Terrycloth scratches paint? Who knew...

[Manhattan]

... Okay, lots of you did. I didn't. I thought a nice soft terrycloth towel after washing the 100 was great. Nope.

Last week, my 100 was used for a product demo for a company that makes products and trains technicians for professional care care - no consumer products. The guys thought my Land Cruiser was a great candidate because "It's such a nice truck, but the paint's in such rough shape" Huh? What the hell are you talking about...

This:

"Those are micros scratches - thousands of them... from drying the truck with a terrycloth towel"

The guys did a 4-stage "restoration" of my paint (clear coat) ending with a coating - their paint sealant. But, they only did 1/2 of the truck - a tape line right down the center. They used it for demos, then brought it back and finished the truck (did the whole hood again).

I was concerned about losing much of the clear coat - "Leave me some scratches and some clear coat" The CEO told me that they remove very little clear coat (he went into detail on the type of buffer, type of pad, type of polish, etc.).

The 100 looks unbelievable. The shop the company was using (high-end custom stereo, interior shop, not ACC) had 4 customers (2014 Tesla, 2013 GT-4, etc.) see my 9-year-old truck and ask if they could make their car look like that.

End result:

 

[options2]

Wow, that looks great. I need to buff and polish mine again.

 

[Dwight S]

Now, learn to maintain it. It isn't as easy as simply washing and drying it off.... go to www.Autogeek.net.

 

[alabamatacomaguy]

That looks great.

I'm having my fjc clay bared and polished and waxed on Monday with a local detailer I'm hoping for results that good.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[Manhattan]

To Dwight's point - there's more than a bucket of soapy water and towel involved with keeping these nice trucks nice. The guys with that company were incredibly knowledge about paint, clear coat, etc. Their products are very expensive... but the guys are also pragmatic. The CEO told me what to use to wash and dry my 100... "Go to Walmart or Home Depot and get a pack of their microfiber towels - they're the best I've found - and the cheapest and get a plain old "peanut" sponge - not that big heavy mitt, and whatever car wash detergent is on sale - Meguire's, ArmorAll, etc. just make sure it's not the "wash and wax"...

The microfiber rags/towels are for wiping off bird droppings, bugs, etc. And - every couple months - applying a light wipe down of their polish.

To dry it, they recommend a synthetic shammy - those spongy towels that you use, ring out, use ring out... Walmart sells them too.

 

[options2]

They come in colors too. LOL, sorry I have like 5 of them.

 

[phippsj]

+1 on the absorber. I also use Eagle One Wax-as-you-dry so there are no water spots or streaks.

 

[brosama]

Some good advice here. @Dwight S is right, spend some quality time on autogeek.

I'm debating whether countless hours detailing it are done in vain or worth it for me since when I wheel it scratches, dings, and dents are often unavoidable and just part of the game. Where do you guys strike a balance on effort vs. payoff for your trail rigs?

@Manhattan your rig looks amazing though.

 

[Manhattan]

I hear ya brosama. Over 11 hours, 1 to 3 guys worked on my Truck - that's somewhere around 20 man hours... professional man hours. The transformation was damn impressive. But when they were done, the CEO said "So, tell me you wouldn't spend $1,800-2,200 for that kind of result". I said "Uhh... well... I wouldn't. Because next week it'll be back in the woods". The guys dropped their heads in disgust (they were kidding).

I explained that I get his point - if I were driving a $75,000+ "car", Yes. I'd spend that in a heartbeat to have it look that good and be that protected (the coating is something like 3x harder than conventional waxes/sealants, etc.). But it's wasted on a truck that'll see more "damage". Not to mention, there's a finite number of times any vehicle can be buffed.

 

[brosama]

But when they were done, the CEO said "So, tell me you wouldn't spend $1,800-2,200 for that kind of result". I said "Uhh... well... I wouldn't. Because next week it'll be back in the woods".

Classic!

Not to mention, there's a finite number of times any vehicle can be buffed.

Absolutely. It looks like the PO for mine had frequent buff and polish jobs done so I'm wondering how many I have left until it's time for the rattle can paint job