I originally made this post in the appearance and dress up sub forum, but got no response. 2005 f350 dark blue (dont know the color code, maybe ford metallic blue or true blue?) And the only panels on my truck that have light oxidation/mineral residue is the front 2 fenders and the hood. the rest is fine. can i wash the truck, and then clay bar, polish, and wax those panels only, while the others just wash and wax? Or will that make the panels look mismatch in terms of shine/gloss

 

Try it and see what it looks like. There are a few different grades of clay bar. you can always be less aggressive with the areas that are not as bad. That might blend the panels better.
I just did my 2016 with a regular compound then polish then wax mostly because of the pinstripes I have acquired over the years. It's not perfect but not bad either.

 

If you are not a pro then the 3M Trizact is going to give you the easiest and best results. Try the 5000 first (with soapy water)and verify that its not clear coat damage. Then finish up with the 8000 (again, always with soapy water) I have only use the hand sanding version of the Trizact - totally idiot proof. You can also find the Trizact pads in the machine version, but for what you are doing, I would just stick with the hand pads. It will be pretty shiny after the 8000 then finish up with a polish or wax. You will get great results the first time and just one sheet of each grit lasts a long time.

 

Im not sure what type of clay it is, it came in a kit with clay lube. I tried it but it didnt get the mineral deposits off so i think im gonna need rubbing compound before the polish, so thats gonna be another day. So i just waxed everything to protect it and then ill re do those panels when I pickup the rubbing compound. (The brand of clay and lube was mothers)

 

From what I understand, clay is only used to decontaminate iron/ metals from brakes. If you have mineral deposits, you need to use a water spot remover but that's not a guarantee depending on how bad the deposits are. if they are etched in, it will require work.

you may also be better off using a synthetic clay towel rather than a clay bar

 

A clay bar alone won't really do much in your situation.

Clay bars including any synthetic variants are used to rid the surface of any contaminants that would feel rough when you pass your hand over the paint. If you were to simply try and wipe those off with a microfiber they would just drag along the surface and scratch the clear coat. Clay bars are supposed to absorb those contaminants as you wipe with them so they don't just ride on the surface which is why you should be constantly folding the clay over on itself to present a clean area to wipe with.

So let's say you have bird poop on your hood. You would saturate the area with some kind of "lube" for the clay (People use All Purpose Cleaner, Rapid Detailer, Soapy water) and then as you pass over the poop you lift the clay, fold it in half and use the clean side and continue doing that until it's all clean otherwise you're just dragging bird crap across your paint.

In your case it sounds like you would at the very least need some kind of compound if not compound and pad.

Wax is only really a top layer to protect what it's sitting on. There are products like a cleaner wax but they usually sacrifice a little on either side of the spectrum for ease of use.

There's a TON of options out there but the general rule of thumb is start at the LEAST abrasive option and work your way up. Anything more than a very small section you really would want to be using a mechanical polisher of some kind vs doing it by hand but if you have fully functioning rotary cuffs then have at it.

Most of the Mothers, Meguiars, Adams, Chemical guys, etc, etc you find at any of the big box stores will work just fine. Even good old turtle wax products work.

I would start with a polishing compound and a decent quality microfiber and see what happens. If you don't get the results you are looking for then your next step would be a buffing compound followed by the polishing compound. Next step would be using a buffing pad combined with the compound.

All compounds have some sort of grit, which is what removes whatever imperfections, so if there's contaminants on top of the paint the goal is to remove that before you really get into the paint/clearcoat layers. Polishing pads add another layer of abrasion together with the compound so it will work more aggressively or faster depending on what you're going for.

Depending on how much buffing/polishing would be necessary to get the results you want there's a chance it will be noticeable compared to the rest of the vehicle but not in a paint doesn't match kind of way.

 

I have a container of polishing from turtle wax. Ill go ahead and wash those panels again and then go over with the polish and see if it gets them out. If it doesnt, ill go grab a rubbing compound and buff with with my electric buffer.

 

and then you'll come and post pictures right?

 

Well the weather forecast looks pretty unfriendly towards polishing and waxing. So ill have to post pone this project for a week or two. I appreciate all the help. This will give me time to get a few different clay bars and maybe some rubbing compound. And yes, I will share photos when its all done.