So I am in the market to get some products to keep my truck as sharp as I can. I have been looking at jaxwax, Chemguys, and more.

I know I will be buying Chemguys foam cannon, but I wanted some opinions on what you all do to wash your rides and any products you like. (Soaps, waxes liquid or spray, detail sprays, etc)

I'm thinking a two bucket method one with water and soap and the other with just water and a grate to rinse the sponge every time. Once washed, do you guys use any kind of detail spray while drying or after drying and then wax once it's all said and done? How often are you claying it? Then what do you do and use a day or two later to give it a quick detail if need be?

Spare me the search comment, I have been searching everything from catch cans to level kits, exhausts, liners, and now this. My fiancé is limiting my iPad time lol.

 

Some of the questions these guys might ask are;
Polish/wax with a machine, or by hand
Previous detail experience
What will your truck be exposed to, heat & sun, snow & road salt, muddy conditions....
What color you are going to maintain
And most important-----How OCD are you!

There are a lot of great detail members and I'm sure they will chime in soon.

 

Use the sheeting method to take the soap off of your vehicle. What I mean is take the nozzle off and let it pour over the vehicle. I also use the h2o guard from Adams polishes as I dry my truck.
Chemical guys has great products as well as Adams. I have a lot of money tied up in Adams products.
You shouldn't have to clay to much.
Best thing is go to there websites and watch the videos.

 

Wax: machine
Weather: Midwest, so everything
Color: magnetic
Skill: done it all, but seeing as it's 2015 truck and my first ever brand new one, I'm going to be ocd about it

 

I'm not too OCD about washing since the weather in Massachusetts never seems to cooperate... truck is clean for a day or 2 then it's guaranteed to rain pretty much and it looks just like it did before I washed it again...

But I use Turtle Wax Ice wash (just a wash, not wash & wax). I dry with a waffle-weave microfiber towel, no other products applied. The wax I use is Collinite 845 - this stuff is awesome. It lasts forever - I'll probably only wax it 2-3 times per year once I can get into a cycle with the seasons. Only owned the truck for 8 months so that kind of throws things off.

This is on a Tuxedo Black Metallic truck, and I love the results. The wash turns my truck into a mirror, and the wax is awesome too. I'm no expert, though.

 

First of all, Welcome to the site. And welcome to the wonderful world of OCD types (myself included) who obsess over their vehicles.

As you seem to have already figured out, the products one uses to take care of their vehicle can make a big difference in the way it looks. Equally important is the process one uses to use / apply / remove any product. And yes, the way one washes (and the products one uses to wash) your vehicle makes a big difference. (You can remove even the best products in one improper wash.)

So what products would I recommend as one of the elders of this forum? That’s a tough question because there are so many products out there. Some are good, some are merely acceptable and some are just plain junk. Funny thing about the internet though, not everybody agrees on which one of the three categories I just mentioned for each product. I haven’t tried every product out there, but I have tried a good number of them. I will offer my professional opinion only on the ones I’ve personally used. If you’re wondering what I can do with a vehicle, do some searching here or wander over the The Detailer’s Café and look through the Gallery for my stuff. I think my results speak for themselves.

So getting back to products that work for me, for serious correction work, my go to products are Meguiar’s M101 and Menzerna Super Intensive Polish. My favorite machine is the Flex 3401 with various Lake Country foam pads. For finishing work I like Meguiar’s M205 and CarPro Reflect. The best wheel cleaner on the planet is Poor Boy’s Spray & Rinse. My favorite waxes are Collonite 845 and 476S. My favorite synthetic sealants are Menzerna Power Lock and Zaino. My favorite glass cleaner is Stoner’s Invisible Glass. My favorite tar remover is Stoner’s Tarminator.

I suppose I could go on for another couple of weeks, but I’ll let other members here chime in with their valuable advice. Good luck!

