know that Toyota NA is getting a new president. Hopefully we'll see some changes being made. If the toyota's being built in NUMMI were held to the specs of such cars as the landcruiser or 4runner which are still being built in japan (they are built to ISO9000 standards) then we wouldn't see such a decline in quality. Plus the reason for such crappy paint is the EPA has new standard's for painting procedures done at the plant.

 

[przn2nv]

truth

it just takes a lot more effort on something that gets pounded offroad a lot. i don't think it's worth the effort to not only keep a vehicle in good mechanical condition but to also keep it in shiny showroom condition as well. the amount of time involved to do both is silly i think. if i care about looks ill get a 2wd.

Is that your truck in the pic?

 

[kapena]

Is that your truck in the pic?

one of them yes (if you are talking about my avatar)

 

[mojavegold]

Well, you should all be glad to know that Toyota NA is getting a new president. Hopefully we'll see some changes being made. If the toyota's being built in NUMMI were held to the specs of such cars as the landcruiser or 4runner which are still being built in japan (they are built to ISO9000 standards) then we wouldn't see such a decline in quality. Plus the reason for such crappy paint is the EPA has new standard's for painting procedures done at the plant.

Thanks for the heads up. I knew something was going on. This paint just aint what it used to be.