My truck is an '01 white 4x4 which I recently purchased. The guy in make ready did a great job except for the over abundance of tire dressing. I thought the only problem was the residual thrown up on the side of the truck and fender flares until I washed it. I have little brownish spots on my fender flares which defy removal by WD-40 or Tar & Bug Remover. Any ideas on how to safely remove these without damaging the paint?


[This message has been edited by Zach (edited 04-23-2001).]

 

Bad news Zach, you will have to repaint the damaged panels.Even color sanding will not fix this problem. Maybe your dealer you got the truck from can help you out.

 

That is bad news Waxman....

 

Zach,

I had the same problem, same color truck as well. First thing I did was scrub the tires with a brush and Simple Green to remove the crap, it took several applications. I can’t remember what actually removed the brown spots from the inside edges of the flares. What I do is start with the mildest products and work up from there, I probably used these in this order; Meguiars Cleaner Wax 1216, a clay bar, R-M 900 PreKleano wax and silicone remover, 3M 08984 Adhesive Cleaner. Or as suggested take it back to the dealer. Good luck


[This message has been edited by Ghz (edited 04-24-2001).]

 

GHZ....Taking it back to the dealer is the last resort. I'm one of those folks who believes they will screw up as much as they repair. I am going to phone the head guy of make ready dept today and see if he has any suggestions of what might take this crap off. I would appreciate the information if you happen to remember what worked on your flares. Thanks!

 

Dewayne..I have no idea. I spoke with the head of Make Ready this morning, he said they do not use silicone based tire dressings. I also spoke with Sal at Zaino Bros., a manufacturer of tremendous car care finish products. The majority of members on CorvetteForum.com swear by Zaino. Anyway, Sal said that silicone based tire dressings should be outlawed, because they do damage to automotive paint and are not that great for your tires either.
The Make Ready guy said to use Carnuba Wax on the plastic parts and it would take the specs off. I just happen to have some Mothers California Gold Carnuba here, it did not work. RELUCTANTLY, I am going up there this afternoon and let he and his head detailer look at it. I'll let you know how this plays out.......

[This message has been edited by Zach (edited 04-24-2001).]

 

Zach,

The clay removed the spots that my dealer’s tire dressing left. I think this dressing was of a petroleum-silicone base. Running some water on the tires produced a rainbow sheen, similar to a mini Valdez incident on my driveway. I understand your apprehension in returning to the dealer. Let us know what happens.

 

Well guys, this thing played out today with a very unexpected ending. First of all the Make Ready guys looked at my truck and phoned the people whom their supplies are purchased from. The owner of the supply company came out to the dealership. Meanwhile, my salesman, who happens to be the sales manager and a good friend of mine, came out to view this debacle.

Long story made short, the dealership was very apologetic to me, as was the supply company. The tire dressing had etched its way through the clear coat, into the paint and chemically bonded with the paint. There is no way to salvage the fender flares, the painted front bumper trim OR the passenger side body side moldings, except to replace them with new painted pieces. By the way, those pieces are sold pre-painted by the factory through the parts departments, just FYI.

When I bought my truck I had a very tough time deciding between a SuperCrew and Supercab. This afternoon I spotted a red Lariat Supercrew 4x4 which had just been unloaded and run through PDI. To make a long story short (finally), the dealer gave me FULL credit for every dime I paid for my truck. I merely paid the difference on the red Lariat S'crew. The only stipulation I was that I would do the make ready myself (hold the tire dressing please!) and tomorrow I'll run it through make ready right here in my driveway.
As Tom Hanks said in Castaway....."The sun is going to come up tomorrow and you never know what the tide is going to bring in"

[This message has been edited by Zach (edited 04-25-2001).]

 

Zach, what was the tire dressing they used? I would like to know so I don't start a problem on my white SCrew.

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Mine:2001 1/2 F150 Super Crew, Lariat, Oxford white w/silver lower accent and Med. Gray Leather Captain Chairs,4x4 ORP, 5.4L, 3.55LS, 17" Chrome wheels w/GY AT/S LT265/70/17, auto, 6 CD,Towing package, alarm, Westin Chrome nerf bars, Seat Savers and Husky mats for hunting, bed liner, white tail light lens covers.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/Album...1294&a=3025874
Wife: 1999 Explorer Limited,pearl white/tan leather,4.0L,4:10LS,CD,sunroof,towing pkg.,alarm. Bought new Sept. 1999

Previous: '65 Mustang 289 HiPo, '70 Chevelle SS 396, '70 Vette Conv. 350/350, 72 Datsun PU,'74 Vette TTop, '79 Blazer, '81 F150, '83 Bonneville, '84 Gran Marquis '89 TBird Super Coupe 3.8L SuperCharged, '93 Explorer 4.0L, '97 F150 SC XLT, 4x4 ORP

 

Zach, sounds like a good dealer. Who is it?

 

The fine folks at Prestige Ford in Garland.

 

Zach:
I don't mean to be nit-picky - but we are discussing "detailing"..wasn't it Tom Hanks in Cast Away - not Tom Cruise?! Just a detail...!!

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'00 F250XLT 4x4CrewCab V106.8L Auto 156
Island Blue/Silver[*]Off-Rd Package[*]3.73LS[*]Hvy Serv.Susp.[*]Tow pkg/Class IV hitch[*]DrawTight Activator II Trailer Brake[*]cloth split bench[*]power seats[*]rear slider/privacy glass[*]Ford clearance lights[*]Line-X bedliner[*]Leer Canopy

coming soon: K&N filter

[This message has been edited by BD (edited 04-25-2001).]

 

BD...Forgive my snafu, you would think that someone who saw the movie THREE times would not have make that mistake, I do know better. That post was written after a long stressful day!

 

That was some wicked dressing! I've never had anything like that happen on any vehicle! nice way to get another truck,though ,,,,,98

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98 F-150 4.6 Litre XLT2wd Ext. cab
Yokahama AVS/ST's,,too noisy
prarie tan/tan int.
K/N gen.II fipk
custom dual exh/gibson rectangle tips/rear exiting.
color matched snuglid
Superchip!!!
Clear front corners
Grillcraft grill insert
Speedglo gauges w/carbon fiber overlay,might paint it black
Stillen Quad light air dam,Sweet!!
Euro taillights
Cobra 75WXST cb w/weather alert
Kenwood cd w/Radio Shack speakers,and Soundstream P203e amplifier//Single 10" sub
Viper alarm
On the waywheels,tires,Proglass shaker hood,new leather seat
the monochromatic boogie is done,cool!.
Come see my new pictures@ www.my-f150.com

officialtomwaits.com
reverendhortonheat.com

WOW,what a cool site!

FENDER GUITARS ROCK!!!

I just wish it was lowered

 

98Screamer..It was some nasty stuff, still wet 3 hours after I brought the truck home that night. I too have bought a lot of new vehicles in my life and nothing like this had ever happened. It all worked out for the best though, as much as I liked the Supercab, I love the Supercrew!

SIDENOTE: The dealership maintained that the tire dressing was either mislabled or perhaps not properly mixed at the factory, while the detail product companies contention was the dressing had not been properly diluted by the dealership. One thing is for sure, something was wrong.