Tom

 

You also have to decide whether you are going to use consumer grade or professional grade products and tools. For consumer grade that you can buy off the shelf at Walmart and auto parts stores, it's hard to go wrong with Meguiars products. Are they the best? Probably not but very little of it is garbage. Note that 3M owns Meguiars now, I don't know how much overlap there is, 3M is the choice of quite a few pros - but again is it the best? Probably not. Meguiars also has a professional line.

 

So when washing and drying withOut waxing, what products do you use after or while drying? And then on days when you wax, what products do you use and when? Like do ou use a finishing or detailin spray while drying even if you are about to wax etc etc

 

Washing a vehicle makes most of us OCD types feel really good. Unfortunately, it’s also a great time to mess up a perfectly good finish. So when you wash, make sure you have lots of water before, during and after. Water helps lubricate the surface and float away contaminates. Car Wash Soap not only helps remove dirt & contaminates, but also lubricates the surface. But be careful not to use too much soap because that can remove your wax faster than just about anything else. The Foam Gun you mentioned will help you use the right concentration.

As for drying, I do two things to start. First, I use the Water Sheeting Method where you remove the nozzle and reduce the flow after you have thoroughly rinsed the vehicle. This gets rid of most of the water droplets. Then I pull out an electric leaf blower and blow the remaining water out of the places that trap it like side view mirrors, lug nut holes, door jambs, etc.

Next comes actual drying with microfiber towels. Remember that any time you are contacting the paint surface, you are scratching it at some level – even if it’s microscopic. So rub the towel(s) gently against the surface. I do something a little different here in that I spray a light coat of Optimum Spray Wax on each panel before I dry it. My theory is that it not only lubricates the towel, but adds a layer of protection as I go.

Finally, you asked what products I use when I “just wax” a vehicle. I rarely just wash and wax a vehicle. I usually do a full polish, then wax. You saw the products I use in my first post.

 

Got it. How often are you polishing since you are removing clear coat every time?

 

I generally do my vehicles twice a year.

As for removing clear coat, remember that not all polishes are created equal. Some are far more aggressive than others. I generally have to only use a only a very fine polish when I do because I take care not to mar the surface when I wash. My 9 year old Scion xB daily driver still looks just fine and it's been polished many, many times.

 

Another site did the paint thickness measurements for wet sanding.

It was shocking how little clear comes off when wet sanding multiple passes.
- This is more aggressive than using compound and a cutting pad.

Polish on the non OptiCoat panels, I use Pro Polish on a black pad as a touch up 2x ( maybe 3x if I have a wild hair stuck ) a year before reapplying Menz Power Lock. This is a gloss enhancing polishing and to make sure the paint is clean for the Sealant to bond to.
- I only polish the OptiCoat surface if I need to touch it up.

 

What surfaces did you opti coat, I was thinking of doin that to my truck and finances sedan (2013 black)

 

My truck I did the front plastic bumper cover / top ( what ever that is called ) the roof, the entire fiberglass cap, the tailgate and the lower rocker panels. This spring I am going to do the bed as well, so I only have the doors and hood and 4 doors for play time.

The Mrs' 2007 G6 I am doing all the panels.
I have the front and rear bumpers, the front fenders, the hood, roof and trunk. I also did the plastic under the rear bumper and the sides ( GM cannot figure out how to stop rust, so they put plastic there to try to slow it down ).

 

^ Nice list...

For correction I like Megs M101
My favorite machine is Rupes 21 w/5" bp
For finishing...my new love is Carpro Essence.
Wheel cleaner Poor Boy’s Spray & Rinse is a winner.
Favorite waxes...I have quite a few Pinnacle Sig II, BF Midnight Sun are a couple.
Favorite Sealants...Wow..BFWD AFPP for dark, Zaino Z-2 w/ZFX are a couple.
Favorite Coating...Carpro CQuartz Finest is top on my list.

For a maintenance wash I highly recommend the 2 or 3 bucket method.
A Quality wash mitt, 2 Grit Guards, & a High Quality drying towel like Dry-Me-Crazy.