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2017 F-150 Raptor - new vehicle prep and polish


Wolfeman

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I mostly browse and search this forum for information and don't really participate much.  I am by no means a professional detailer but I like to think that I can do a decent job of washing a car without introducing too much damage and like to keep my ride clean.  I consider myself a car guy more than a detailer guy but like to do the work myself because I have serious trust issues leaving my vehicle in someone else's hands.

 

That leads me to the topic at hand.  I ordered a 2017 F-150 Raptor back in July of 2016.  The truck was produced on 10/18/16 and sat in Michigan and was moved around to various holding lots until an "okay to buy" was granted by Ford.  Once this happened it still took a while to work through a lot of the trucks that had been produced but were still waiting for various quality holds to ship.  I finally received my truck at the dealer on 1/26/17.  The truck is beautiful but there are a number of scratches in the paint, one area that needs touch-up, and water spots all over.  

 

I have cleaned the vehicle as much as I know how and realized recently that I am about to jump into the world of machine polishers.  Thank goodness, recently Adam's came out with two new polishers... the Swirl Killer and the SK Mini.  I placed an order for the SK last week and am expecting it to come tomorrow.  While looking at my truck more, I realized that I might need the Mini as well to get into some of the smaller spots on the truck.  So, I ordered that last night.  

 

I hope to document some of my work here and also be able to bounce questions or ideas off of other members.  I know there are people here that are way smarter than me when it comes to auto detailing.  I may also jump into some of the ceramic coatings later if I feel that I can get this whole polishing thing down.  

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Subscribed. Can't wait to see the truck and the before and after shots.

 

I'm up in the air as to what vehicle I want to get myself after I'm out of school and I start a job. I want a mustang, been talking about it for a long time and I love the 2018 refresh but I

I'd also love a truck and the Raptors are awesome.

 

If you think you might want ceramic coatings, Do it as soon as the polishing is done. Save you time and more polishing if it's done all together.

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Expecting delivery of the Swirl Killer today and of course, I have to work this weekend.  I'm hoping Monday will be a nice day to get some work done as that is my next day off.

Quick question before I start.  I plan on starting off with the orange pad and the orange paint correcting polish.  If for some reason that doesn't get the job done, do I move to the microfiber pad with the orange polish or do I move to the blue pad and the heavier polish?  I guess the question is if I'm trying to baby step into this, what is the next most aggressive route after the orange pad and polish? 

 

Thanks!

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Next most aggressive route is the microfiber pad.  It's a brand new truck, so there's absolutely no reason you should more aggressive than that.  The foam pad would probably work sufficiently to be honest.  That is hoping that the dealer doesn't do anything silly to the finish of the truck.  

 

Depending on the color, you may actually get away with the finishing polish and a foam or microfiber pad to be honest.  You can always top it with revive hand polish for that extra step of polish/cleaning if you want to dedicate the time to doing it.

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Just a quick pic of the bedsides where it bulges out so that hopefully you can get an idea of how bad the paint is.  

 

This is on the edge where anything is likely to rub or sit on.  I'm sure hoping that I can get even the worst out with the orange polish and orange pad.  I also hope the picture shows what I can see.  It's very hard to capture in photos what the eye can see.

 

IMG_1810_zps37ags76f.jpg

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I got up this morning and decided to spend a little time on my truck before going to work.  I focused mostly on the hood and also spent a little time on the rear fender/bedside before having to get ready for work.  The hood looks much better and so does the rear driver's side fender.  It really wasn't terribly difficult at all, even for a novice detailer.  There are a few scratches that I couldn't really get out and I might just let them be.  You really have to look hard for them, but once you find them, you know they are there.  I will post a pic of one of them (very hard to get a pic because of the light changing on me and the fact that it is really smaller than about a quarter or so).

 

 

 

What I learned today -

 

1. A little bit of polish goes further than I thought it would.  

2. Adding a little detail spray to the pad is good to bring back some of the polish in the pad but you don't want to overdo it.

3. The Swirl Killer is a solid machine.  I don't have anything to compare it to, but it feels good in the hand and gets the job done.  

