Paint care?

[staying_tuned]

I work from home and we have around 50k on ours after roaming around the country. Upon pickup I brought it home, hit it with clay and applied 2 coats of ceramic. Along those 50k miles we've picked up probably thousands of pinstripes and a few scratches that weren't down to metal. Every spring I lightly correct with a da/orbital using 3500 to 3500 compound. Here is a post where I was describing how to deal with a scratch quickly. It's a 2021 and I haven't had to apply ceramic again.


Taking the time to clay it followed with ceramic makes for a surface that seemingly nothing can stick to.

For washing I just foam cannon it and let it sit for a few minutes then pressure rinse with water. Because of the ceramic, zero visible dirt/mud/whatever sticks, ever. It could be baked on clay that has sat for a month. No problem. This removes nearly everything without actually washing anything. Every few washes I'll follow up with a bucket and microfiber mitt but that is only when I want it looking brand new or if I feel like it has simply been too long.

Rokblokz are great to protect your doors, handles, hinges etc. in addition to staying away from wildly aggressive offsets. I used to run PPF on all of our vehicles but in 2 cases it ended up causing more problems then it was worth. It's cheaper for me to just buy OEM grill inserts if it bothers me a bunch or come resale time.

A bug shield seems to have helped too, not sure if it actually made an impact on the volume of bugs hitting the windshield but I'm certain it has deflected quite a bit of debris that may have otherwise chipped that front hood bevelled area.

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[Silverator]

Yep, that's what my truck is slowly but surly looking like. Guess I can't fight forever, but I'll definitely try!

It should be noted that the pin stripped / scratched PPF looks just as bad (if not worse) than pin stripped / scratched paint. And unless you're willing to pull off the PPF and put on another new layer (now, approaching $15,000), it's going to look like crap anyway.

Again, best thing I've done is the mudflaps. Trying to do what I can, but I'm slowly moving over to the dark (and scratched) side..,, LOL

 

[JTenn]

It should be noted that the pin stripped / scratched PPF looks just as bad (if not worse) than pin stripped / scratched paint. And unless you're willing to pull off the PPF and put on another new layer (now, approaching $15,000), it's going to look like crap anyway.

Again, best thing I've done is the mudflaps. Trying to do what I can, but I'm slowly moving over to the dark (and scratched) side..,, LOL

Come on over. I have yet to be told "man that truck sure is scratched up!!" It really doesn't show them too bad though. Most of them really would buff out. We are however having a blast actually wheeling it.

 

[chorky]

I clean it up and detail it once a year with Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions. Every exterior surface gets three coats.
Then it's just routine washes as needed.
A good rain will get it pretty darned clean with that stuff on it. Water runs from it.

Do you think that puts a decent film on it?

i would foam with this

then scrub with this

then rinse and wax with this

it seemed great at first but after some mud and a pressure wash at a local careash i noticed most of the ‘wax’ was gone. Then winter hit and road salts seemed to just take it back to the factory finish. Unfortunately i already have swirl marks now. But thinking of doing this again this year since it is so much easier than other options

For those of us in the states that have salt and brine on the road, I worry more about the underneath than the paint.
You could always attach magnetic signs to your doors to keep the scratches to a minimal. Scratches are like a fingerprint and a map of where you been.

this is a big ticket item. a vehicle can look good all day long but if its a rust bucket that is a problem. I spent 5 times more time on the underside with metal protectant than i did on the paint.

 

[Lunentucker]

Do you think that puts a decent film on it?

i would foam with this

then scrub with this

then rinse and wax with this

it seemed great at first but after some mud and a pressure wash at a local careash i noticed most of the ‘wax’ was gone. Then winter hit and road salts seemed to just take it back to the factory finish. Unfortunately i already have swirl marks now. But thinking of doing this again this year since it is so much easier than other options




this is a big ticket item. a vehicle can look good all day long but if its a rust bucket that is a problem. I spent 5 times more time on the underside with metal protectant than i did on the paint.

Last year I did it with little prep, and it encapsulated some swirl marks, water spots, and light scratches that were already there.
This year I took my time and removed all of old wax, went over the entire thing with polishing compound, and then applied the hybrid ceramic wax.
The difference has been night and day, and it's holding up great.
I do keep the truck garaged, so I'm sure that helps, but when the tree pollen was heavy I took it out in the rain on purpose for a "free wash" and it looked like I'd hand washed it.
I chose the turtle wax because of the testing done on a project farm video. It held up after being washed with purple stuff.

 

[staying_tuned]

For those of us in the states that have salt and brine on the road, I worry more about the underneath than the paint.

Krown applications every other year keeps the undercarriage looking new and easy to work on. This was after two Pocono winters, no rules locally on what can be thrown on the roads so they throw any and everything. I happily pay $150 for this every few years and save tons on DIY ceramic.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/rustproofing-aftermarket-steel.58069/post-954962

I may try fluid film next round though as I don't have a Krown shop near me any longer. Recently did some exhaust mods entailing removing quite a bit during the process and nothing fought me or was so bound up that I needed PB or blew a nut.

 

[chorky]

Krown applications every other year keeps the undercarriage looking new and easy to work on. This was after two Pocono winters, no rules locally on what can be thrown on the roads so they throw any and everything. I happily pay $150 for this every few years and save tons on DIY ceramic.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/rustproofing-aftermarket-steel.58069/post-954962

I may try fluid film next round though as I don't have a Krown shop near me any longer. Recently did some exhaust mods entailing removing quite a bit during the process and nothing fought me or was so bound up that I needed PB or blew a nut.

the one big downfall with that stuff is it is really nasty. i pitty the tech that would have to work on a vehicle with fluid film

amsoil hd metal protect has worked well so far. I watched some comparison videos and raw steel with one coat of amsoil metal protect didnt rust one bit. Plus it dries like a wax so it doesnt get all nasty like krown or fluid film. Krown seems to only be in the east.

i also used 3M cavity wax inside the frame and other tight places. It is used frequently in the body work field.

