New 2004 F-150 Nu-B Question
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09-12-2004, 12:06 AM
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New 2004 F-150 Nu-B Question
Trade in my 2000 f-150 for a 2004 f-150 love it. I'm looking to keep that very sweet mirror like finish it has of course its 2 weeks old. I see what you guys have been writing.... and was wondering what advice you would have to me on what I need to do and use to keep her looking good.......any advice would be appreciated. I will post pictures later, She needs a bath 1st. hehehehe
The Almighty F-150
The Almighty F-150
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09-12-2004, 09:44 AM
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09-12-2004, 10:57 AM
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Re: New 2004 F-150 Nu-B Question
Originally posted by jokersworld
Trade in my 2000 f-150 for a 2004 f-150 love it. I'm looking to keep that very sweet mirror like finish it has of course its 2 weeks old. I see what you guys have been writing.... and was wondering what advice you would have to me on what I need to do and use to keep her looking good.......any advice would be appreciated. I will post pictures later, She needs a bath 1st. hehehehe
The Almighty F-150
Trade in my 2000 f-150 for a 2004 f-150 love it. I'm looking to keep that very sweet mirror like finish it has of course its 2 weeks old. I see what you guys have been writing.... and was wondering what advice you would have to me on what I need to do and use to keep her looking good.......any advice would be appreciated. I will post pictures later, She needs a bath 1st. hehehehe
The Almighty F-150
Prep you paint (clean/polish/remove swirls) properly with "any" products using the best "tools", and then apply a good protective layer with "any" good wax, and you will be very pleased with the results.
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09-12-2004, 06:22 PM
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The key to maintaining an excellent finish is to keep it swirl free. If you introduce swirls to the paint surface you have only a few choices. One is to hide them with a product, or to actually get rid of them by taking some of the clear coat off with an abrasive product, and then of course there is wet sanding…
As Boss_429 alluded to the proper tools make all the difference as well as detailing techniques. For example two wash buckets, one with the soap and one with just water. Wash a section or two and then rinse your wash mitt in the clean water and then dunk it in the soap bucket.
Different kinds of wash mitts, I use a sheep skin type. Using Microfiber towels for drying and polishing/waxing greatly help to minimize swirls. I use Zaino products so I put them on and take them off by hand. I put them on in a straight up and down motion and usually the same motion when taking them off. This helps to reduce swirls since I am not using circular motions. The other thing is any micro scratches that are introduced to the paint surface are harder to see when not using a circular motion.
It’s about the right detailing products to minimize as much as possible any swirls being introduced to the paint surface. Once you take care of that you have won over half the battle and now only need to contend with what product will give you the shine your after…
As Boss_429 alluded to the proper tools make all the difference as well as detailing techniques. For example two wash buckets, one with the soap and one with just water. Wash a section or two and then rinse your wash mitt in the clean water and then dunk it in the soap bucket.
Different kinds of wash mitts, I use a sheep skin type. Using Microfiber towels for drying and polishing/waxing greatly help to minimize swirls. I use Zaino products so I put them on and take them off by hand. I put them on in a straight up and down motion and usually the same motion when taking them off. This helps to reduce swirls since I am not using circular motions. The other thing is any micro scratches that are introduced to the paint surface are harder to see when not using a circular motion.
It’s about the right detailing products to minimize as much as possible any swirls being introduced to the paint surface. Once you take care of that you have won over half the battle and now only need to contend with what product will give you the shine your after…
#5
09-12-2004, 06:50 PM
As Boss and 01 mentioned, there are endless arrays of EXCELLENT products out there on the market. Products, in my opinion, are important but, even more important are techniques.
Washing, polishing, and waxing can be done by just about anyone with a water spicket and some towels but, knowing how to do each one of these steps, in the right order, with the right procedures, and the right techniques will make or break your finish.
