chester, pick up an abosorber. they are like 8 bucks and super easy to use and you only need one (although i have 4 one for body and one for rims, and a spare set for when they get dirty and i need to wash them). when it gets alot of water in it, just wring it out. when your done, just roll it up and throw it in the tube and back under the seat or whatever, your actually not supposed to let them dry completely, and they won't mold or mildew. One pass gets like 99% of the water off, only a few little tiny droplettes will be left, but like a minute later they evaporate off and leave no marks or spots on the black paint. works great. i also use a cali water blade, and it works awsome too. i can dry the entire truck in less than 10 minutes. go over the whole thing with the blade (just wipe it off after every pass with a rag or something to make sure there is no dirt on the blade) and it dries the tonneau, roof, hood, tailgate, and doors perfectly dry. i go over the rest with the absorbers and then do the rims with another abosorber. the blade is 20 bucks, but worth it IMO cuz its so much quicker and easier.

the absorber makes a good towell too when your on vacation and dont' have much room to pack for stuff


*edit* o yeah, what chrome polish did you get? the chrome polish in the bottle (liquid)? or the paste mag and aluminum polish in teh can? the paste is the better stuff, but with new rims, not many products can make them shinier looking than they already are Mostly works great for getting rid of any oxidation or whatever, and any tar or dull spots. i used some zaino z2 on my rims and it made them look a little shinier. nothing anybody else would notice over what i usually do, but it made a small difference.

 

I let mine dry completely. Is there a reason why you're not suppose to let it dry completely?

 

I picked up the paste, the alum and chrome polish. Applied it with a finger pads and buffed it out a few minutes later with a terry cloth.

I used to have an absorber, and it got lost at some car wash long time ago. Oh well....

 

it says right on the package you don't need to let it dry. Thats another plus to them, cuz i'm lazy when it comes to that stuff, and don't feel like hanging it to dry, and putting it back later. LoL. it won't hurt it any, but then you need to wet it 1st and wring it out before using it to soften it up. Once when i 1st got htem i washed it and hung it out to dry and it got rock hard had to wet it again and since then i haven't ever let them dry completely, and there is no need to. Just wring em out, and put it back in the tube, and i throw it under my rear seat. I've been doing this for over 2 years and not once has it started to mold, mildew, or smell.

i have learned though that in the freezing winter time, its a good idea to keep them inside the house, because if you go up to the car wash to wash the truck, you'll find the absorber is frozen rock solid in a rolled up mass of freezing aborber. LoL, and ya gotta sit there for 15 minutes holding them over the heating vents to thaw them out it wont' hurt them though.

 

hey josh.. if it ever freezes up again, just run some of the carwash water run over it to thaw it out...

 

here's my collection. A little bigger than most people's on here, but i am pathetic.


i also halfto see what the product does before i can verify it's the best. Thats why I have alot of diff waxes, cleaners, degreasers ect

 

not really, the water is usually almost freezing at the car wash the guy "forgets" to turn the hot water heater on sometimes And that time i didn't realize they were frozen until after i washed the truck, and didn't want to spend another 4 dollars so they sprayer would start going again. LoL. what a rip off. lol

samiam513. LoL, i know what ya mean, this pic is about 2/3's of my detailing stuff...



i managed to condense it down to fit in the one tool box and wash bucket though. LoL

 

I bought some terry detailing towels at Wal-Mart and I know I need Made in USA but these are made in Pakistan. I tried the lighter trick and it just burned and didn't curl but basically what I'm askin is are these true 100% cotton or what?

 

No they are not. Everything I have found that reference those towels say they are really not 100%. To guarantee 100%, buy USA. Heck, try not to buy anything that says it's made somewhere else. Those were our jobs that they now farm out to cheap labor countries.

 

yeah, another member here got those before and it scratched his paint up. rather be safe than sorry! you'll be glad you did

 

Well I went to Autozone today and I couldn't even find any Made in USA there so I don't know where to go? You guys have any suggestion where I can get some good detailing towels that are made in the USA?

 

not autozone or pepboys. they usually dont' carry those brands. cannon or fieldcrest are good brands. i got mine from kmart or one of those type stores, i forget, but thats where you can find them

 

Over here in California, you can easily find those 100% cotton cloths at Target.

 

I'm gonna try K-mart, Josh man I'm drooling about that shine on your truck, looks killer man! I guess I could use those Pakistany towels on the wheels?

 

This is definitely the place to learn about caring for my new truck.

After years of driving our family 'soccer mom' van, the wife just bought me an '02 Lariat Flairside 4x4,2tone DHgreen/AZ beige, 5.4L, Leather chairs, chrome running bars/wheels. I feel like a new man! I only hope an F-150 man isn't judged by the size of his detail kit

I usually just washed occasionaly and wax infrequently. (didn't really care about driving a shiny van) An F-150 though is a different matter.

I like the shine of the new truck and want to keep it nice but unfortunately life usually gets in the way and I certainly can't spend weekends with the truck (the wife wouldn't like it).

What is the easiest/quickest wax that will provide a decent shine and protect the paint?

I've read about raildust from shipping damaging the paint and using clay bar on the new paint to remove raildust.

I noticed some of you have it in your kits. Should I do this before waxing it the first time? How long should it take me to do the clay and wax?

Can I use the clay bar in the sun? (Late October in New England doesn't get much above 50 degrees on a good day).

BTW, Your truck pics are fantastic.