There, I've said it. :o But now I want to try to take care of this truck so I've been doing some reading in the Care & Detailing forum and I think I understand what I need to do:

1) Wash & rinse truck with a qualtiy car wash like Meguiars.
2) Use a clay bar like Clay Magic along with some lube like Meguiars #00 and lightly clay the clean vehicle avoiding circular motions.
3) Use Scratch X to remove scratches that I can see but not feel.
4) Wax with a quality wax like Meguiars Gold.

Keep in mind that car detailing to me has been driving through the car wash and springing for "The Ultimate" so this is a big first step for me. Did I get the process right?

Also, there are some small round blemishes on the hood of the truck where the previous owner used some touch up to cover some pebble chips. Should I avoid these areas when using the clay bar & Scratch-X?

 

Welcome to the forum...nice to see that you did some reading in here.

I think your truck will make good before and afters....

Yes you will want to avoid pressing hard on those areas...scratchx could remove the touch up but you would have to bear down pretty hard.

A step in there that you missed...after you scratchX where you going to use a cleaner/polish or just use the scrachx on the entire car? The reason I am asking is that if you use the scratchX on parts of the car you are going to notice that it will be cleaner paint wise than other parts around it so you will want to follow that app with something else on the entire car.

Plans to do this by hand?

 

Thanks for the response. Yes, this will be done by hand. I'll be sure to take some before & after pics.

I'm just going to use the Scratch-X here and there so I should use a high quality polish after the Scratch-X and before the wax.

So, you serious detailers never use an automated car wash? How about a brushless car wash? I only ask because the winters here are somewhat harsh and they salt the roads heavily. I don't see myself outside hand washing the truck in 20* weather.

 

In addition to RR...

That's correct. The abrasive polish will help to remove other blemishes and swirling that may be in the paint.

There are varying levels of polishes out there... sight unseen, it's a tough call to say what you may or may not need. The rule of thumb is to not move on to the next step until you have the step you're working on done to your satisfaction (hint: sunlight will help you determine the satisfaction level by looking at it in various light/angles).

A couple of choices for polishing by hand with a product that is available in most local markets is Meguiar's #9 Swirl Mark Remover 2.0. While this product is more of a filler than a swirl remover, it will yield a very nice finish, deep gloss (polishing oils) and will conceal the swirls that may be present. Also, this is a good choice for the finish that doesn't have any problems because it's minimally abrasive and thus, has less of a chance of producing micromarring or other problems that may be easily introduced when polishing when it doesn't need it. I like #9 but, it's a band-aid -- not a fix.

If you move towards 'fixing', I'd suggest going with a product like #80 (again, only if you have the swirls and other light problems - like maybe oxidation or similar). #80 is more of a 'remover' meaning that it'll lightly abrade your clear thus making the surface smooth again (thus, REMOVING the swirls - which are only microscopic scratches in the clear).

Also, a friendly suggestion -- dump the Meguiar's Gold Class wax. While it looks darn good on just about any color, the protection level is very lack-luster. That said, I'd go with a nice synthetic wax like Mother's Synwax or Meguiar's NXT.

This may offer a slightly different appearance to a trained eye over that of a carnauba-based wax (like Gold Class) but, the durability will far exceed that of the carnauba. Further, NXT has some light cleaners in it thus, if there is a small amount of problem left on the paint at the end of the polishing step, NXT may finish the job.

Hope that helps a tad...

-RP-

 

Very helpful RP. My last truck had lots of swirls and scratches from the car wash and it sounds like it would have benefited from a more abrasive polish, but this truck looks like it was well taken care of.

The fellow who sold it to me bought it new while he lived in Colorado and its never seen an Upstate NY winter. I only see a few minor scratches and swirls which truthfully may have occurred when I took it through the car wash last week. So maybe all I need is the Meguiar's #9 Swirl Mark Remover 2.0

 

Hey 12GA,

Where about in 'upstate' are you located??? I ask because I am a 'upstate' resident. I get a chuckle when people from the city call the Westchester area 'upstate'

 

Maybe so but, like I said, sight unseen, it's a tough call. You can always give it a whirl and see where you can get with it.

By hand, #9 will be easier to work with over the #80 (or similar). I pitty you if you have to move much beyond #80 to remove the problems -- your arm is going to hate you.

If you decide to take it up to the next level and buy a mechanical 'device' to apply polishes, let us know... we can point you in a very good direction on a machine that will last you a lifetime.

-RP-

 

I'm located 200 miles East of you in Albany county.

 

Thanks for the advice, RP. I think I'd best avoid mechanical polishing until I get very good at manual polishing. Me thinks I could get myself in a whole lot of trouble with a power tool at this stage. But when I do feel ready, I know where to come for advice.

 

12GA-

Just a friendly hello from a fellow Captial Region resident. I live in Clifton Park, but used to live right in Albany.

I'm from NJ originally, so I can vouch for tiny1's statement. People in NJ and NYC/Long Island refer to anything north of the Tappan Zee Bridge as "Upstate NY".

CJ

 

Howdy Eastrick. Always nice to run into fellow Capital Districters on the net. Yup, I've got relatives on Long Island who consider Orange county "upstate".

 

goretex boots, waterproof coat, and neoprene duck hunting gloves (go up almost the elbow). As long as it's above freezing and water will come out of my hose.

Only time I use one is if I'm out of town and want a quick touch up. Of course the quick detail spray, a shammie, and some MF towls live in my toolbox.

Get Ready. Once you start and see what it will look like you won't be able to stop.

 

Aaaahhhhh so about a 3.5 - 4 hour run down I-90.

 

I listen to a automotive paint expert in Detroit several years ago at a seminar. One of the statements he made was, and I'm paraphrasing here,
"As long as a vehicles has a good clear coat, there is absolutely no need for waxes and polishes. What a lot of people fail to do, is clean the painted surface correctly and thoroughly. What happens when someone washes a vehicle, the film of dirt and other abrasives are not cleaned completely from the painted surfaces. When someone used a polish or wax product on the not so clean surface, it is actually cleaning the residue of dirt from the painted surface and making it look like it should when the painted surface was new."

He also said that some waxes and polishes can cause damage to the clear coat by way of UV from the sunlight.

 

Coming from someone that's so-called an "expert" I'd have to say that is the most ignorant statement I've ever heard. Not only do waxes enhance shine over brand new off the showroom, but the proof that they do something other then just clean, different waxes will give totally different looks (i.e. Liquid Glass compared to #26).

Show me any new car at a car dealer that hasn't been polished or waxed that has a shine like this....



Not happening....

Now, here's my 03 brand new off the showroom the day I got it (sat indoors on the showroom, didn't see any rain or dirt)...



Ya, it's clean and new, and to the average ho-hummer it might be the shiniest thing on the planet, but to me it looked really on the "dull" side even though you can see some reflections on the brand new paint.

Now after one application of Liquid Glass:



See the difference? Color is darkened and shiny as hell.

Now if I really wanna prove Mr. Ignorant expert wrong, I can go around and take pics of say, old 1987 f150's and forget the shine, with vehicles this old we'll be showing how they protect. Since the years around the 87 f150's in grey where so popular of a truck, I can go take pics of ones that have never seen wax and are peeling right down to the primer (where's that shiny clearcoat now?), totally faded (no shine or reflections what-so-ever) and then I can go dig up pics of my grey 87 f150 that still in the early 2000's before I sold it, still shined just like the second pic of my blue Lightning with no paint peeling, no cracks, all the clear was still there, etc.... and... case closed.