Let's start with washing:
A lot of us here utilize the 'two-bucket system' to wash our vehicles (me included). This system basically calls for two buckets (betcha wouldn't have guessed that huh?), one filled with fresh clean water (make sure your buckets are clean to start with) and the other is filled with your car wash shampoo/water solution (mixed to the specifications of the manufac.). Do not use harsh chemicals like dish washing detergents or similar. Use ONLY a quality car wash. Meguiar's, Mother's, and several other types of quality washes are available at your local 'mart' store.
Using a genuine Lambs Wool wash mitt (or similar very soft material), wash sections at a time. After washing a section, go to the clean, fresh water to rinse out your sponge/mitt and then go back to your car wash solution. The idea here is to remove any grit/grime that may be caught in your mitt so that you don't continuously drag them back and forth across your paint. The fresh water can be changed as many times as your heart desires during the washing cycle.
Start at the top with your washing cycle and, under no circumstance shall you utilize a mitt/sponge on your tires/wheels/wheel wells that you'll utilize on your finish. Most of us have dedicated sponges that ONLY touch those areas and generally aren't allowed in the car wash solution bucket until the VERY end of the cycle.
Drying:
Utilizing high-pile 100% cotton-terry towels (no cheapies from wally world or similar) or waffle-weave microfiber/microfiber towels, dry the vehicle, starting at the top and working down. Be very careful not to drag 'dirty spots' all over the vehicle again. Also, be sure to let the towel do the work. You don't have to press down for a good towel to do the drying.
Clay:
This may or may not be something that you're familiar with... if not, let us know and we can help you out. Long story short, if your vehicle's finish doesn't FEEL like a clean piece of glass, you may want to utilize clay. Mind you, if you clay, you have committed to going through your full detailing cycle (including potentially polishing and definitely waxing).
Tires/Wheel Wells:
As the step implies, this is the time to work on your tires and wheel wells. All of us have a preference on the type of dressing to utilize and it's going to be up to you to come up with your favorite. Personally, I like Meguiar's Endurance tire gel.
Polish:
There are commonly two types of polishing. One is to remove swirl marks etc (sometimes you'll hear this called compounding as it's a variation of polishing with much more aggressive products). The second is to simply bring out some shine.
Both steps will make the vehicle incredibly shiny but, one will utilize abrasives or chemicals to remove surface imperfections/defects.
I'm not going to go into this very much at this point as you may or may not need this step yet. Let us know if you have questions about this and we can walk you through it a bit more with product suggestions and technique suggestions.
Wax:
Again, there are OODLES of good waxes on the market. Wal-Mart sells several that I have on my shelf in the garage. Also, your local Pep Boys/Napa/AutoZone...
Everyone here, again, has a preference for their truck. Some like Zaino, some like Meguiar's NXT, some like Meguiar's #26, some like Poorboy's, some like S100, some like.... well, you get the picture. The bottom line is this, you're going to have to determine what looks best on your truck to you and yields the results that you expect.
For me, I'm a die-hard Meguiar's guy as it yields the results I expect with minimal effort. So far, I've found the Meguiar's NXT/#26 combo to be unbeatable on my Chestnut colored King Ranch F-150. (combo meaning that I'll apply NXT first and then put a coat of #26 over the top of that).
You'll always want to utilize a quality applicator for what ever product you choose. Foam and terry are generally accepted to be safe. My preference is terry... Again, be very careful not to pick up dirt/grime from problem areas like wheel flares etc and drag them all over your vehicle. You can still scratch the heck out of your finish while waxing and thus, you have to pay special attention and use common sense while completing this step.
Maintenance:
There are several good detailer sprays available on the market but, I think the most accepted, most respected product on the market today is Meguiar's Quick Detailer. This is a product that you can utilize to remove dust/finger prints/smudges from your painted surfaces by simply misting the product on to the vehicle and removing it with high-quality microfiber towels.
For this step, I wouldn't recommend using 100% terry as it will smudge and smear much more than would a nice mf towel.
