First post - been reading for awhile. To date this site has been a great source of info for me on my new <i<white</i> 2002 F150. Have a few questions that I haven't found answers to yet in some of the older messages:

As part of the Sport pkg included on my truck, there is a sticker on the back. I'm kinda thinking I might want to remove it, but I fear there might be a shadow around that area - any suggestions or previous experience with this?

However, if I leave the sticker on and attempt to use a product like LG, it seems like I will end up with some funky residue around the edge of the sticker.

- - -

I think I've decided I'm going to layer LG over my clearcoat (as opposed to Zaino - i haven't totally decided yet). In any case, from what I've read I think I'm going to stick with the approach of:

- wash with dawn (maybe twice)
- rinse
- (should I dry here?)
- claybar with quickdetail lube
- wash again with dawn
- rinse, dry
- LG (2-3 coats)

Next question being: Is it best to dry with a chamois or similar product, or just use a 100% cotton (I noticed Canon FieldCrest) towel?

- - -

I've got the sport pkg 17" 10-spoke wheels, which I think are aluminum (alloy). I've read that wheels normally come with some sort of wax protective coating from the factory, but as I'm going to wash with Dawn, whats a good product(s) to apply after the wash to keep breakdust and other uglies off the wheels (obviously that would be safe for the material)?

I think thats all I got for now - thanks for any help you can provide.

My apologies for the length of the post - but I'm new to this whole world of detailing.

 

I have read with interest about washing with Dawn. I am not sure I understand the need for washing with Dawn, a good quality car wash will leave the truck clean and then the clay bar will remove the surface contaminents. I'm not a fan of using Dawn on my auto finish...although it's great for dishes

I would not worry to much about the decal leaving a shadow on the paint. I recently removed my 4x4 Off Road Decals that were almost 5 years old and there was no shadow.....my truck is Pacific Green and I would have thought there might have been a shadow but there was none. The reason I remove the stickers were to replace them with custom ones that are reflective in lights.

 

I don't think the first "dry" will be necessary.
Also, the Dawn wash will only be necessary if it already has wax on it it. I'm not sure if all dealers wax there vehicles as a part of the dealer prep. Regardless, you should be safe doing it with Dawn. You can dry it with a either the quality towel or a chamois. I favor the chamois.
You can't go wrong with LG or Zaino. I prefer LG because there's fewer steps and just as good of shine.

 

You won't have to worry about dawn hurting your finish. You should only use dawn to strip the wax off. From my understanding it works the best for doing that and even Zaino recommends using it for that purpose ONLY (stripping old wax off). If your not sure if it has wax or not then wash it with dawn.

It was mentioned that a good quality car wash should do good and leave it clean. Intel would be the expert here, but I will give this a shot. I believe most good quality car washes have other things in them besides just soap. For example other things to help protect the finish, like a wax or polish. I use Zaino car wash and it is a good quality car wash but it also has some type of polish in it to help maintain the shine. The reason dawn is recommended is because it removes grease well (like dishes) and it will remove the old wax and other films that may be on the finish. Again Intel may correct me on that but I am pretty sure about the info.


The best thing for drying is 100% cotton towels made in America. The ones made over seas may say 100% cotton but they are not 100%.

I have the sport package as well. Myself I like the "sport" sticker and have left it on. I was using another wax before using Zaino and have never had a problem with any residue around the edge of the sticker. I switched about 4 - 5 months ago to Zaino and could not be happier. I love the shine it gives it. I have also heard A TON of good reports on LG so I don't think you will go wrong with either.

As far as your rims I have the same. They have clearcoat on them as a protectant. To add to the protection just use the same wax or polish on them as you use on your truck. Myself I use the Zaino on them. Hope the info helps. Welcome to the site

 

The stickers won't leave a shadow. I removed some big 1 1/2" dealer stickers from the tailgate of my truck after having them on there for 2 years. There is no shadow and my truck is deep wedgewood blue.

If you are going to use the quick detail spray as a lubricant for the clay bar, then you are going to want to dry your truck off first. Claying takes awhile and you'll get waterspots otherwise.

For drying I use 100% cotton bath towels to blot the paint dry. It doesn't take as long as people think.

Make sure you get your mirrors and windows first. Nothing worse than waterspots on your windows!

Your wheels are probably clear coated. Dawn won't strip that down. I actually don't use any wax on mine or any of the car's wheels I do. I use a mild Non-Acid wheel cleaner to strip whatever brakedust they have on them. It is very simple to do.

It depends on the soap as to if it leaves something on the paint. Some soaps do, and some don't. It really depends on the product. If they claim to wax, polish, or increase shine, then they probably have some sort of oil in it meant to be left on the paint.

Dawn washing is just fine. The main reason you don't want to dawn wash often is it'll strip your wax. Dawn is an alkaline soap so it cuts through grease and wax easily. Great if you don't want to do the full acid bath.