[jebx]

OK, I really know nothing about detailing and that sorta thing. I don't even know the difference between a polish and a wax. (I normally prefer to stay on the mechanical side of things)

Here is the issue, truck has "rail dust". According to the dealer it's a common problem for the white trucks. Basically I have all these tiny rust spots all over my paint. The bummer is that the truck is from FL and didn't show any signs of it while it was in warranty. After this winter here i just about crapped my pants when I saw it after washing! Right now the truck is really dirty so you can't see it.

(GM bulletin is posted in this FSC thread)

Secondly, the previous owner had a over the rail bedliner that really scratched up the paint. The second picture you can see the vertical scratches from the bedliner and the first has some marks left by it.

With that said, I am unsure if I should even attempt to tackle this myself. Where to start? Should I invest in a d/a buffer? If I take it somewhere what can I expect to pay? I would prefer to learn myself just because I think it would be a valuable skill to have, but the potential ramifications of ruining the paint make me leery. I should mention, i do have a car (my sister's) I can practice a little on. Still don't want to ruin it, but it wouldn't be as much of an issue like the truck would be.

I should mention that I have attmpted to try and read up on this (read a great article on clay the other day) but I just don't know where to begin.

 

[Claye]

Well if you're wanting to do it yourself I can give you some tips on what to use. If it was me I would start off with washing it. But while you're washing on your second wash use the clay then. Just take your mitt and wash a section to get it wet and soapy and then take your clay bar and go over the truck like that. That's how I always clay mine. Saves a lot of time! For waxing and getting rid of some of that stuff I'd say get yourself a good D/A buffer. I use a Porter Cable myself. Then get some Megiures Pro #83. You'll have to go to paint stores to find this probably. You can just order it from Megiures too. Take the #83 and squirt out an X on your buffer pad. Then do a small section at a time. Going up and down and left to right instead of in circles. You need to do this until the wax has dried completely. Bout 30 mins. for say the hood or a fender just to give you a rough example. Do the whole truck to see what results you can get from it. You may need to do a second coat. Maybe not though. After you've done the 83 get some Megiures NXT Tech wax and put 2 coats of it on with the buffer allowing each coat to set about 30 mins to an hour. That's about all I can tell you to do. If you want some more info you can also post this here: http://www.autopia.org/index.php

They know a lot more than I do!! And I'm sure someone will help you out!

 

[03rado]

so put the clay on the truck while it's wet

 

[Claye]

so put the clay on the truck while it's wet

Yeah, just wash the a section then on your second time washing that section use the clay.

 

[BuiltNotBought99]

Sounds like you need d/a to me .

 

[therealgeronimo]

Use a clay bar to remove the rail rust. I don't know if that is what it really is because the rail dust supposadly comes from when your vehicle is moved by train from the factory to where it is loaded onto a truck (so it should have been there when you bought it) It could just be contaminates from the atmosphere. You may be able to help the scratches on the bed with a clay bar, or maybe a fine buffing compound but if you can feel the scratches with your finger nail they are too deep to buff out. Good luck.

 

[mike94silverado]

the generic term for the contaminants that form on white vehicles like that is "rail dust" it comes from the meaning of the stuff the cars used to get from transport but now it is a generic term covering all paint contaminants like that

 

[jebx]

the generic term for the contaminants that form on white vehicles like that is "rail dust" it comes from the meaning of the stuff the cars used to get from transport but now it is a generic term covering all paint contaminants like that

Thanks guys, that is what I was looking for. I think it might have been "rail dust" that became highlighted "rail rust" after a nice MN winter. The truck is from FL.

 

[jebx]

Last night I just went over it with the clay bar and waxed and it looks much better. I didn't have a chance to go and locate the polish or the time to do it, can't wait for the results of that!