Microfiber isn't exactly cheap (as you'll see at many stores) but, all in all, you really get what you pay for. I've seen packages at Wal-Mart sell for $5 and, overall, they're lousy in the grand scheme of the microfiber world. We can point you toward some very high-quality towels if you so desire. I think there are several of us here that use towels from premiumautocare.com and other vendors that have nothing but positive things to say...
So, there you have it in a nutshell and in a very abbreviated text. If you have questions about what we've spelled out here, please don't hesitate to ask. We're happy to help.
Also, there are several other online resources available at your fingertips including autopia.com, detailcity.com, and meguiarsonline.com (just to name a couple)...
RP
Washing, polishing, and waxing can be done by just about anyone with a water spicket and some towels but, knowing how to do each one of these steps, in the right order, with the right procedures, and the right techniques will make or break your finish.
Let's start with washing:
A lot of us here utilize the 'two-bucket system' to wash our vehicles (me included). This system basically calls for two buckets (betcha wouldn't have guessed that huh?), one filled with fresh clean water (make sure your buckets are clean to start with) and the other is filled with your car wash shampoo/water solution (mixed to the specifications of the manufac.). Do not use harsh chemicals like dish washing detergents or similar. Use ONLY a quality car wash. Meguiar's, Mother's, and several other types of quality washes are available at your local 'mart' store.
Using a genuine Lambs Wool wash mitt (or similar very soft material), wash sections at a time. After washing a section, go to the clean, fresh water to rinse out your sponge/mitt and then go back to your car wash solution. The idea here is to remove any grit/grime that may be caught in your mitt so that you don't continuously drag them back and forth across your paint. The fresh water can be changed as many times as your heart desires during the washing cycle.
Start at the top with your washing cycle and, under no circumstance shall you utilize a mitt/sponge on your tires/wheels/wheel wells that you'll utilize on your finish. Most of us have dedicated sponges that ONLY touch those areas and generally aren't allowed in the car wash solution bucket until the VERY end of the cycle.
Drying:
Utilizing high-pile 100% cotton-terry towels (no cheapies from wally world or similar) or waffle-weave microfiber/microfiber towels, dry the vehicle, starting at the top and working down. Be very careful not to drag 'dirty spots' all over the vehicle again. Also, be sure to let the towel do the work. You don't have to press down for a good towel to do the drying.
Clay:
This may or may not be something that you're familiar with... if not, let us know and we can help you out. Long story short, if your vehicle's finish doesn't FEEL like a clean piece of glass, you may want to utilize clay. Mind you, if you clay, you have committed to going through your full detailing cycle (including potentially polishing and definitely waxing).
Tires/Wheel Wells:
As the step implies, this is the time to work on your tires and wheel wells. All of us have a preference on the type of dressing to utilize and it's going to be up to you to come up with your favorite. Personally, I like Meguiar's Endurance tire gel.
Polish:
There are commonly two types of polishing. One is to remove swirl marks etc (sometimes you'll hear this called compounding as it's a variation of polishing with much more aggressive products). The second is to simply bring out some shine.
Both steps will make the vehicle incredibly shiny but, one will utilize abrasives or chemicals to remove surface imperfections/defects.
I'm not going to go into this very much at this point as you may or may not need this step yet. Let us know if you have questions about this and we can walk you through it a bit more with product suggestions and technique suggestions.
Wax:
Again, there are OODLES of good waxes on the market. Wal-Mart sells several that I have on my shelf in the garage. Also, your local Pep Boys/Napa/AutoZone...
Everyone here, again, has a preference for their truck. Some like Zaino, some like Meguiar's NXT, some like Meguiar's #26, some like Poorboy's, some like S100, some like.... well, you get the picture. The bottom line is this, you're going to have to determine what looks best on your truck to you and yields the results that you expect.
For me, I'm a die-hard Meguiar's guy as it yields the results I expect with minimal effort. So far, I've found the Meguiar's NXT/#26 combo to be unbeatable on my Chestnut colored King Ranch F-150. (combo meaning that I'll apply NXT first and then put a coat of #26 over the top of that).
