With the new phase underway all of the 4runner's decals came off yesterday. After the flares and sport hood go on I'm giving it a big clear coat breakdown and wax along with frame, wheel well exhaust and header paint treatment. At this point it should be looking pretty new, but there are a few things I feel are going to stand out.

1) The window water spots have been seemingly impossible to remove. After the window decals were removed I was reminded, especially where old decals were, how nice the windows looked when not subjected to the weather. Looking for any and all tips beyond 0000 steel wool and vinegar.

2) The weather strips around the door windows have faded significantly. I am going to take off the door pillars when I take the wing off and have them painted to match, but the stripping itself is looking beat and worn. I was thinking of tackling this with Krylon Fusion which I have much faith. But if there are replacements at a reasonable price I'd like to know more.

3) The stripping around the door handles are becoming obviously faded. Any easy way to replace these? Being generous with the last wax actually blacked them out a little bit but I'm looking for other more permanent options. I'd love to take the handles off and wax around them anyways since there is obvious grit and grime directly surrounding the handles.

Thanks!

 

sorry i cant help here, but i gotta see ur truck with all the stickers off, and u said u got flares and a hood? i really gotta see this as being ur truck is my fav on the fourms

 

flares go on Friday sport hood Monday

 

A good Rain-X rub usually gets the hard water spots out for me.

 

Ok so a quick experiment to solve issue 1 has returned top notch results! Going off a few tips for water stained house windows I searched under our kitchen sink where we found this provided to us from the landlord:

I was a little skeptical at first but decided I'd test it out and see. Every spot I've concentrated on has been completely rid of water spots! This is freaking amazing, considering I've been battling this for 3 years and randomly find this.



EDIT: Completed the driver side and WOW, never seen anything like this before. Besides a couple scratches that have obviously dug into the door windows at the bottom the windows are brand new again. Asbolutely ever spot has come off! Don't know if these pictures are going to do it justice but I'll never turn to another product again when it comes to hard water spots. Spent 30 minutes on the sunroof and its back to new, I'm sort of speechless at how well this turned out I can't believe it.

Important notes: Clean all window surfaces first before applying this, use a no scratch pad for application (I just used microfiber with elbow grease) make sure you soap wash all the surfaces after you're done and seal your good job in with rain x!

Before:



After:



Sunroof window



After passenger rear

 

I'll have to give that a try! I used Flitz, 0000 steel wool and a lot of time to get mine done.

 

What weather stripping are you referring to? The stuff at the bottom of the window is mostly metal; just scuff, mask off the small rubber flap, prime and paint with a quality spray paint (not Fusion). SEM, regular Krylon or Dupicolor would be best. Anything with a fan tip.

The rest of the trim around the windows is vinyl, and can't be painted at all. It's glued on, so your best bet is just to hit it with some interior vinyl cleaner or Back to Black.

 

Thanks midget I've been checking it out, I'll probably tackle it next week. I just got done with all the windows, took a few hours but well worth it they all look brand new. Just as another tip if you have grime build up and/or iridescence on your paint, which usually plagues darker vehicles, you can use a dab of this prior to a wax and get it off just as easy! This really worked wonders on spots I've been trying to ignore for years!

Also mocked up the lead wires that I'll be installing in a few weeks

 

A little CLR on a rag should take the water stains off. I don't now if it will affect your paint ( i don't think so ) but I just put a little on a damp cloth, wash the windows and then rinse well and dry the windows off.

 

that's a handsome lookin truck man.

 

Lookin forward to the hood and flare install, looks mean!!

 

Might be a dumb question, but what are the lead wires for?

 

I believe they are called limb risers, so if you are going thru wooded areas the branches slide up the wires instead of your hood and windshield...

 

Also called limb risers or 'Guy wires' they are steel cables that assist in moving branches and other low lying obstacles out of the way of the windshield and body. Its less beneficial with the snorkel on the passenger side but with a quick disco option its a great cheap addition.

 

Great tip on the window polish, i'll give it a try when the weather warms up. Thanks.

 

wow, u guys this down to science

 

Several companies make clay bar and polish specifically for windows. Griot's Garage makes some pretty nice products. My 4Runner needs the windshield polished something awful...

Dan

 

so i know that this thread is somethong totally different but where did u get your seat covers bc i saw them trough the window and really liked them