Hello, just reading some posts and it looks like you are the guy to go to with questions about detailing. Anyways, I had my last vehicle repainted (camaro to torch red) and it was simple to clean and shine. I recently purchased a black F150 that has been off road and has several branch scratches so I decided to have the entire vehicle wet sanded and then buffed.

My question is...what will be the best way to keep black (ahhh, it's a pain) to keep clean and shinny, considering cost and materials. I love washing my vehicles to keeping them clean, it is just a pain to wash something and not have it shine.

Any help or hints Intel or anyone else??

Thanks, Matt

 

Wash it atleast once a week. I try to do my truck twice a week but it doesn't always work out.

Every 6 months you'll want to strip the old wax, then clay it, then use a scratch remover or mild compound on the areas that have new scratches, and then polish with Meguiars #9.

For a wax you can do a few things. Klasse AIO followed by Klasse Sealant Glaze will provide a very nice shine that lasts a long time. You can top it with a carnauba wax if you want. It also protects from UV.

Blitz wax is a carnauba wax and it lasts awhile. Gives a decent shine too. Black is a hot color so I would think you could get two months out of blitz if you truck is always in the sun.

Meguiar's Gold Class will give you the best shine but won't last as long. It will probably only last two weeks on a truck that is black and is washed regularly.

Make sure you are keeping a coat of wax on it. It will help prevent oxidation which will make your paint look hazy. Look at the thread titled "Look what a rotary buffer did" The bright red shine was restored because I removed the built up layer of oxidation. Keeping a layer of wax on your truck will prevent fast oxidation and using a mild polish every 6 months will remove any oxidation that has accumulated.

Also, make sure you are using 100% cotton towels or Microfiber towels for all your paint work.

 

Intel, whats the best detergent to strip the wax? After it is stripped do I clay it while it is wet? and then dry it the entire truck?

 

I wash with dawn.

I then dry and use a quick detailer as lubricant for the clay bar