I go to college in a snowy environment (Flagstaff) and my truck gets pretty filthy...every couple weekends I come back down to Scottsdale, AZ where I live and wash my truck. I have some scratches and pin-stripping from pine trees, etc and they come out when I hand wax, but I notice the reappear when I wash my truck. I always feel the urge to re-wax when I come down...

Anyways, how often should I wax my truck when I am in a snowy/cold environment?

I plan on getting my truck fully detailed at the end of the snow season

 

The scratches aren't going away, they are being filled and hidden by the wax. To get rid of them you have to do proper paint correction with power equipment and appropriate chemicals.

Until you do that, I'd use a quick spray wax after EVERY wash job.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/16550248

 

You keep getting the spots back from the sap because just washing will not remove it. You need to clean it with a bug and tar remover. I use Turtle Wax spray Bug and Tar remover. It's great stuff. Last year we had a really bad storm come thru here. Trees were uprooted, snapped, etc. I had pine needles, pine branches and sap all over my truck and Thunderbird. The Turtle Wax B+T remover did the trick. I ended up doing the entire truck. Glass, paint, trim, I mean it all. I sprayed a small section, worked it in with my fingers, let it set for a minute or so, then wiped it off. It was creamy smooth. The scratches on your paint hopefully is just in the clear coat. Most of the time a polishing compound can be used to remove those. If they are deep, you may need to go to a paint cleaner, then polish, then wax. Compounds can do damage if you don't use a bit of finesse'. So, How often should you wax the truck? That's up to you. The more you drive it in harsh weather, and wash it, the quicker the protection of the wax is removed. Me, I usually wax every three-four months. During the winter I can't, so I'm just dilegent with rinsing it off at the car wash. Speaking of, never use thier brushes. Some guy may of just used it on his tires. When you can wash it, NEVER use a dish detergant, hand soap, clothes detergant. They will strip the wax right off the truck, and may even damage the paint. At least try to hose her off once a week if you can. Plain water is better by far than a detergant. I'm a bit fanatical. I keep a Califonia duster in the truck. And I'll use a spray detailer in between washings to keep her shining. When washing, rinse it off first. This will rinse the loose dirt off and help prevent streaking when you wash it. Always use the lather in the bucket. If you reach down too far you'll grab the fine crap that's laying in the bottom of the bucket. Start at the top, do a section and rinse. If your lather runs out, make more. After you're done, and you've rinsed here down, dry it off with a soft towel or a chamois (spell check). Always do the tires seperate, and with a seperate sponge/towel that you use for the truck. Scratches are a bad thing. That's the basics and I hope that helps you out.

 

Oh sorry I should have specified...I don't have any sap problems at all, just scratches from some minor off roading from hitting pine tree branches. I am really good about proper washing, and I never take my truck to a car wash unless its a really nice one like the auto spa here that doesn't use automated crap, its done by hand

 

Yea that is what I figured...they aren't deep or bad scratches, fairly minor, but I suppose that is something that can be taken care of when I get it fully detailed by a professional.

 

Why not get a DA polisher and some pads and do it yourself? With what pros charge to do a PROPER job it will pay for itself pretty quick.

 

CC268,

So what you're experiencing is a "wax" that apparently has a lot of fillers in it. Fillers are designed to hide imperfections and that's what most folks like to do. The problem with fillers is that they're all temporary and when they start to wear off, back come the imperfections. (Fillers also cause all sorts of havoc when you get them on textured plastic trim - where they tend to stay forever.)

As has been suggested, you can correct (or have somebody correct) the surface to remove most imperfections and then you don't need a wax with tons of fillers in it to make your truck look great. You can either have a detailer you trust do it - and not all detailers are trustworthy. Or, you can learn how to do it yourself if you're so inclined. I started out just like you about 12 years ago on this site. With lots of reading, posting, help and support, I can bring just about anything back from the almost dead. And, all of my vehicles always look top notch.

As for how often one needs to wax in a winter / snow environment, that depends on a number of things. First - as you've already learned - what type of product you use has a lot to do with it. Second, what you're trying to do with the wax (shine, protect, fill, etc.) has a lot to do with it. Finally, how you wash your truck has a ton to do with it. Even with the best wax, one wash with the wrong stuff (like Dawn dish soap) and you will totally remove it.

I generally wash my truck at the local quarter car wash with the Rinse cycle only to get all of the big gunk off. Then I go directly home and finish washing it with warm water and Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine, then dry with microfiber towels. I "wax" it every month or two with Menzerna Power Lock which is actually a synthetic sealant and not a wax. It actually lasts much longer than that, but I'm nuts. This seems to have worked pretty well over the years and I live in one of the worst weather / salt environments I can think of.

Hope that helps.

To,m

 

Thanks for the help guys, I have read through the detailing sticky...or at least most of it several times, so I have taken a lot from there. I use what is typically recommended in the detail guide. I plan on getting a Griots sometime, but I am a college student and just don't have money to spend on things like that(it gets expensive quick, especially once you buy the pads and polish, wax, etc)...although I have a decent amount of product I have gathered over time. I plan on just getting it detailed by a reputable detailer here in town. Eventually, yes I probably will get a Orbital.

 

Don't get an orbital - get a dual action.

 

Oh okay which one do you recommend?

 

Get a Griots or a Porter-Cable 7424XP. Both are excellent machines.

 

If you are going to have a detailer do defect removal on your truck, you are going to pay more for that then buying a PC7424XP kit with pads and the backing plates.

The 1 detailer in the metro area here, that I would trust to work on my truck, charges 225.00 to 390.00 for a light machine polish, which is good for light swirls / marring. His multi step defect removal ( going all in ) starts at 645.00 and goes up to 1,000.00.

Given there can be zone differential in costs, if a detailer is going to do actual defect removal you are going to spend at least the same amount as a 7424XP kit.

Done right is more than just hitting it with some All In One.
1 or 1.5 pass of AIO is just removing the very minor defects and the glaze in the product filling the more severe ones that did not come out with the pass(s), and no additional step for another LSP aside from what the AIO has.

Just something to keep in mind considering the cost of a 7424XP kit is starting at 160.00. You can go nuts with a kit of building your own kit, this is just a basic 7424xp-backing plate - pad kit.

 

Yea I understand that...but I want to get the seats shampooed and all that jazz too...when I detail my truck I spend 4-8 hours on it...and that usually is just about everything, but without shampooing my seats and waxing (at least doing it right). Especially during the snow season, that amount of time just isn't worth it, my truck is filthy with muddy snow a week later. I take really good care of my trucks, but I mean it is a 2004 with 92,000 miles, its not a Ferrari. If I could get a dual action and wax my truck within a few hours I could do that, but spending all day just to wax my truck just isn't worth it in my opinion. I would rather spend the 200 dollars to save my own time and have them at least shampoo the seats and do a good wax job. I could do the rest my self.

Not to mention I have never used any machine for waxing...I would be hoping the dual action is fairly idiot proof, I wouldn't want to do more damage than good. If I can do a good wax and eliminate some of the scratches I have in a reasonable amount of time, I would probably pick one up.

 

You need to do more than just "wax" it. If all you want to do is wax it, use the spray quick wax I linked by hand and it will be done in 15 minutes.

 

...when I say "wax" it I mean all the steps that lead up to a proper wax