I have a diamondplate aluminum toolbox in the back of my -150. A constant battle I face is that it gets water spots like crazy. I've tried buffing these out, but it's incredibly painstaking, tears the cloth that I'm using to shreds, and pieces get caught in the diamond plating itself, resulting in a more unsightly image. Also, I tried drying it before the spots formed, but, again, it started to tear up my nice MF's, so I quickly stopped. Any ideas as to how I can better prevent these spots, without ruining MF's? Budget-minded is key. (I don't yet have a spot free filter, but am thinking about this. The only downside is that whenever I would need the spots gone, I go ahead and wax, so I eliminate spots everytime anyway, so the filter may not be cost effective enough for just the toolbox.) Any ideas would be great.

Thanks ahead of time for your input/advice.

 

Sounds like that box is cursed When you say its tearing your cloths, is the boxes surface sharp all over? if so might not be too safe. But I suggest running fltz over it. That stuff does a pretty good job.

 

Maybe, try using a leaf blower to blow the water off before it drys.

Not sure what's a better alternative for you.

I was at wally word today and seen the Mr Clean water unit in the auto section, it was like $18 near the waxes, I don't know much about them or how long they last though.

You could always buy a gallon of distilled water to do your final rinse on it. Or, dry it with a cheap towel that you won't care about if it gets ripped.

 

If it's pretty clean when your ready to do a wash, could you put some plastic sheeting over it? Like plastic painting tarps, maybe it will help keep it clean longer and cut down on your maintenance.

 

You might give Mequiar's All Metal Polish a try and see if that will cure the problem. Here is a link to it All Metal Polish

 

Thanks. I might look into the leaf blower idea (or just use my air compressor), since the polishes would mean using a cloth that gets torn up, and leaves pieces of cloth all over the box. Aside from that, I might just have to go get the Mr. Clean. Anyone used this that can tell me how they work out???

Thanks again.

 

All of those good suggestions will help MINIMIZE or REMOVE water spots, but not PREVENT them. Your root cause problem is that the diamond plate is uncoated / polished aluminum. Because of that, you'll have all of the problems (and joys) of polished aluminum wheels - which have been discussed here many times.

If you really want to prevent the water spots, I'd recommend two alternatives. First, to prevent them for longer periods of time, try a sealer such as Zoops. It's not the final answer, but it does help. You'll still end up polishing over time. The final answer is to get the tool box clear coated with the same type of product that manufacurers use on factory aluminm wheels. Even that won't work forever because if the coating is breached (scratched) - as can happen with a tool box - the oxidation process just starts again underneath the coating.

 

I was going to say the samething, thanks for saving me the time. I have a 3k water system even hooked up to my sprinklers. Its nice for washing the truck but you still have dew, rain, and all other elements to deal with. Clear coat is your best bet or powder coat. Good luck. Zoop seal works very well also.

 

I have the same problem with my toolbox. Its so bad that it doesn't matter if I dry it or not, its still there.

 

Clean out the tool box, scrub down the inside and outside with a brush, then drop it off at the LineX dealer and have it coated. Problem Solved, No more Water spots.

 

The Line - X idea sounds pretty good, I agree with what 2stroked said, get it sealed, or clear coated. To remove alot of excess water after I wash my vehicles I have a rubber squeegie I run over the body, that helps the drying and removes thick water, but if you tried that on your box you might just end up slicing that squeegie up.

 

Yeah. I've tried the squeegie thing. It didn't exactly tear it up, but it did render it less effective. And did nothing for the box. I think I'll just Line-X it (probably myself, as I did for the bed), clearcoat it, wax it, or forget about the spots.

Thanks for the help.

 

Frankly, I would not try the waxing idea. Seems like it just builds up on the tool box and eventually starts to flake off like a coat of clearcoat coming off. These things are a pain to keep looking good. The only ones I have seen that hold their finish are usually painted when new with good paint/clearcoat finish. That's a nice thing too as they can be color matched to the truck.