You'll always want to utilize a quality applicator for what ever product you choose. Foam and terry are generally accepted to be safe. My preference is terry... Again, be very careful not to pick up dirt/grime from problem areas like wheel flares etc and drag them all over your vehicle. You can still scratch the heck out of your finish while waxing and thus, you have to pay special attention and use common sense while completing this step.
Maintenance:
There are several good detailer sprays available on the market but, I think the most accepted, most respected product on the market today is Meguiar's Quick Detailer. This is a product that you can utilize to remove dust/finger prints/smudges from your painted surfaces by simply misting the product on to the vehicle and removing it with high-quality microfiber towels.
For this step, I wouldn't recommend using 100% terry as it will smudge and smear much more than would a nice mf towel.
Microfiber isn't exactly cheap (as you'll see at many stores) but, all in all, you really get what you pay for. I've seen packages at Wal-Mart sell for $5 and, overall, they're lousy in the grand scheme of the microfiber world. We can point you toward some very high-quality towels if you so desire. I think there are several of us here that use towels from premiumautocare.com and other vendors that have nothing but positive things to say...
So, there you have it in a nutshell and in a very abbreviated text. If you have questions about what we've spelled out here, please don't hesitate to ask. We're happy to help.
Also, there are several other online resources available at your fingertips including autopia.com, detailcity.com, and meguiarsonline.com (just to name a couple)...
RP
#6
09-13-2004, 06:05 PM
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Originally posted by RockPick
As Boss and 01 mentioned, there are endless arrays of EXCELLENT products out there on the market. Products, in my opinion, are important but, even more important are techniques.
Washing, polishing, and waxing can be done by just about anyone with a water spicket and some towels but, knowing how to do each one of these steps, in the right order, with the right procedures, and the right techniques will make or break your finish.
Let's start with washing:
A lot of us here utilize the 'two-bucket system' to wash our vehicles (me included). This system basically calls for two buckets (betcha wouldn't have guessed that huh?), one filled with fresh clean water (make sure your buckets are clean to start with) and the other is filled with your car wash shampoo/water solution (mixed to the specifications of the manufac.). Do not use harsh chemicals like dish washing detergents or similar. Use ONLY a quality car wash. Meguiar's, Mother's, and several other types of quality washes are available at your local 'mart' store.
Using a genuine Lambs Wool wash mitt (or similar very soft material), wash sections at a time. After washing a section, go to the clean, fresh water to rinse out your sponge/mitt and then go back to your car wash solution. The idea here is to remove any grit/grime that may be caught in your mitt so that you don't continuously drag them back and forth across your paint. The fresh water can be changed as many times as your heart desires during the washing cycle.
Start at the top with your washing cycle and, under no circumstance shall you utilize a mitt/sponge on your tires/wheels/wheel wells that you'll utilize on your finish. Most of us have dedicated sponges that ONLY touch those areas and generally aren't allowed in the car wash solution bucket until the VERY end of the cycle.
Drying:
Utilizing high-pile 100% cotton-terry towels (no cheapies from wally world or similar) or waffle-weave microfiber/microfiber towels, dry the vehicle, starting at the top and working down. Be very careful not to drag 'dirty spots' all over the vehicle again. Also, be sure to let the towel do the work. You don't have to press down for a good towel to do the drying.
Clay:
This may or may not be something that you're familiar with... if not, let us know and we can help you out. Long story short, if your vehicle's finish doesn't FEEL like a clean piece of glass, you may want to utilize clay. Mind you, if you clay, you have committed to going through your full detailing cycle (including potentially polishing and definitely waxing).
Tires/Wheel Wells:
As the step implies, this is the time to work on your tires and wheel wells. All of us have a preference on the type of dressing to utilize and it's going to be up to you to come up with your favorite. Personally, I like Meguiar's Endurance tire gel.
Polish:
There are commonly two types of polishing. One is to remove swirl marks etc (sometimes you'll hear this called compounding as it's a variation of polishing with much more aggressive products). The second is to simply bring out some shine.
