How do you wax your truck

[hogfarm]

How do you clean and wax you trucks,I washed my black truck and was going to wax it,as I did a small area,i saw little scratches,I was using micro-fiber towels.Is there something better?do I need to wash the towels first to soften them?

[_Ogre]

haven't waxed truk yet so i really can't say
7 yrs and 32k miles

[dsraven]

black is one of the hardest to wax because of that issue. here is what I have done in the past

wash and wipe dry
clay bar
compound as required
apply polymer wax with damp applicator
buff
drive it

more details
in a shady spot out of the direct sunlight (because direct sunlight will dry everything too fast and leave water spots. water spots actually etch the paint and that is a good reason to wipe down your truck after a wash job)

wash unit with normal car wash soap and rinse off

towel off the unit with a microfibre towel or terry cloth towel. I prefer microfibre myself because they wring out better

using detailing spray and a clay bar, lightly spray a small area, like a couple of feet square, with the spray and then rub the clay over it in a lengthwise pattern. the same direction as the body lines on the truck. this gets rid of all kinds of stuff that is stuck to your paint and you don't see it. you can feel it if you rub your hand slowly over the surface before clay bar and then after you will feel the difference. after you have the area cleaned off with the clay bar wipe it off with a damp cloth and travel on to the next area. read the directions on the clay bar package for more details on that. remember to turn the bar over lots because those little pieces of stuff from the paint are now turning your bar into a fine sanding bar if you don't. it is a good idea to use a smaller chunk of the bar for that reason. you will likely see the bar turning a different color as you pick up stuff from the paint surface, thats normal

now that it is clean you can wax the unit without worry of grinding the pollutants stuck to the paint deeper into the paint.you can use masking tape on any trim to keep the wax off the trim parts. use the same tecnique of following the body lines because the strokes don't show as much this way. using circular motions emphasizes the swirls when the sun shines on the panel. if you have access to a random orbit polisher they work well with a foam buffing pad (there are different grades of buffing pads as well. like sandpaper) and don't burn the paint like a straight rotary polisher, unless you have practice with one of those. let the buffer do the work and allow the pad to turn so you don't get swirl marks. if you have some small scratches in the paint you can usually rent a buffer and use some ultimate compound with the foam pad. read the directions on the bottle. I have buffed lots of vehicles in my day, using several different grit of compounds each time until complete. I find the ultimate compound by meguires does most vehicles in one shot because the synthetic compound starts course and wears down fast to finish in a finer compound. read the directions or youtube it. I like to use the polymer wax, like mothers synthetic wax, because it lasts longer between wax jobs. you can use the fx spray in between to maintain the shine but the wax is so easy to put on and polish up you could really just put another coat of wax on. google it for more info. I find the meguires tech wax didn't last as long. some detailers would strip the vehicle first using a wax stripper, then clay bar, then compound with buffer, then wax with buffer and finish with a polish. use a small plastic detailing brush to get any wax out of the cracks and crannies when you are all done.

[dsraven]

there are different grades of microfibre towels as well. some are quite thin. I try to snap the towel often to get rid of stuff that collects in them. when you wash them in the machine do it with some jeans or something so they get a bit beat up in there and lose the stuff stuck in the fibres. don't use fabric softener or anti static sheets in the dryer because it seems to have an effect on the fibres.
just my thoughts

[47 Fasttoys]

Wax? what is this wax stuff you speak of? Rust now I all about rust. LOL
Rob

[my56chevytruck]

In addition to what dsraven's said about detailing, good microfibre towels should not be washed with any other towels and need to be air dryed. Check out ADAM'S POLISHES for a better explanation. Secondly, as stated, black is a tough color to not see minor scratches in, but wash the truck and use a good auto soap, leave the soap on and use your clay bar on the surface. make sure you keep the area wet and soapy. I then rinse off thoroughly and use a product from Adam's that helps to eleiminate any swirling and surface issues. After all that, wax. I only use a butter wax, not a paste compound. The butter wax is easier to appy and easier to remove and it lasts just as long. my .02 worth.

[Black_Sheep]

Black is the worst for fine spiderweb scratches, but you already know that. Wash in the shade, clay bar if necessary. Every couple years I go over my black car with swirl remover and a foam pad on a Porter Cable random orbital polisher then follow up with a light coat of Collinite "insulator wax" applied with a clean foam finishing pad. When buffing out the wax use an up and down motion on the vertical surfaces and front to back on the horizontal surfaces to minimize the appearance of fine scratches. IMHO Wizards makes the best microfiber cloths, when you wash them do not use fabric softener.

