Thlorian

Sadly it's been years since I last walked into my local Auto Zone for items! I have committed myself to taking really good care of my new truck particularly from the point of keeping it cleaner more often.

When I walked in, I was overwhelmed by literally dozens of different cleaning products! So I thought I would seek out your opinions and experiences here before I started buying items.

For now I am just looking for the following please:

- A good dash/interior cleaner (normally I used Armor-all but some people are saying that this is not good for the dash??). My problem is that I only cleaned my former vehicle 2-3 times a year! =8-(

- A good, EASY to apply tire cleaner for that nice, slick,wet look!

- A good wash soap for hand washes.

- An easy to apply wax.


Also, if I wash my truck say every two weeks, should I wax it once a month or is that too much (too little?)

Thanks everyone!!!

chickenwire

Check out the sub-forum here in Maintenance

https://www.f150forum.com/f28/

You can get individual discussions and suggestions for each of your areas of inquiry.

I would recommend a good wash, followed by clay bar treatment, polish, then a wax or sealant. This will let your final results last longer and make future cleanings and waxing much easier.

A carnauba wax looks good, but you'll need to reapply every 6-8 weeks.

Z7What

I buy all my products from Autogeek.net. They have a great forum over there that can help you with any questions you may have.

THis is what I use!

Wheels, Tires, & Wheel Wells:
Optimum Power Clean™ All Purpose Cleaner 128oz.

Paint:
Duragloss Car Wash Concentrate #902 128oz.

Was As You Dry:
Duragloss Aquawax #952 128oz.

Exterior Spot Cleaning:
Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine 32 oz.

Interior Cleaning:
Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine 32 oz.

Quick Detail:
Finish Kare 425 Extra Slick Final Body Shine 128 oz.

Tire Dressing:
Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel 32 oz.

Spray Wax:
Optimum Car Wax 17 oz.
I do this after a couple washes between full waxing and polishing.

Tautog

I use Adams products, great stuff. On their site put raptor in discount box and get 15% or 10% off, I forgot.

Thlorian

Ok so now I need to know if I truly understand the diff between polishing and waxing please. Every 3-6 months depending on weather, driving, dirt accumulation, etc, I should polish and wax my truck correct?

Is polishing: Using a product either by hand or machine to work over the entire body of the truck which in turn removes small scratches, swirls, tar, grime etc. Then after applying polish, clean car with a finishing polish (or wipe clean with a microfiber cloth). Then comes waxing.

Waxing is: Using a product either by hand or machine to set a wax onto the truck which acts sort of as a barrier coating to help protect the polished look, protect the truck better against small scratches, grime, tar, etc., and enhance the shine/look of the truck.

As a rookie to all of this, I think if I am understanding the two processes above, the Griots Orbital machine and polish and wax would be a good start for me.

Where does the clay bar work come in? Do I use that before polishing to help remove tougher grime, scratches, etc.?

Thanks for your help as this is all new to me but I am FULLY committed to taking great care of the exterior of this new truck!

Thlorian

also is this wax recommended by you guys/gals here or should i stick to carnauba wax? are they the same? can they be applied with an orbital machine with a wax pad?

techrep

iTrader: (1)

Geez... just wash and wax the damn thing

chickenwire

Thlor - all depends on how good a result you want. The ultimate:

1. Wash with 2 bucket method.
2. Clay bar - removes small particles from the surface of your clear coat. This is critical (in my opinion) before polish or wax as these particles will cause swirl marks.)
3. Polish (if desired) to remove swirls and small scratches/imperfections. This is best done by a dual action polisher and a polishing compound. The griots gear you referenced is recommended by many, though I have never used it.
4. Sealant (if desired.) A sealant is generally a synthetic wax. The colinite you referenced also gets rave results by many, though I have never used it. Sealants can last up to a year depending upon your weather and how often you wash.
5. Wax (can also be applied on top of the sealant.) This is needed to give a harder surface finish and a deeper luster to your finish. Many people prefer the "warmer" shine of a carnauba versus the sealants so they will wax on TOP of the sealant. Waxes will need to be reapplied every 6-8 weeks.

If you aren't that fussy, wash, clay and wax will serve you fine.

chickenwire

This is a picture I took in my garage off of my '07 Solstice door panel.



And this is a picture of what it was reflecting.

Thlorian

About how long will a clay bar stay fresh or supple in its jar? If I buy some now and use it say every 3-4 months as/if necessary, would it last a year? More? Less?

I was thinking of buying Griots garage cleaning clay.


thanks