Both steps will make the vehicle incredibly shiny but, one will utilize abrasives or chemicals to remove surface imperfections/defects.
I'm not going to go into this very much at this point as you may or may not need this step yet. Let us know if you have questions about this and we can walk you through it a bit more with product suggestions and technique suggestions.
Wax:
Again, there are OODLES of good waxes on the market. Wal-Mart sells several that I have on my shelf in the garage. Also, your local Pep Boys/Napa/AutoZone...
Everyone here, again, has a preference for their truck. Some like Zaino, some like Meguiar's NXT, some like Meguiar's #26, some like Poorboy's, some like S100, some like.... well, you get the picture. The bottom line is this, you're going to have to determine what looks best on your truck to you and yields the results that you expect.
For me, I'm a die-hard Meguiar's guy as it yields the results I expect with minimal effort. So far, I've found the Meguiar's NXT/#26 combo to be unbeatable on my Chestnut colored King Ranch F-150. (combo meaning that I'll apply NXT first and then put a coat of #26 over the top of that).
You'll always want to utilize a quality applicator for what ever product you choose. Foam and terry are generally accepted to be safe. My preference is terry... Again, be very careful not to pick up dirt/grime from problem areas like wheel flares etc and drag them all over your vehicle. You can still scratch the heck out of your finish while waxing and thus, you have to pay special attention and use common sense while completing this step.
Maintenance:
There are several good detailer sprays available on the market but, I think the most accepted, most respected product on the market today is Meguiar's Quick Detailer. This is a product that you can utilize to remove dust/finger prints/smudges from your painted surfaces by simply misting the product on to the vehicle and removing it with high-quality microfiber towels.
For this step, I wouldn't recommend using 100% terry as it will smudge and smear much more than would a nice mf towel.
Microfiber isn't exactly cheap (as you'll see at many stores) but, all in all, you really get what you pay for. I've seen packages at Wal-Mart sell for $5 and, overall, they're lousy in the grand scheme of the microfiber world. We can point you toward some very high-quality towels if you so desire. I think there are several of us here that use towels from premiumautocare.com and other vendors that have nothing but positive things to say...
So, there you have it in a nutshell and in a very abbreviated text. If you have questions about what we've spelled out here, please don't hesitate to ask. We're happy to help.
Also, there are several other online resources available at your fingertips including autopia.com, detailcity.com, and meguiarsonline.com (just to name a couple)...
RP
As Boss and 01 mentioned, there are endless arrays of EXCELLENT products out there on the market. Products, in my opinion, are important but, even more important are techniques.
Washing, polishing, and waxing can be done by just about anyone with a water spicket and some towels but, knowing how to do each one of these steps, in the right order, with the right procedures, and the right techniques will make or break your finish.
Let's start with washing:
A lot of us here utilize the 'two-bucket system' to wash our vehicles (me included). This system basically calls for two buckets (betcha wouldn't have guessed that huh?), one filled with fresh clean water (make sure your buckets are clean to start with) and the other is filled with your car wash shampoo/water solution (mixed to the specifications of the manufac.). Do not use harsh chemicals like dish washing detergents or similar. Use ONLY a quality car wash. Meguiar's, Mother's, and several other types of quality washes are available at your local 'mart' store.
Using a genuine Lambs Wool wash mitt (or similar very soft material), wash sections at a time. After washing a section, go to the clean, fresh water to rinse out your sponge/mitt and then go back to your car wash solution. The idea here is to remove any grit/grime that may be caught in your mitt so that you don't continuously drag them back and forth across your paint. The fresh water can be changed as many times as your heart desires during the washing cycle.
Start at the top with your washing cycle and, under no circumstance shall you utilize a mitt/sponge on your tires/wheels/wheel wells that you'll utilize on your finish. Most of us have dedicated sponges that ONLY touch those areas and generally aren't allowed in the car wash solution bucket until the VERY end of the cycle.
