Paint protection ...

[T Y L E R]

Hi guys ,

There's a business in town that named "MING" . It been in town for 30 years , and I understand it's also in Australia . They spend the day removing bug guards and whatever else so that they can painstakingly go thru some process of detailing and putting a glass finish on the paint . Here , with the winter we get a 3 yr warrenty ... Down Under they get a 10 yr , I believe . I'm finding it a little difficult to find technical details on their process , but friends at work that have had the process are extremely pleased ... and the company itself has been in existance since 1935 , so they must be doing something positive .

My question is this : Should I Order some new Toyota/Full time 4WD/ToyotaLandCruiser logos ?

This might be a smart idea because it would allow them to remove the old ones , and really do a thorough finsh , and then apply fresh logos , ensuring a fresh start . I believe some of the foam backing on the adhesive pieces are holding some moisture right now , and I'd like to eliminate this all together . Also my rear "ToyotaLandCruiser" Logo is actually loose ! So I know for sure that sucker is holding water behind it :'( . Gotta nip that sh!t in the bud !

I'm not sure MING is in America yet , but have any of you Auzzies heard of it ? Anyone in general taken their rig to get this specialized half day treatment ?? Should do a good job protecting the paint over winter with the salt etc ...

Appreciate any input ,

Tyler

 

[landtank]

You might check this out :

http://www.mingsa.com/Medium/Frames_medium.htm

 

[IdahoDoug]

Tyler,

Your vehicle's "cross section" of paint (look at the website) doesn't look like that, and few vehicles made in the last 15 years would. Atop the color of every car made recently is a clear layer called a clearcoat that is designed to protect the paint. It is softer than the underlying color and is designed as a sacrificial layer that can be polished without thinning the color layer itself.

Further, their claim that sprayed on paint dries in rough peaks and valleys like that "cross section" is malarky. Paint is sprayed on as a LIQUID and flows before setting up. Are their irregularities? Yes, but these guys make it sound like the factories are sputtering on drywall finish.

I don't know what it costs, nor what they "warrant" (your paint will reflect light....?) for this time period. But I do know that regular wax will create a layer that protects the clearcoat (which protects the color coat, which protects the primer, which protects the electrostatically applied bonding layer, which protects the galvannealed layer on all your 80's sheetmetal, which finally - whew - protects the actual metal itself).

So, you'd be paying a lot of $$ for a long lasting wax in essence. This also will do nothing about the biggest damage your paint sustains - paint chips to the front end from winter traction sand in your area.

DougM

 

[T Y L E R]

Good solid input , as usual Doug , thanx !
Rick , I appreciate the US website

A refinement of my objective :

I've replaced my emblems before .. and being new to a 3M wheel , I think I went a little deep when I aatempted to remove all the old adhesive . Now , my apprehension is that I might be getting moisture behind the emblems , leading to premature rusting .

So ... I thought I'd remove these emblems , then get a really good finishing done on the paint ( repairing any damage I may have caused the top coats with my buffing ... and then when the refinishing is all complete , simply apply my new emblems . Even my rear "Toyota LandCruiser" emblem is loose , so I'm quite interested in resolving this before I rust prematurely 'cetra ..

Perhaps a body shop might be better prepared to address these over buffed areas .. and to refinish / de-oxidize etc the entire rig . Too busy with overtime to get into refinishing myself .

Tyler

 

[IdahoDoug]

Tyler,

I routinely remove automotive emblems and reattach them as part of a business I own. Here's how:

Clean the area with a high pressure sprayer with focus on removing all grit.
Use a blow drier on high to get the emblem and surrounding metal as hot as possible.
Using a thin plastic scraper and soapy water, gently pry it off. I've also heard of people using dental floss, but either way focus on prying the emblem AND foam off the paint. Don't just try and get the emblem off. You want to have as much of the foam intact as possible.
Once off, thoroughly rinse the foam side to remove soapy residue and set it aside to dry.
Remove the adhesive residue with 3M Adhesive Remover.
If you've made any minor scratching and feel anal, polish them off now. Scratches under the foam are not a problem.
Once the foam is dry, spray 3M's 777 adhesive on it, wave the emblem around for 10 seconds and apply it on the vehicle. Don't go nuts and have the adhesive dripping off the emblem - simply fogging a fine mist on is adequate.

That should do it. Also, I'm not sure what all the fuss about "trapping moisture" under the foam is about. As long as the paint is not broken, or metal showing under there, it's simply not an issue to be concerned with.

DougM

 

[Rogue]

For ~$1500 you could have a custom Rhino or Line-X paint job that will afford you all of the paint protection you will ever need.