 

[staying_tuned]

the one big downfall with that stuff is it is really nasty. i pitty the tech that would have to work on a vehicle with fluid film

amsoil hd metal protect has worked well so far. I watched some comparison videos and raw steel with one coat of amsoil metal protect didnt rust one bit. Plus it dries like a wax so it doesnt get all nasty like krown or fluid film. Krown seems to only be in the east.

i also used 3M cavity wax inside the frame and other tight places. It is used frequently in the body work field.

I'll have to check out Amsoil's offering, I didn't know they were even in the undercarriage protection market. Krown is almost exclusively in Canada actually, their primary market is CA fleet. They started to trickle down support to the NE which is starting to move a bit but I don't think it will ever actually be popular in non snowy areas due to the mess and lack of road salt to mitigate against. Yeah, I'll give HD metal protect a go versus trying FF. I don't mind the mess but its my *hitty warm diaper : o ) and understand if folks aren't willing to deal with an oily feeling undercarriage.

 

[chorky]

Here ya go

https://www.amsoil.com/p/heavy-duty...wNiUA5W8Pchh-FspJjy2e1UG-wrRTH7waAmA5EALw_wcB


And here's the 3M cavity wax stuff

https://www.amazon.com/Cavity-Plus-...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=


I think I used 10 or 12 cans of AMSOIL metal protect, which did 2 full heavy coats on the frame and 1 full heavy coat and a partial medium coat of the entire underside of the body.

3M says 6 cans can get you through 2 full coats of inside the frame, but if you also want to go inside some of the body cavities you will need about 8 cans.

I like this stuff a LOT - after 1 full winter here - zero rust, even is areas with relatively unfinished metal - as in machined edges. I will do a coat each fall. There might be some writeup and pictures on my build thread.

 

[Vtur]

I like this ceramic spray. Super easy to apply, just spray on and wipes off after a wash. The slick surface helps with preventing branches from digging into the paint. It's so slick that ants and lady bugs can't even walked on it. Damn sounded like a commercial lol

 

[Lunentucker]

Krown applications every other year keeps the undercarriage looking new and easy to work on. This was after two Pocono winters, no rules locally on what can be thrown on the roads so they throw any and everything. I happily pay $150 for this every few years and save tons on DIY ceramic.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/rustproofing-aftermarket-steel.58069/post-954962

I may try fluid film next round though as I don't have a Krown shop near me any longer. Recently did some exhaust mods entailing removing quite a bit during the process and nothing fought me or was so bound up that I needed PB or blew a nut.

That looks amazing!

 

[GladLad]

I'll have to check out Amsoil's offering, I didn't know they were even in the undercarriage protection market. Krown is almost exclusively in Canada actually, their primary market is CA fleet. They started to trickle down support to the NE which is starting to move a bit but I don't think it will ever actually be popular in non snowy areas due to the mess and lack of road salt to mitigate against. Yeah, I'll give HD metal protect a go versus trying FF. I don't mind the mess but its my *hitty warm diaper : o ) and understand if folks aren't willing to deal with an oily feeling undercarriage.

I'm going with Fluid Film, but I have the same worry about it being a mess service techs will hate. However, I'm still going that route for a couple reasons. One, it continues to seep so it will get everywhere with a well done job. Two, it can be power-washed off without any chemicals. I don't know about Amsoil, but some of the waxy/cosmolene style protectants can't be washed off without solvents. Do you need to, probably not, and they're all better than nothing.

I would prefer Surface Shield, as it's basically the same as FF but seeps and holds better. But I'd rather get a pro spray job than doing it myself with cans. I'll probably touch up with SS, and get FF sprayed yearly.

 

[GladLad]

Last year I did it with little prep, and it encapsulated some swirl marks, water spots, and light scratches that were already there.
This year I took my time and removed all of old wax, went over the entire thing with polishing compound, and then applied the hybrid ceramic wax.
The difference has been night and day, and it's holding up great.
I do keep the truck garaged, so I'm sure that helps, but when the tree pollen was heavy I took it out in the rain on purpose for a "free wash" and it looked like I'd hand washed it.
I chose the turtle wax because of the testing done on a project farm video. It held up after being washed with purple stuff.

Funny, I just posted the same video earlier today. I don't know if it's the best, but it's easy to find, cheap and at least one comparison showed it as the winner.

Do you use the other TW Hybrid products? Thinking I could start with their polish, use that spray, and then wash with their Hybrid soap to keep it going. Occasionally touch up with the spray. I guess same for the black trim, minus the initial polish.

Depends on how much and how long the luster of a new truck motivates me, because I never wash my current truck. But ceramic products might actually help keep the luster AND make it easy on rarely washing.

 

[Cansberry]

Already there. Wheeling>protection. But I used to be too hard on my Jeeps paint, leading to rust and other such things. Pic of my old XJ after its first trip wheeling for reference

 

[Lunentucker]

Funny, I just posted the same video earlier today. I don't know if it's the best, but it's easy to find, cheap and at least one comparison showed it as the winner.

Do you use the other TW Hybrid products? Thinking I could start with their polish, use that spray, and then wash with theyir Hybrid soap to keep it going. Occasionally touch up with the spray. I guess same for the black trim, minus the initial polish.

Depends on how much and how long the luster of a new truck motivates me, because I never wash my current truck. But ceramic products might actually help keep the luster AND make it easy on rarely washing.

This is the only one I use.
I usually wash with Meguires but it's just what I have. Dry with DeWalt when I don't just let it dry on its own.

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