Drying:
Utilizing high-pile 100% cotton-terry towels (no cheapies from wally world or similar) or waffle-weave microfiber/microfiber towels, dry the vehicle, starting at the top and working down. Be very careful not to drag 'dirty spots' all over the vehicle again. Also, be sure to let the towel do the work. You don't have to press down for a good towel to do the drying.
Clay:
This may or may not be something that you're familiar with... if not, let us know and we can help you out. Long story short, if your vehicle's finish doesn't FEEL like a clean piece of glass, you may want to utilize clay. Mind you, if you clay, you have committed to going through your full detailing cycle (including potentially polishing and definitely waxing).
Tires/Wheel Wells:
As the step implies, this is the time to work on your tires and wheel wells. All of us have a preference on the type of dressing to utilize and it's going to be up to you to come up with your favorite. Personally, I like Meguiar's Endurance tire gel.
Polish:
There are commonly two types of polishing. One is to remove swirl marks etc (sometimes you'll hear this called compounding as it's a variation of polishing with much more aggressive products). The second is to simply bring out some shine.
Both steps will make the vehicle incredibly shiny but, one will utilize abrasives or chemicals to remove surface imperfections/defects.
I'm not going to go into this very much at this point as you may or may not need this step yet. Let us know if you have questions about this and we can walk you through it a bit more with product suggestions and technique suggestions.
Wax:
Again, there are OODLES of good waxes on the market. Wal-Mart sells several that I have on my shelf in the garage. Also, your local Pep Boys/Napa/AutoZone...
Everyone here, again, has a preference for their truck. Some like Zaino, some like Meguiar's NXT, some like Meguiar's #26, some like Poorboy's, some like S100, some like.... well, you get the picture. The bottom line is this, you're going to have to determine what looks best on your truck to you and yields the results that you expect.
For me, I'm a die-hard Meguiar's guy as it yields the results I expect with minimal effort. So far, I've found the Meguiar's NXT/#26 combo to be unbeatable on my Chestnut colored King Ranch F-150. (combo meaning that I'll apply NXT first and then put a coat of #26 over the top of that).
You'll always want to utilize a quality applicator for what ever product you choose. Foam and terry are generally accepted to be safe. My preference is terry... Again, be very careful not to pick up dirt/grime from problem areas like wheel flares etc and drag them all over your vehicle. You can still scratch the heck out of your finish while waxing and thus, you have to pay special attention and use common sense while completing this step.
Maintenance:
There are several good detailer sprays available on the market but, I think the most accepted, most respected product on the market today is Meguiar's Quick Detailer. This is a product that you can utilize to remove dust/finger prints/smudges from your painted surfaces by simply misting the product on to the vehicle and removing it with high-quality microfiber towels.
For this step, I wouldn't recommend using 100% terry as it will smudge and smear much more than would a nice mf towel.
Microfiber isn't exactly cheap (as you'll see at many stores) but, all in all, you really get what you pay for. I've seen packages at Wal-Mart sell for $5 and, overall, they're lousy in the grand scheme of the microfiber world. We can point you toward some very high-quality towels if you so desire. I think there are several of us here that use towels from premiumautocare.com and other vendors that have nothing but positive things to say...
So, there you have it in a nutshell and in a very abbreviated text. If you have questions about what we've spelled out here, please don't hesitate to ask. We're happy to help.
Also, there are several other online resources available at your fingertips including autopia.com, detailcity.com, and meguiarsonline.com (just to name a couple)...
RP
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09-13-2004, 06:41 PM
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#12
09-18-2004, 01:58 PM
Originally posted by MRBIG
RP i appreciate the info. Some of us like myself just need a little direction when it comes to "what to use" when detailing. I will put the info to good use and show the results.
RP i appreciate the info. Some of us like myself just need a little direction when it comes to "what to use" when detailing. I will put the info to good use and show the results.
Just remember, when washing, let the mit or pad do the washing. Extreme downward force on your paint is a recipe for disaster!
RP
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10-07-2004, 07:02 PM
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