Being that this weekend is a big shopping weekend I refuse to go anywhere near them. I plan on doing a detailing job on the truck. Haven't really detailed it since I bought it about 2 months ago. After claybaring it what should I use? Is something like the 3 step process from Meguiar's good enough or should I use something else? Thanks for the help guys.

 

If it is fairly new I would use a good sealant on it after claying it. I used Meguiar's #21 synthetic sealant, two coats about 12 hours apart. Put a good carnuba wax 12 hours after the second coat of sealant.

Kevin

 

You need to ask yourself these questions...

What condition is the paint in?
How much time to do you want to spend on it?
How much money do you want to spend?
How well do you want it to look?
How long do you want it to look that way?

The Meguiar's or the Mothers 3 Step process will do a nice job.

 

Absolutely excellent advice, in my opinion.

 

The truck is new. It's a 2007 that I bought 2 months ago. The paint is in good condition. The cheap wax they put on it at the dealer looks like it's worn off. I hadn't done anything before because they had already put a coat on it. Of course I've cleaned it since. Usually once a week I'll wash the truck really well, but I want to make sure I protect the paint. I have plenty of time Friday, as I don't do malls, especially this weekend, and since the truck is new the OCD is kicking in pretty good.

 

A quick tip -- if you go through with everything, make sure the car wash solution that you're utilizing is properly diluted (no Dawn dishwashing liquids, etc as they strip wax quickly and very effectively). Wash with proper procedure (top to bottom using a two bucket method with a high-pile mitt (100% cotton (no seeds) or 100% lambs wool).

Snag the detailing sticky at the top of this forum (it's a PDF). It'll explain you through a lot of the process.

 

Yep, the "sticky" has got some great advise. Read through it and decide how far you want to go. Then, come back with any questions you may have. Lot's of knowledgeable folks here to help you out.

If your main goal is protection, a good synthetic wax, or a heavy duty carnauba (like Collinite) should give you a couple of months protection. If you keep it maintained, either will go quite a while.

 

Also-- how often do you want to wax? If you are crazy like myself and RollingRock, you will not need a sealant (though I use one anyway) because I wax every month or so, but if you are looking to get more out of it (like 3 months), you might add Meguiars NXT Tech Wax in your system. Do your big detail in the following order:

Wash
Clay
Step 1
Step 2
NXT
(Wait 12 hours)
QD away the dust from waiting
(for added protection, do another cycle of NXT plus 12 hours wait)
Step 3
Step 3(yes, you can do these back to back)

Then, take the obligatory pictures, enjoy a few cold ones, and admire your hard work.

 

I feel obligated to respond since the Heads of State have already done so.

What they said.....

 

Nice...

 

I've been called worse. Boss...eh, I'm not sure he has. He's a pretty good guy that could smoke all of us behind the wheel of a Makita or Dewalt.

 

LOL... I've been called worse in the last hour. Of course, it had nothing to do with detailing, but a lot to do with my wife.