2013 Toyota Tacoma Black Detailing Job

**joshuaericlee** · 10-18-2018, 03:54 PM

Hello Everyone!

I am new to the forum, but not really to detailing. I recently moved from beautiful Wilmington NC to dreary Raleigh NC (you can tell I am happy about that haha), and somewhere in the move I lost my DA polisher. I am getting ready to order a new one from AG, what does everyone here recommend for someone who is very budget minded right now with the following goals?

I had the GG but i hear a lot of good things about the PC.

My truck is a 2013 Toyota Tacoma that I got a good deal on but inherited with poorly cared for paint. I am a bit afraid of these Toyota's as I hear their clear coats are very "soft" and not too thick. With the way this thing scratches I wouldn't disagree.

I was going to get the PC Wolfgang duo with total swirl remover and finishing glaze but I am worried that is overkill for my goals here. I do not know how thin the clear coat is and I do not want to risk it AT ALL. I don't necessarily care about the car being showroom perfect but I want some of the fine marring marks (from claying) and possibly a few swirls gone. Again I don't have to have the car showroom perfect but I want it to be "as good as can be" without doing any serious clear coat cutting.

Should I just use a polisher and a cleaner wax with very mild abrasives with a very mild cutting foam pad instaed? Or do I need to use something more aggressive to get any results at all on the fine marring? I just want the truck to be protected to the point that most people say "that is a well taken care of truck" while not having to worry about clear coat issues.

I also need to reclay before, do I need one of those chemical fallout removers? is that just extra? what kind of clay do you recommend for a truck that feels fairly bumpy but has been recently clayed with a mild clay?

PS for anyone who has detailed a toyota tacoma let me know what you thought about the clearcoat thickness/paint softness

Thank you guys for your input!! I hope to help others out with my same goal in mind, and I will definitely post some before and after pics!

**Rsurfer** · 10-18-2018, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by joshuaericlee

Hello Everyone!

I am new to the forum, but not really to detailing. I recently moved from beautiful Wilmington NC to dreary Raleigh NC (you can tell I am happy about that haha), and somewhere in the move I lost my DA polisher. I am getting ready to order a new one from AG, what does everyone here recommend for someone who is very budget minded right now with the following goals?

I had the GG but i hear a lot of good things about the PC.

My truck is a 2013 Toyota Tacoma that I got a good deal on but inherited with poorly cared for paint. I am a bit afraid of these Toyota's as I hear their clear coats are very "soft" and not too thick. With the way this thing scratches I wouldn't disagree.

I was going to get the PC Wolfgang duo with total swirl remover and finishing glaze but I am worried that is overkill for my goals here. I do not know how thin the clear coat is and I do not want to risk it AT ALL. I don't necessarily care about the car being showroom perfect but I want some of the fine marring marks (from claying) and possibly a few swirls gone. Again I don't have to have the car showroom perfect but I want it to be "as good as can be" without doing any serious clear coat cutting.

Should I just use a polisher and a cleaner wax with very mild abrasives with a very mild cutting foam pad instaed? Or do I need to use something more aggressive to get any results at all on the fine marring? I just want the truck to be protected to the point that most people say "that is a well taken care of truck" while not having to worry about clear coat issues.

I also need to reclay before, do I need one of those chemical fallout removers? is that just extra? what kind of clay do you recommend for a truck that feels fairly bumpy but has been recently clayed with a mild clay?

PS for anyone who has detailed a toyota tacoma let me know what you thought about the clearcoat thickness/paint softness

Thank you guys for your input!! I hope to help others out with my same goal in mind, and I will definitely post some before and after pics!

Without a paint gauge its pretty much impossible to determine how much clear is left. Go with the Griot 6" with a lifetime warranty and a cleaner wax.

BTW welcome to the forum.

**rangerbay** · 10-18-2018, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by Rsurfer

Without a paint gauge its pretty much impossible to determine how much clear is left. Go with the Griot 6" with a lifetime warranty and a cleaner wax.

BTW welcome to the forum.

Griots without a doubt. Absolute highest standard of customer service, REAL lifetime warranty on their polishers. Best of all, the GG6 has an 850 watt motor. Its a powerful, light, and smooth machine. I have several Griots machines, and some other makes, including Flex rotaries, but I use the GG6 most. ( I mostly do sport cars, long throws are great for large areas, but not so great on small, curvy panels.

I do like the 5" plate on the GG6. That plate makes this machine a real little workhorse!

Like Richard Griot says, "have fun in your garage". What Bill Robinson says, "make money in your garage, and you will definitely have fun in it. Especially if there is cold beer there"

While you are thinking about the GG6, also be thinking about their polishes and pads. The Fast Correcting Cream will cut and polish that Toyota paint and finish off well. use Boss finishing sealant as your lsp, and that Toyota paint will POP. I have one, and that's my recipe. med slow passes microfiber pads, clean them or change them often, and then use finishing cream for lsp or hd Poxy for lsp. They play well together, Good luck brother. If you need some samples, let me know.

**Desertnate** · 10-19-2018, 09:09 AM

Because the Toyota paint is so soft, you'll probably get a surprising amount of correction from an AIO. My weapon of choice on our '13 Highlander is a finishing polish which then allows me to use any long lasting LSP I choose.

**joshuaericlee** · 10-19-2018, 01:32 PM

Thanks for your advice!! for you Toyota guys what kind of clay would you recommend?

Also what is an AIO again? Sorry, not brnad new, but new"er" to detaling lol

**Desertnate** · 10-19-2018, 01:53 PM

AIO = All in One, a.k.a. a cleaner wax. These are products which have a mild abrasive for polishing the surface and a sealant or wax all blended together. The ability to correct a surface an the durability of the sealant/wax varies by product, but I've found them to be fairly short lived.

As for the clay, on our Toyota I've used the Meguiars clay kit found here and at big box stores and the mild clay sold by a brand here which no longer exists. Either way, if you use the mild clay you should be OK on the soft paint.