I've got a new (4 wk old) suprcrew - green if that matters. Now I've got my first good coat of dirt on it. I want to wash it.

I'm bewildered by all the products and posts. After I wash and dry, what IF ANYTHING do I need to put on after to hopefully have it stay relatively clean and hsiny a few weeks or more. I'm not someone who loves waxing my truck. In fact, I've never done anything besides wahsing a vehicle with Dawn in my life!!

I see lots of posts; but someone help m with my basic elememtary cleaning education.

THANKS!!

 

I'm sure that you will get a number of opinions, but here is my 2 cents.

I was right where you are 2 years ago. I looked and used a lot of different products, but ended up using the Zaino line of products. After all is said and done, they are great products. But to get started you are going to invest 50-100 dollars which may be more than you want to start with.

I would encourage you to consider a clay product. The paint even on new vehicles can be enhanced greatly to a smooth glassy finish with clay.

If you are on a tight budget, pick up some Mother's Carnuba wax and put a couple of coats on. Water will bead for some time.

Personally, I use the Z-6 Gloss Enhancer on my truck the most. After washing, it does a nice job of giving the paint a "fresh polished" look and only take 5 minutes.

Best of luck. Enjoy it whatever you do. When it becomes work, the fun goes away.

Hunt4Fun

 

It sounds like your talking “after” it has been washed and dried. I would highly recommend a good name brand product for the wax or polish. From most my reading it seems like the two top ones are Meguires and Zaino.

I use Zaino it is a synthetic polish http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc and have had excellent results with it. It really dosent require any more prep work then if using another great product such as Meguires. Most will tell you that the prep work is EVERYTHING, it will determine just how good of shine you get as well as protection.

The Zaino will last longer as far as protection. I went 6 months last year through winter. So it really depends what kind of climate you live in. I don’t know how long you can go with Meguires before you need to put another few coats on. Some do it once a month and others go longer. I do not have the answer for how long Meguires last.

I will say from all I have read that both Zaino and Meguires will give you excellent results for shine and durability. The Zaino will give you a little longer durability. As far as shine I really don’t think you would be able to tell the difference between the two if applied by the same person. Some are better with Meguires being a wax then others.

With Zaino you do not need to use a buffer to get the best shine possible. I have also heard you do not need a buffer with Meguires for a great shine, but again that is from someone that knows how to put it on. I have tried it way back and got a nice shine but not as nice as some others I knew using it so I relate that to me just not knowing how to do it best or having the skills to do so. I might now, but since I use Zaino and love the results there is no real reason for me to change.

When it comes right down to it either product or any other good product will give you a great shine and excellent protection. Myself I don’t really think some of the brands you find in stores are really that good, like that orange bottle of Nufinish or something like that. I tried that before and it didn’t seem to last more then a week or two.

It is hard to recommend how to do your truck until you decide on what product you are going to use.

Meguires is much easier to find in stores and Zaino is not in any stores it is by mail order unless you find a distributor in your area. I have bought all mine through mail order and they are very quick about getting it out to you.

The choice between the two will really come down to personal choice. The one plus Zaino has over Meguires is it will last longer if you don’t have time to wax/polish often then you might want to think of that, or if you have long cold winters which would make it almost impossible to wax/polish then that is another thing to think about.

If neither of those are a concern then either product you choose I am sure you will be very happy with. Most important thing is using something to protect the paint…

 

First of all, be careful washing with Dawn as it removes waxes! Of course if you go with Zaino, that is the first thing you do.... wash with Dawn. BUT if you go with regular waxes, DO NOT use Dawn.............
Yes, there's a lot of posts concerning cleaning and shining our toys in an effort to keep them looking new. I am sure you have found tons of preferences and even more opinions on how to get to where you want to be.
It will be a simple process if you choose a product and follow the processes laid out by that product or by some of the guys here who can also simplify it for you. Soemtimes it kinda sounds like rocket science doesn't it....
Personally, I use Zaino because of how long it last and I just haven't seen anything shine like it does. As a poster above stated, a swift 5 minute app of the Z6 (gloss enhancer) sure makes my truck look good after a wash. Now during the summer, I put a coat of Zaino on about every month but during the winter is when you see the durability of a product and that's when you need it the most.
What ever you select, the Clay bar mentioned above is the best thing you can do to a vehicle as it will make every other step after that very easy. It simply removes contaminants from your vehicle that won't end up being under your wax products.
Gives it that slick feel and makes your waxes go on and come off much better.
Good luck and let us hear how your doing with that new ride.

