chimmike

I have stolen unicorn feathers and compiled them to make a super serial megasoft brush, then I use wash/wax combo and a 5gal bucket and wash the sucker. Usually I'll dry it with a California blade to prevent water spots.

To wash the roof, I get in the bed, and then I finish that by washing the bed (or rinsing...line-x is freaking awesome).

I need to get another coat of wax on this bad boy.

dajohu

I am lazy, so on my own vehicles I used to always end up with some minor bugs petrified or swirls/scratches since I am not an expert and wouldn't wash it very often like I should have.

My GF's jeep has been through an automatic touch wash, with hand drying at least once a week for 18 months. I could not find any swirls or damage of any kind. No bugs hardened on grill or windshield.

I got the unlimited wash package from that same place and wash it about once a week. I feel it's better than what I was doing previously. It's also nice to always have a clean vehicle and not worry about driving it right after I washed it because I can just go through the wash again as many times as I want to.

Oh and it costs the about the same as using the wand with coins! Nicely washed and dried vehicle for under $8

I never use wax, not a believer in it at all. I will occasionally use tire gloss stuff but only as the tires start looking bad.

jp2012

I actually went all-out a couple of summers ago:

Meguiar's Gold Class car wash.
Rinse & dry (chamois).
CarPro Tr.Ix (removes tar & iron filings)
Rinse
Wash again with Meguiar's Gold Class
Rinse
Clayed the truck with Pinnacle Clay Bar and Pinnacle Brilliance Lubricant.
Simple Green for the wheels and tires.
Rinse, blow dry (leaf blower), then rinse again with RO/DI water.
Chamois dry again.
Meguiar's Ultimate Paste Wax.
Hope's Perfect Glass for the windows.
Black Magic 'Tire Wet' for the tires.
3M Marine Vinyl Cleaner, Conditioner and Protector for the tonneau cover and all the rubber trim.

Took me a whole day. I doubt I'd ever do that again, even on a Miata.
Truck was gorgeous.
For about 3 days.

The CarPro Tr.Ix was pretty incredible. I'd never used it before, but the amount of contaminants it revealed on my Oxford White truck was amazing. I'll likely never use it again all over the truck, but I've used it since for removing tar spots before waxing. Unfortunately, once I see all the contaminants it reveals, it's a little hard to stop.

Definitely, a step stool or short ladder is essential.

I can't bring myself to wax the big beast more than once a year. Fortunately, the Meguiar's UPW lasts about a year in my environment.

Ultimately I just remind myself that it's still a truck, and sit down with a beer and admire it. Then fall asleep.

Lux194

When brand new:

1. I wash it with Dawn Dish Soap to strip it.
2. Clay bar.
3. Wash with car soap (I always use a leaf blower to dry it).
4. Zaino AIO polish.
5. Three coats of Zaino Z2 polish.
6. Zaino Z6 detailing spray after each coat.

After that, a regular hand wash as needed. The Zaino shine is amazing. I usually re-polish 3 or 4 times a year.

MagneticLariat

Optimum no rinse strictly in the winter, works great. Non winter, ill do ONR with an occasional hose wash. Its nice to wash inside the garage at night.

rliles1

When rain is in the forcast, I move the truck out of the garage.

Cwprotek

You guys should specify if your instructions are for an ecoboost or a 5.0..... /end s

Wade88

I use some soap in an electric pressure washer with a soap dispenser on it to dispense soap after using garden hose with a regular sprayer followed rinse again, or if actually dirty then the same but with the addition of two buckets and some dirt traps, mitts, microfiber towels, rewax twice a year etc. Also the vacuum cleaners, hosing off the rubber floor mats and such.

dalola

LOL.... I used to do the same. It's a lease for gawd-sakes. Poor truck has never been waxed.

Then we got a new MooMoo car wash built in town. Man, those are super nice automatic washes, and the truck looks so good when it's clean, so I've been churching her up a bit more these days with the MooMoo. Still no wax, tho... Amazed how well she shines up in spite of the lack of TLC, about to go through the 3rd salty Ohio winter, and 41K miles, and she still looks new, pulling out of the MooMoo! (yes, intentional rhyme...)

MADRCN

Hand wash only once a week. Step stool and extendable mop for the roof. Spray wax while drying; looks like a gem all the time.

Retail products from Meguiars or Turtle Wax work as well or better than most internet brands (sans ceramic coatings).