Delicate clear coat

For those with darker trucks. Do you find the clear coat scratches or “chalks” easily?

I have a 2014 BRM and it seems anything that touches the paint leaves white scratches in the clear coat.

in fairness. My truck spent the first 5 years of its life in west TX. So maybe the sun did something.

 

Yes. I have a black trd pro.

I just sold a black mustang gt I had since new.

the mustang was outside for 10 yrs in west Texas. It was also a daily driver.

the paint on the mustang seemed more scratch resistant than the tundra.

if I look at this truck the wrong way it gets a new scratch and it’s garaged since day one.

I don’t lose sleep over it but I did notice this.

 

Have you corrected the paint since you've owned it? It is possible it had a coating put on that is now failing. It is hard to tell without pictures of the issue.

 

Black tundra here. Couple things that keep the dark paint looking best-

Do not wash with a brush or sponge. Do not use a auto car wash. Use microfiber. The incredipole is a great washing tool.
Keep the truck coated/waxed. Every 2-3 months I will do good cleaning, wax with your favorite product and then follow up with a top coat spray- I use beadmaker.

Doing that keeps the truck super black, with the protective coatings, truck stays much cleaner longer and the finish stays nice, shiny, scratch free.

Main thing is keeping it waxed/coated. It really does make a huge difference with dark colors.

 

Black paint is not a color, it is a career!

 

I’ll second a couple of posts.

Acrylic sealants (like Klasse, which I have used) will deteriorate over time. That could be what you are seeing.

I think having any routine cleaning/protecting strategy for auto paint is a must, even if you’re not after a ‘just-detailed’ appearance all the time. Especially with dark colors, you need a wash system that will not scratch the finish, and a protection product(s) that you like to apply and are effective.

You can spot damage and correct it (responsive) or you can preserve the paint and clear as best you can (preventative).

There are products now that will preserve the clear coat and finish for a long time, they just have to be used.

Regarding clear coat failing, I normally have seen streaks or patches of cloudy clear coat that appear to be separating from the base coat when it goes. This normally takes many years (15.... 20... maybe 30).

All of this opinion comes with an asterisk... I have lived my whole adult life in Oregon, which has completely different sun exposure than you folks in the southern states.

 

My lazy response - lots of great info here https://www.tundras.com/forums/detailing.66/

Personally I am planning to have mine professionally paint corrected and ceramic coated this spring.

 

I have not paint corrected it. It’s my truck for work, so I’m not nearly as obsessed about it as I typically am. But still want it to look nice.

will have to see what happens when I can get around to corrections and a proper waxing/ coating.

my FIL has a white 2015 that he uses on his farm. Gets washed 2x per year with a pressure washer. Parked under pine trees most of the time and covered in gravel dust. When he washes it, the thing looks pristine. Just think it’s the difference in the clear coat used over metallic paint vs the flat white. I’ve also heard that the Toyota White is one of the most durable around so....

guess my next truck will be white

 

I just know that the white trucks have less horse power, acceleration, and payload. And worse mpg.

 

It's a life style.....

 

It's not easy but they sure do clean up nice!

Moments later it was covered in dust and pollen...



Edit: to answer the question, I do feel like the clear coat gets swirls and scratches very easily.

 

I would check your paint code to see if it is even clear coat. Some of the Toyota black colored paint is actually single stage paint where the clear and pigmented paint is mixed together instead of the clear being the outer layer.

The other possibility is some of the areas were exposed to solvents of some kind.

 

In all seriousness, dark color paint shows imperfections more easily. My guess is there's no difference in the quality of the clear coat, or paint application process. It's simply that a scuff in clearcoat reflects light a certain way, and darker paint colors serve as a "better" backdrop to see those reflections.

The youtube channel AmmoNYC has so much information about this, explaining the science behind it in simple, digestible terms.

 

Toyota has notoriously soft and delicate clear coat.

 

Boy you are not kidding,clear is one thing the paint is soo thin as well.

 

Disagree. This an unfair generalization.

 

So my 2021 came with an option that appears to be a protective film, almost like a clear decal over the entire hood. Wondering if there are any detail do's or don'ts with this type covering??

 

That's a Paint Protection Film (PPF). Avoid any petroleum based products and don't buff or clay these areas. You can pressure wash it just avoid lifting the edges.

If it scratches you can try putting warm water on it depending on the material of the film, some of them "self heal" this way.

The Detailing section can provide you better tips for care.

 

I bought my 2021 later in the day in the rain and after the dealer “cleaned” it, it looked like shit in the daylight. After 2 attempts to fix the issues “8 days without my truck” I took it to a local detailer. $1000 later which the dealer paid for and $2000 extra I had the paint corrected and ceramic coated with an 8 year warranty. There is a night and day difference.

 

Pretty much all vehicles these days have soft thin clearcoat.