 

I have a Highlander Green S'crew, it is real bad about showing water spots. I was using "Distilled water" to wash and rinse,but got lazy this summer due to no water restictions. I got the "distilled water" off of my dehumidifiers and AC drain. I ran it to a 33 gallon plastic barrel in the garage. I used an aquarium filter sock with aquarium charcoal in the inlet. I came out of the bottom of the barrel with a hose fitting to my power washer. I never had to change the charcoal in two years. Every now and the I'd put a little Chlorox in the barrel. I used turtle wax wash from BJ's for the soap bucket. PS you'll have to rig up an over flow off of the barrel.

 

If you want to spend a little time now, and maybe not needed for another 6 months to year, try either Liquid Glass or Klasse All in one, and sealant glaze.

The Klasse product I think needs to be removed with mineral spirits ( from posts I have read ).

I use Mother's polish, glaze and wax on my 01 SCrew, but I enjoy waxing, so 12 to 15 times per year is not a problem with me.

If you don't want to reapply wax multiple times per year, you need something synthetic, as Carnuba wax will melt off in the sun. This topic is covered at ProperAutocare.com. The known melting point of carnuba wax can be obtained on a high 80 degree day on a dark color paint ( if my memoery serves me correctly, maybe more or less on the air temp ). Properautocare posts that the protection of any wax that is carnuba based will be melted off inside of 90 days of sitting in the sun.

The finish of the "wax" job is just like wood working, it is all in the prep work. You can't get a stain and poly job to look good without sanding the finish smooth first. Same principal applies to paint.
Spend the time to clay bar the paint before applying what ever you decide and then re-wash after the clay bar, and you are good to go with application.
Another hint on making the finish look better longer, stop using dish soap on your truck. That is for dishes, not paint. Get a auto soap of some type, and follow the dilution directions on it. Dumping a huge glob in the bottom of the bucket can almost do as much damage to your wax job as Dawn. Just at a slower pace.

Good luck with your choice, anything is better then nothing is the way I look at it. Take a read at properautocare.com to try to help with making your decision.

 

mlevy:

Lot's of good idea so far.....here's my two cents. Bag the Dawn, unless you want to strip the wax.

Towels: High quality cotton towels; microfiber is better.
Wash mitt: get yourself a good one (see properautocare.com for definition of a good one). Use it for the paint....use something else for the wheels and tires.
Wash: I like the p21S soap product, but you can (I think) still get a gallon of the gold Meguiar's wash product at SuperTarget (at least in Texas) pretty cheap.
Clay: Gosh, I'd really like to clay my truck but, given the amount of time it takes to wash, polish, and wax, I've not done it. I did clay my wife's Mustang, and it really did a nice job.
Wax: Go to your local Harley shop and buy some S100 carnauba wax (it's idenical to the p21S product, but less expensive). It's a wipe-on, wipe off type of wax (i.e., no drying to a haze, etc.), and you can do your truck in no time. It's also very forgiving about not staining the plastic parts. And, it is fairly durable (i.e., it lasts a bit longer than some other carnauba-containing wax products.......but not as long as the Klasse or Zaino products others have mentioned).
Polish: A few times a year, I will apply p21S gloss enhancing paint cleanser after stripping with Dawn and immediately prior to waxing (I don't know if there's an "S100"-type equivalent). It's a mild paint cleaner and polish, and gives a nice shine to my black F150 prior to applying the wax. There are lot of other products out there you can use in addition and in-between but, since you're used to a "Dawn only" regimen, you may want to just wash and wax.
Chrome: Klasse All-In-One. You could also use this as a polish for the paint (instead of the p21S gloss enhancing paint cleanser).

For whatever products you choose to use (polish + carnauba, Zaino products, Klasse, whatever), take a few minutes and do a search here and at properautocare.com and look for application tips. A good product, applied improperly, can give poor results.

Good luck with your truck!

ernie