Just picked up my 2007 F150 SuperCrew. Even though I said I wouldn't buy another black truck I did it again. So my question to all of you....

1. Is there anything I should do to the paint now (ie special glazes, basic wax job, etc.)

2. What should I do to prep the paint and chrome for the winter months and the barrage by salt (the truck is inside a garage every night that the temp never gets below 40 degrees).

Thanks in advance for all your info! It's greatly appreciated!!

 

I found a unique solution to that problem. After living 4 year in NE Pennsylvania and upstate NJ, battling the salt trucks on I-80, I moved to AZ. Don't have any salt truck out here.

Anyway, good luck on the paint. I just kept my truck waxed and had no issues while I was there.

 

DBR, I also have a new black Ford screw. This is just another black truck in the line that started in 1979 with no other colors in this string. I live in southern Illinois and our winters have been mild, but not salt free. I routinely take my vehicles through a drive thru wash just to desalt the undercarriage. NEVER wash your truck in a circular fashion .....swirl city. There have been numerous post on the wire about washing our pride and joys. Don't scrimp on your wax either....it won't last more that four or five weeks at best in the winter . Good luck with your new black FORD. 45/70

 

1. Nothing special just because it's new. Your paint is catalyzed and thus, you don't have to allow 'dry times' or anything like that.

2. You can wax immediately. In preparation for the barage of 'crud', I'd recommend going with a nice synthetic wax. There are several good synthetics that are on the market that are readily available -- and some others that are a little harder to come by that may be a little better from a durability standpoint.

One option is Mother's Synwax. It gets very good reviews from most who utilize it and it's very available (check your local Pep or AZ). Another option is Meguiar's NXT. It's a pretty solid choice as well. Both offer a very slight amount of 'cleaning' power - albeit minimal. Either of these two will run you $15ish for a bottle and are available locally.

One more option would be Zaino as mentioned in a recent thread. It's much more involved but, durability-wise, it's a tough one to beat. It's expensive but, many will tell you that it's worth it.

More important than the product you choose is how you're going to treat your paint and the procedures and habits that you develop. There's more to a 'wax job' than just wax by most of our standards. Your procedure may involve steps like polish, cleaning, claying, and a few other steps if necessary.

Black, as you're aware, is a monster to maintain. Simple things like dedicated mitts/sponges, common sense washing (no dropping the mitt on the ground and then washing the paint etc), two bucket washing, blot drying (or even air drying), no car washes, smart dilution ratios with your chemicals (per directions), technique while washing (top to bottom -- grunge areas last with dedicated mitts/sponges), etc...etc...etc... are more important than your 'wax' product.

An ounce of prevention... well, you know the rest.

Let us know if you need anything or have additional questions... enjoy your new ride!

-RP-

 

The whole 'wash in a circular pattern' isn't necessarily the cause of 'swirls'. You see, swirls are scratches on a microscopic level. They're not caused by circular motions, necessarily. It's an optical thing... not necessarily a 'circular' thing.

Think of it this way... how many times have you seen a vehicle that runs through an automatic over and over and over and over? Those machines don't induce a 'circular' motion but more a 'straight line' type of abrasion across the paint (sure, the brushes are SPINNING but the fibers of the brush are hitting in a straight line). More often than not, those vehicles are swirled, correct?

Not trying to sound like a ***** here... just explaining that it's kind of a myth that circular motions on the paint cause swirls... they can, but, it's not indicative and an absolute.

 

Another thing you might want to consider is resisting temptation when washing salt & winter road grime off. I live in the salt capital of the notheast and when my truck starts to look ugly (about every other day), instead of pulling out the wash mit and car soap, I head over to the local "feed me quarters" car wash first. I use the rinse cycle (no soap) to blast all of the heavy crud off the entire truck (top and bottom) before heading home to use buckets in my garage.

I'll also put in a vote vote Zaino - particularly in the winter months. I love the shine of all of the products RP mentioned, but none of them seem to last as long as Zaino. That means a ton to me when it's too cold to wax. Have fun!

 

I agree with all but from what 2stroked siad is usally how I did mine for washing. Kept my ranger in a heated garage so I atlesat ran it through the car wash and washed it with just water. If i could get it back and wash it by hand then I would but if I could not then I would leave it alone and let it sit till the next weekend.