2012 Ford Focus White Platinum Metalic Tri-Coat Paint Care

[TopKat111]

I've never owned are car with this type of paint. It's what we used to call pearl paint and now there's more to it.
Being brand new I want to make sure to get a good coat of wax/sealer/whatever on right away and for the future.
The car was mfgd in Aug. so it's been around long enough to cure. What do you guys suggest?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: 2012 Ford Focus White Platinum Metalic Tri-Coat Paint Care

Congrats on the new car - the '12 Focus is a terrific car and that's a great color. But don't read too much into that color or the fact that it's a three part system. It's still just paint and there's no need to treat it any differently than you would treat any other paint. Since the weather here in SoCal is still very nice, you're in luck.

Will you be working by hand or do you have a DA buffer? Regardless which way you're working, the first couple of steps will be the same. Start with a good wash and dry, and then inspect the paint closely both by touch and visually under good light. A pearl white is going to do a pretty good job of hiding fine swirls so you might need a couple different types of light. Direct sunlight is great but it can easily "burn your eyes" and all you see is that glow after staring a bright light. Feel the paint with your dry, bare hands immediately after washing and drying. If you're a big fan of the sandwich bag test, then go that way. You're feeling for any roughness in the paint that would indicate bonded surface contaminants. The car was built 4 months ago - where has it been sitting since then? Odds are it could use a good claying to remove those contaminants.

OK, so you've washed and dried, evaluated as described above, and clayed the paint to make it smooth as glass. Now what? Well, depending on what you observed regarding swirls, and depending on whether you're working by hand or with a buffer, this is where things can change a bit. Again, since the car probably sat outside unprotected for a few months it's probably going to benefit from at least a light paint cleaning. That could be accomplished with something as mild as ColorX or SwirlX, either by hand or buffer, or if the swirls are more noticeable, Ultimate Compound. If the swirls are bad enough, and we've seen even some very high end cars with horrible swirls right off the showroom floor, we highly recommend picking up a good DA buffer and using that to remove the defects. UC is great for this, and it's not too aggressive to use on a brand new car, either.

Once all of that is done, a coat of Ultimate Wax will really make that pearl finish pop and give an overall brilliant shine. Just remember to apply the wax as thin as possible. If ever there was a case where "less is more" this is it.

[Murr1525]

Re: 2012 Ford Focus White Platinum Metalic Tri-Coat Paint Care

Yeah, if all looks good with no defects to fix up (or that you want to deal with now ), you cant get much better than:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. ColorX
4. Wax - Ult. Wax, or Nxt 2.0, etc.

Looks good, and doesnt take long.

[TopKat111]

Re: 2012 Ford Focus White Platinum Metalic Tri-Coat Paint Care

Thanks for the input guys. I will probably not use a DA buffer. At this point I had a local mobile detailer whom I trust and have used many times do the first wash, clay and hand wax. Unfortunatley they dont use Meguiars products but now I can use your products to continue protecting my paint. I know Meguiars products are high quality and have used them for many years. Now, what products do you suggest I use for maintaining protection and an awesome shine? The reason why I ask is I dont know much about the latest and greatest. I've used good ol #7 on my Harley for years and IMO there's nothing better but being a little on the lazy side I dont want to take the time to apply and buff good ol #7 on a larger surface.

[Murr1525]

Re: 2012 Ford Focus White Platinum Metalic Tri-Coat Paint Care

Well, for a full detail yourself, you can

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. ColorX
4. Wax - Ult. Wax, or Nxt 2.0, etc.

And then for future washes, Ultimate Quick Wax is great to use while finishing drying, or right after to maintain the shine.

Then when you notice the water not running off the same, etc, time for another detail.

[Blazebro]

Re: 2012 Ford Focus White Platinum Metalic Tri-Coat Paint Care

It's a Ford, Ferrari's, Mercedes, Maserati's, BMW's etc etc all leave a factory with defects so I can guarantee your Ford will, in fact I know so having owned a couple from new.

Without going into detail a full paint decontamination and some correction will be required to get it tip top. Then choose from a plethora of lsp's. Personally I find waxes a bit boring so will always head towards nanotec/crystaline coatings.