[hogfarm]

Thanks for all the help
It all started with water spots,my paint is a year old and I have never waxed it,A friend of mine said he knew what he was doing and I ended up with swills all over the truck,I took it to detail shop and they fixed it,just trying to protect the finish,I drive the truck as much as I can all summer

[mr48chev]

You might snoop around the Griot Garage site a bit. They sell wax and other detailing products to guys with high end sports cars and often have suggestions for how to get it right. Their main store is in Tacoma. https://www.griotsgarage.com/categor...siness+listing
My daughter has the same problem she just bought a new black Jeep Renegade and doesn't want any marks in the paint.

[dsraven]

http://guidetodetailing.com/damage-r...e-water-spots/

this site has some info you can do yourself for cheap. biggest thing is to keep the unit waxxed and get the water off before it dries. dark cars absorb heat from sun better, due to reflection differences compared to light colors, so it is more important to do the wash/wax in a cool shady area.

[hogfarm]

I never knew there was so much to know about car wax.First thing I found is I was pitting way to much wax,in the past I could put a thick coat and let it dry,then polish. Now i just dip the sponge in the corner,dabbing spots on fenders then,use sponge to spread,they will be a light haze that comes off easy

[my56chevytruck]

They have several products you can use to get out minor scratches, then after this you can use the wax. I prefer the butter wax vs paste wax, it's easier to put on and remove. good luck.

[MARTINSR]

Around the time this photo was taken, about 1981, I was "waxing" it with Mirror Glaze #7 every Saturday! It doesn't last long but there is nothing that makes a paint look better, no-thing.

Brian



http://www.meguiars.com/en/professio...ar-glaze-16oz/

[Dan in Pasadena]

My '55 isn't the done yet but I will follow what I have always done except it will never be washed with a garden hose and bucket like a modern car.

My Dad always said, "You wax a car to protect the paint from the Sun. Sure, it makes it look shiny and better but if you don't give the Sun something to eat it WILL eat your paint" Shiny is a side benefit.

Every time I wash my black '14 I wax a panel. I default to waxing the roof & hood most often since they're most directly exposed to the Sun. I clay bar it periodically because I live near a freeway and there's "crap" in the air that contaminates the paint. I do that after washing. I make a new bucket of clean soap then clay bar with it using the clean soap instead of using the little spray bottle of lube they give you.

[hogfarm]

I have been watching this post,I didn't want to feel dumb so I didn't ask what a clay bar was,but looked it up,my next project.

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by hogfarm

I have been watching this post,I didn't want to feel dumb so I didn't ask what a clay bar was,but looked it up,my next project.

haha, no feel bad. using a clay bar is a great tool and you can use it with the soap and water after washing your truck or use it with a good detail spray. either way, you'll have to again wash the truck, then wax. good luck.

[Davis14]

Hello !!!
You have lot of options to use, first of all avoid using normal micro-fiber towels because it causes scratches. Try using microfiber polishing towel, it works great !!! I am using it for my truck from past few years and it doesn't causes a single scratch after the polish.
Another option is you can go for microfiber cutting pads which is also a great product to try out for.

[mr48chev]

I'd believe he got it figured out as there were no swirls or marks on the paint when I saw it in October o

[MiraclePieCo]

Beautiful truck!

[Rickysnickers]

Originally Posted by dsraven

there are different grades of microfibre towels as well. some are quite thin. I try to snap the towel often to get rid of stuff that collects in them. when you wash them in the machine do it with some jeans or something so they get a bit beat up in there and lose the stuff stuck in the fibres. don't use fabric softener or anti static sheets in the dryer because it seems to have an effect on the fibres.
just my thoughts

On top of this, let them air dry. That will help keep all the other little fibers out of them.

[dsraven]

if you dry the microfiber (or other types) of towels in the dryer with a static sheet they become less absorbent. my experience anyway.

[whitedog76]

I hired a neighborhood kid. Does good work.

[CountofMonteCarlo84]

The struggles of black paint... I use Pinnacle products typically. Dsraven knows his stuff.

[hogfarm]

I have learned a lot,first I learned just dip the sponge applicator in the wax and polish until it is just a haze the use the micro fiber rag.Just do small areas it a time.
But my other truck the 58 Fleetside is almost done,I need to sell the 54,can't have both,
Does anybody have an idea on how much the 54 is worth?

[67GMCkid]

I have been using Liquid "Glass Auto Polish" since I had the same wax scratching issues as the OP on a black convert hood back in the late 1980's, the Liquid Glass completely hid the circle scratches caused by the paste wax...

One pint will do a good 5 or 6 coats no rubbing in circles, wipe it on wipe it off when it hazes. Windows can be done with it as well, its the easiest stuff you will ever apply and just as easy to remove..

It is listed as not being a wax but rather a polymer, so it wont build up and yellow and smear like waxes do..