4. If you are on the fence about getting a swirl killer or other machine polisher - do it.  

 

Here is the pic of the scratch that I'm a little hesitant to try to correct.  I just think that it may be too deep to get without taking away too much paint.  Kind of a risk/reward thing - I'm not sure there's enough reward to risk burning through the clear coat.

 

IMG_1816_zpsyjwwcr8m.jpg

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Where is the scratch and can you catch your nail on it? Usually if you can catch a nail, it's too deep to polish (not an absolute rule). If you can't, you can most likely polish it out.

 

The clear coat on that truck is not particularly thick. But I will withstand some polish. Least aggressive to most. I'd probably try correcting polish on it. Or if you want to see how correctable it is, see how revive does on it. It'll give you an idea of if it'll clear up without being too aggressive.

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Worked on the whole truck today using the orange polish and orange foam pads.  I got the truck to about where I want it to be.  I am waiting on my mini to work some on the b-pillars that are soft and plan on taking the truck and having some type of clear bra put on there as they tend to scratch so easy.  After the polish, I had just enough time to put on some Adam's Paint Sealant before having to pick up my kids from school.  I'm very happy with my purchase and look forward to helping other friends and family members get their cars as near to perfection as possible.  I thought I would post some general pictures that I took of the truck after finishing today.

 

IMG_1829_zps7ndipjbc.jpg

 

IMG_1831_zps4hcdynhw.jpg

 

IMG_1830_zpsjhk0jrgp.jpg

 

IMG_1833_zpsmplyuqsn.jpg

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Avalanche grey is one of my favorite colors. Beautiful truck. How did that one spot come out after correction?

 

 

Thanks for the compliment on the color and the truck.  The scratches on the fender are completely gone.  The one scratch shown in detail... I left it for now and may give it another shot later.  I spent most of the day yesterday trying to go over the entire truck.  There were tons of water spots on the paint and light scratching.  For someone who had never previously used a machine polisher before, I am very happy with the results.  

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Thanks for the compliment on the color and the truck. The scratches on the fender are completely gone. The one scratch shown in detail... I left it for now and may give it another shot later. I spent most of the day yesterday trying to go over the entire truck. There were tons of water spots on the paint and light scratching. For someone who had never previously used a machine polisher before, I am very happy with the results.

The truck you have is the exact truck I'd get if I decide to get a truck over a Mustang. I'd love to know what options you ordered.

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Thanks for the compliment on the color and the truck.  The scratches on the fender are completely gone.  The one scratch shown in detail... I left it for now and may give it another shot later.  I spent most of the day yesterday trying to go over the entire truck.  There were tons of water spots on the paint and light scratching.  For someone who had never previously used a machine polisher before, I am very happy with the results.

 

First off, beautiful truck! Very jealous. In regards to the heavy scratch. Obviously as stated above try the least aggresive methods first. But if its yields no results here are 2 options id recommend. 1: Take it back to the dealer and point it out to them. It pains me to say that for several reasons (especially as a painter cause it drives me crazy when i have to fix things like that because i dont get paid for it) But you just spent a lot of money on a brand new truck and it came damaged in a way. If youre lucky, Maybe they will have it painted for you.

 

2: If all else fails after trying to polish it out, you could try wet sanding it if you're comfortable doing that. Adams has a video on YouTube somewhere showing how to do this. I saw it couple years ago. Just things to keep in mind about that. The clear on those truck is thin. I believe medic001918 mentioned in something he posted that he measured the clear thickness and it wasnt stellar (sorry if that wasnt you or i miss quoted you) If you consider wet sanding option i can give you further detail on how to do it. Its simple you just have to be very careful with it. Again this is an absolute last resort!! Im in no ways recommending you do this now, just something to consider.

 

I should have reversed the order of those options. Again truck looks awesome, great work!

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First off, beautiful truck! Very jealous. In regards to the heavy scratch. Obviously as stated above try the least aggresive methods first. But if its yields no results here are 2 options id recommend. 1: Take it back to the dealer and point it out to them. It pains me to say that for several reasons (especially as a painter cause it drives me crazy when i have to fix things like that because i dont get paid for it) But you just spent a lot of money on a brand new truck and it came damaged in a way. If youre lucky, Maybe they will have it painted for you.

