Yes you need to use wax..but usually not right away. The owners manual explains when to wax.

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2000 F-150 XLT, 4x2, 5.4L Supercab, Styleside, Black with silver two-tone, 3.55, class III towing package with heavy duty cooling package, 4 wheel disk ABS, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, dark graphite interior, in dash CD, Pendaliner bedliner, K&N air filter, rubberized undercoating, cabin filtration system, Bugflector II, 5W-30 Mobil 1, engine build 10/4/99

 

Kfarquhar:
"Clear coat" is a final layer of clear paint over the color coat, and needs protected like any other paint. Believe me, if you ever lost your clearcoat, you'd know it.

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2000 XLT Black Sport, Flareside, 2WD, Ext. Cab, 5.4L Auto. Other factory options: 3.55 LS, Class III tow, 6-way Captains chairs w/CD changer, Remote entry , and Slider window.
Mods: Undercoat, window tint, headlight & tail light covers, removed "Sport" decals, upgraded Triton tailgate emblem, Linex spray-in bedliner, and an ARE LSII lid.
Wish list: Flowmaster duals, K&N FIPK or Velocity Tube, and a Belltech 3/4 drop.
Check it out at: http://home.columbus.rr.com/selva1/f150.html

 

Selva1 is more than on target about the clear coat...our 92 Mazda 626 clear coat is damaged in places and looks terrible. The car needs to be repainted.

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2000 F-150 XLT, 4x2, 5.4L Supercab, Styleside, Black with silver two-tone, 3.55, class III towing package with heavy duty cooling package, 4 wheel disk ABS, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, dark graphite interior, in dash CD, Pendaliner bedliner, K&N air filter, rubberized undercoating, cabin filtration system, Bugflector II, 5W-30 Mobil 1, engine build 10/4/99

 

I own black also and have learned that wool should NEVER touch black paint. I use nothing but foam pads and 3M's Swirl Mark Remover. It leaves the paint absolutely flawless with the least amount of work. Just my $.02.


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1997 F-150 RC Flareside, 4.6L Std, Black, ARE Wheels w/265-75-16s, Lund Visor, ******** Hard Lid, 2-Chamber Flowmaster, K&N (Stock Box Hack!), Rockford Audio (500 Watts of CLEAN sound!)

 

Thank-you all for your input. I've got a lot to think about,but it's nice to know I have some options.
Hey, over the weekend I found a bonafide, honest-to-goodness, "touchless" automatic car wash.It uses no brushes or pads or anything like that. You simply drive in and a wand shaped like an up-side-down letter "L" goes around your vehicle using nothing but high-pressure water etc.. I live in Detroit and they use rock-salt in the winter. I'm thinking of doing this at least a couple of times a week in addition to regular washing and waxing. what do you think?

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thanks for the replies. What are the best products to do the outside of the truck as well as the inside. I read somewhere that Armorall is bad for the inside. What should you use for the interior part?

 

I just purchased my 92 black xlt. I plan on using "Finish First", not really a wax, but a clear finish that I've had good results with on my black bmw. Has anybody else tried this on their trucks?

 

In my experience and also from what I've been told...Armor all will damage external plastic/trim...our 92 Mazda 626's black trim turned grey from using Armor All. The interior is still in mint condition...no cracks or fading..and it has had plenty of Armor all on it. Every vehicle that I have owned, where I have used Armor all on the inside, looks like new many years later. Other members have said the opposite. So who knows for sure. I do use a sun shade during the summer...so this will help a little.

I use the low gloss Armor all inside my truck...never on the outside. The head mechanic at our local Ford dealership specifically said NOT to use Armor all on the exterior.

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2000 F-150 XLT, 4x2, 5.4L Supercab, Styleside, Black with silver two-tone, 3.55, class III towing package with heavy duty cooling package, 4 wheel disk ABS, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, dark graphite interior, in dash CD, Pendaliner bedliner, K&N air filter, rubberized undercoating, cabin filtration system, Bugflector II, 5W-30 Mobil 1, engine build 10/4/99

 

K i'm kind of new to the whole car thing. I'm going to get a 2000 f150 as my first car in a few months. I was planning on getting it in black but with the discussion here I'm not so sure any more. Is black really that much harder to care for? I thought lighter colors would be harder to care for cause they would show the dirt more.
HELP! I don't want to have to wax my truck every weekend.

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quzax@at-dot.com

 

i use armorall regularly on my vehicles interior.
the only draw back that i have heard of is if you use it in a hot sunny part of the country don't stop using it. seems the plastic dries more or something and becomes more prone to cracking. never experienced this myself even when living in fla or nc but i know others who have had this problem.

 

So, let's see. Horizontal, rub front to back...vertical, like standing in the shower, rub up & down... and never rub it round in circles?

You guys sure this topic isn't WAYYY off?
Petrone: ELEVEN inches? you braggin or complainin?

When I drove my truck south, the guy at the carwash said, "hey, man, what's that on yer truck?"
I said, "it's salt. I just drove in from Canada."
He says, "Well, down here in Florida, we WAX our cars"

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'97 S/C XLS black/silver 157" WB, 4.6/auto, 3:08, home made custom tube grille, terminator muffler, phantom sweep wiper switch(factory installed), a few billet aluminum goodies (the list grows), airbox mods, TPS tuned
email: bazils@hotmail.com

 

With an F150 and Expedition, you NEED 11 inches heh! I'd be out there for days if I had to do it by hand.

 

Hey Big Mel, I use a product called "Zaino" car polish. Through my past experiences with different products, this is the best in my opinion. Like Selva1 said, you should use 100% made in the USA cotton towels and applicators to reduce the risks of swirl marks. The best Zaino polish I recommend for your truck is Z-5, which is made to remove swirl marks, acid rain.... any imperfections. First start with the Zaino car wash, I also recommend clay baring it. Then use the Z-1 polish-Lok (prep for the poslish). After applying Z-1 leave it on and apply Z-5. Wait till it hazes, to test wipe your finger....if it comes off easy remove with the cotton towel. You may have to apply a few times, but the product is awesome! Just did my new truck and it looks like wet glass. You can visit their site by linking on: www.Zainobros.com .Hope this helps.... Take Care.

Good Luck....

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2000 F-150 Lariat 4x2, Amazon Green/Clearcoat Metallic, SuperCab, Styleside, 5.4 Liter V8, Class III Tow-Package,3.55 Limited Slip Rear,Bug Deflector,Duraliner Bedliner,K&N Filter.