Owner Of First Nice (and Black) Vehicle

[brnr17]

Like the title says I just purchased my first Nice vehicle! After seeing pics of some of the trucks and their paint on here i'm curious as to how they get it looking so flawless. I've always just thrown some tap water in a bucket with a cloth and washed it down, but with my new vehicle and it being black i'd like to know the proper way to get a great shine. This may seem rather entry level here, but i really don't know the art to it! So do you Wash, polish, wipe down, then seal with wax?

[Nick Jacobs]

Like the title says I just purchased my first Nice vehicle! After seeing pics of some of the trucks and their paint on here i'm curious as to how they get it looking so flawless. I've always just thrown some tap water in a bucket with a cloth and washed it down, but with my new vehicle and it being black i'd like to know the proper way to get a great shine. This may seem rather entry level here, but i really don't know the art to it! So do you Wash, polish, wipe down, then seal with wax?

 

 

First off, use quality products, such as washing and drying towels along with wash, cleaners, polish/glazes, wax/sealant.

 

You will have a difficult time with your black vehicle if you want it show car finish if its your daily driver. I only use Meguiar's products on my 2011 black truck. To minimize swirl marks and scratches, make sure you use microfiber towels when removing polish/glazes and wax/sealants. The microfiber water magnet is a great product to dry your vehicle off with. I have 4 of them that I use on mine. I also use a lambs wool deep pile was mit. I use MEguiar's NXT Car Soap or the Ultimate Wash Wax. A quality wash with quality washing products and start from the top and work your way down. Wash it softly, not like your scrubbing a pan.

 

After washing, I would evaluate the surface for above surface contaminants. Do that by using a clean hand and feeling the surface for bumps. If it does not feel smooth as glass I would use a clay bar system to remove the contamiments from the surface before your polish and seal the paint.

 

If you have some scratches or some swirl marks you want to remove, you can use a Meguiar's product Ultimate Compound which will remove the siwrls. Some polishes and waxes will hide the swirl marks for a short period of time. Also be aware that under different lighting conditions the paint will reveal different flaws.

 

Waxes can be carnauba waxes, polish/wax, or a sealant. Waxes are a little different then sealants. I prefer Meguiars Ultimate Wax or there NXT Tech Wax 2.0 and the Synthetic Sealant 2.0 in there professional line.

[RyanbabZ71]

2 buckets (one for rinsing your wash mitt and one with your soap) with grit guards.

 

Check out this site. Many great how to's

 

www.autogeek.net

[kdrchuck]

WWW.autogeek.net is a great resource, also look at www.autopia.org

 

My weekly wash goes something like this:

 

Spray off the big stuff with a pressure washer. (Mine is 1500psi. If you use 3-4000 psi stand back, it will strip your wax and eventually your paint)

I have a seperated bucket that i use for the wheels, tires, and wheel wells. ONe with soapy water, other with rinse. Do this first.

Meguiar's Gold Class or NXT Car Shampoo

2-5 gallon buckets with grit gaurds

Pro-Line Grout sponge from Lowes

Use the 2 bucket technique described on Autogeek. Rinse the Sponge very frequently.

Use an open hose to sheet water off for a final rinse and I dry with an electric leaf blower and "The Absorber" and clean drips and streaks up with Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer

Turtle Wax Black Detailer is nice too

Between Actual wax jobs I like Meguiar's Ult Spray Wax.

 

Invest in Quality Micro Fiber Towels. Wash mitts or sponges with grit in them (thats why you rinse stupid frequently) and low quality towels are what cause Swirl Marks. I use www.Stocktowelsnow.com (medium size, heavy duty). Anything that touches your paint should be rubbed against a CD without scratching.

 

Now, Sealing that pretty black paint. Hopefully no one has touched your new truck yet and you don;t have the dreaded swirl marks, so you shouldn't need to polish.

Compounds and Polishes are abrasives that are meant to remove swirl marks, and scratches.

Waxes and sealants go on top of your paint, to protect the paint and some have minor fillers to hide the paint defects.

 

Even new cars need Clayed (hit up AutoGeek Again) I use Meg's Detailer and Meg's Clay

The clay has removed contaminants that could scratch while waxing, or dull your finish

Now sealing/waxing

I use NXT Tech Wax 2.0 (sealant)

There are tons of good sealants and waxes. I like NXT due to the crisp clear reflections. Waxes makes finishes more Wet looking.

Tape your trim to keep from staining follow directions on the bottle. Cure times are different.

 

If you need to polish, Spend some time oon AutoGeek and Autopia. (Good Luck)

[cracked_up]

Check out the products at Adams or Zaino brothers, don't think you can go wrong with either of these.

 

I used Zaino 5 exclusively on my black truck and everyone always asked about it and purchased the products I used. I am liking the Adams as well, but now I have a white truck, big difference there.

 

I have also tried some Glare products, but I like the others better.

 

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

 

http://www.adamspolishes.com/default.aspx

[daxrizo]

+1 for Zaino. The best stuff I ever used on my black cars and truck.

[gnet158]

Don't take it to your local car wash

Don't let the dealer wash it after being serviced

 

 

Swirl central. I have to get a $H!T load of swirls the local car wash as kind enough to put on the paint.

[daxrizo]

Zainostore.com

call them and they will get you started. It's the best stuff I've found and easy on easy off.

[gnet158]

I'm an Adam's Polish man myself. I've heard good things about Zanio stuff too.

[tanked_darren]

Lol trying to keep my black truck clean lasted one week in winter.

[rmkleman]

Any of you guys using a well to wash your truck? I live here in town but i'm still on a well/ septic system. My water is pretty hard here! I added a water softener and can't tell if it's salt spots or hard water spots, but they're bright white and stand out like a sore thumb if i don't get them off with a towel right away! Not trying to jack your thread, but i figured there would be some people following this? Thanks!

[Georgebaumann]

i love the turtle wax black box detailer kit. works great

[wurgs]

Unfortunately up here in salt country its impossible. My trucks 2 toned black on top and white on bottom for 6 months out of the years. I take it to a detailing shop when it dries up in the spring to get a good coat of wax to protect it a little.

[kdrchuck]

Any of you guys using a well to wash your truck? I live here in town but i'm still on a well/ septic system. My water is pretty hard here! I added a water softener and can't tell if it's salt spots or hard water spots, but they're bright white and stand out like a sore thumb if i don't get them off with a towel right away! Not trying to jack your thread, but i figured there would be some people following this? Thanks!

 

 

I've read you can add Optimum No Rinse car wash to your normal wash as a water softener ad reduce water spots.

[Hoe-n-it]

Any of you guys using a well to wash your truck? I live here in town but i'm still on a well/ septic system. My water is pretty hard here! I added a water softener and can't tell if it's salt spots or hard water spots, but they're bright white and stand out like a sore thumb if i don't get them off with a towel right away! Not trying to jack your thread, but i figured there would be some people following this? Thanks!

 

 

Your water softener exchanges calcium and magnesium ions for salt ions. What you are seeing is salt which is much easier to wipe off then calcium and magnesium because salt doesn't have the scaling like hard water. Here is a article about washing your car with softened water that explains it. http://www.pwgazette.com/spotfreecarwash.htm