 

2: If all else fails after trying to polish it out, you could try wet sanding it if you're comfortable doing that. Adams has a video on YouTube somewhere showing how to do this. I saw it couple years ago. Just things to keep in mind about that. The clear on those truck is thin. I believe medic001918 mentioned in something he posted that he measured the clear thickness and it wasnt stellar (sorry if that wasnt you or i miss quoted you) If you consider wet sanding option i can give you further detail on how to do it. Its simple you just have to be very careful with it. Again this is an absolute last resort!! Im in no ways recommending you do this now, just something to consider.

 

I should have reversed the order of those options. Again truck looks awesome, great work!

 

 

 

I do plan on pointing out the heavier scratches to the dealer.  I'm not sure what they will say but at least he can put it down in a file somewhere and maybe Ford has some kind of system for paying for problems that occurred during the delivery process.  

 

I don't think I would consider wet sanding unless I knew that I was going to get a free re-paint if I couldn't get it to work out.  Overall I'm very happy with where the truck is today.  

 

I have a great relationship with my dealer.  I was able to get this truck for only $700 over invoice while a lot of people are paying huge premiums for them or MSRP at best.  I really don't want to do anything to damage the relationship with my dealer because he is my friend first.  His family just happens to own a Ford dealership in small town Arkansas.

 

Edited by Wolfeman
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I do plan on pointing out the heavier scratches to the dealer.  I'm not sure what they will say but at least he can put it down in a file somewhere and maybe Ford has some kind of system for paying for problems that occurred during the delivery process.  

 

I don't think I would consider wet sanding unless I knew that I was going to get a free re-paint if I couldn't get it to work out.  Overall I'm very happy with where the truck is today.  

 

I have a great relationship with my dealer.  I was able to get this truck for only $700 over invoice while a lot of people are paying huge premiums for them or MSRP at best.  I really don't want to do anything to damage the relationship with my dealer because he is my friend first.  His family just happens to own a Ford dealership in small town Arkansas.

 

I apologize if I gave off the impression of taking it back and being a jerk to the dealer. By any means i am not suggesting that. For my dealership personally I know that they foot the bill for any damage done to vehicles as far as paint defects. Sometimes they can get it covered through GM just all depends on the situation. (it makes me happy when its covered through GM cause i get paid lol)

 

But having that good relationship could very well work out in your favor. And wow, you got lucky! There is a ford dealer down the street from me and ive been told that people are paying MSRP and some have even paid several thousands over.

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I apologize if I gave off the impression of taking it back and being a jerk to the dealer. By any means i am not suggesting that. For my dealership personally I know that they foot the bill for any damage done to vehicles as far as paint defects. Sometimes they can get it covered through GM just all depends on the situation. (it makes me happy when its covered through GM cause i get paid lol)

 

But having that good relationship could very well work out in your favor. And wow, you got lucky! There is a ford dealer down the street from me and ive been told that people are paying MSRP and some have even paid several thousands over.

 

 

That's good information and I appreciate it.

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Got home tonight and found my SK Mini had been delivered.  One spot on the truck that I was waiting to tackle with the Mini are the B-pillars on the truck.  I used the orange pad and the orange polish and went after them.  They look fantastic.  I am going to post a before and after picture as well but this definitely makes it worth having the mini for tighter spots like this.

 

IMG_1838_zpsipj4bgmg.jpg

 

IMG_1841_zpsvjy6hi1w.jpg

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I thought the microfiber pads are more aggressive than the blue foam pads?

 

Next most aggressive route is the microfiber pad.  It's a brand new truck, so there's absolutely no reason you should more aggressive than that.  The foam pad would probably work sufficiently to be honest.  That is hoping that the dealer doesn't do anything silly to the finish of the truck.  

 

Depending on the color, you may actually get away with the finishing polish and a foam or microfiber pad to be honest.  You can always top it with revive hand polish for that extra step of polish/cleaning if you want to dedicate the time to doing it.

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