I know there are other forums on this subject but I wanted to hear my fellow KR owners ideas. Especially since I know how particular(obsessive?)
everone is concerning their KR's.

1) How soon after purchase did you
wax your KR?

2) Any special prep work before the first wax? Such as claybar etc.

3) Now the biggie! What wax is everyone using for these great trucks?

 

Three months to the first wax job. Soon after that I found Zaino, which has been my wax ever since. It is absolutely amazing. No special prep work aside from the normal spotless cleaning prior to wax application, however the Zaino does ask you to strip all prior stuff off the truck using Dawn dishwashing liquid.

All this is IMO of course.

 

I'm a Mequires MIRROR GLAZE man myself. I've used this stuff since high school and WILL NOT use anything else. This isn't the same Meguires that you buy at wal-mart (well, it's the same company). This is professional grade stuff. It too wants you to strip everything off and apply their product however, that is EXACTLY what you need to do if you make this choice in wax.

I wax mine about once a month. (yes, I'm a waxxing maniac... and I will wax your King Ranch for the nominal fee of one BILLION DOLLARS (*US FUNDS ONLY*)) What a deal huh?

 

yeap I use Mequires Mirror glaze too. I haven't yet waxed my Thomas....They did it for me before I picked up my truck and since I can't drive him and he is just sitting in the garage I won't be doing it until April.

 

I know I may get flack for this questions, but has anyone ever tried Dura Shine? I remeber seeing it on TV years ago, but never tried it. As I recall, it was supposed to sheet the water off helping to eliminate water spots. That is my major problem around here. Every time it rains or condensation from dew get on the truck, there is enough dust in the air to leave big water spots everywhere. Do any of the other waxes out there help sheet the water off and keep the spotting down?

 

Just when I thought I had settled on Zaino Meguires enters into the picture. Since I'm still debating, where can I purchase the mirror glaze?
Thanks for the info. If anyone else has any other thoughts please let me know.

acbell I always wondered about Dura Shine. It seemed like a good solution for around Long
Island. Never did have the nerve to try it on any of my cars.

 

Meguiar's is a premium brand. They have a wide array of car care products. I think Zaino is their main competition...

Check the following link:

http://www.meguiars.com/

That has everything that's available (to my knowledge) from Meguiar's. It's a paint care system, as you'll see. They even offer a FREE service called 'Paint Care Perscription' where you enter in the data about your vehicle's finish and they'll mail you a sheet telling you what they recommend based on your climate and how you treat your vehicle. (you'll be asked to answer several questions about your washing habits etc...). It's pretty helpful. Also, Meguiar's offers a toll-free 800 number to call with your questions. Believe it or not, the people on the other end of the line KNOW THEIR PRODUCTS LIKE THE BACK OF THEIR HANDS. Very knowledgable and very sharp. (1-800-347-5700) *(It's tough to find good customer care... Meguiar's takes GOOD care of their customers... that's why they've been around since the early 1900's)

I have seen a few mirror glaze products at AUTO ZONE however, I'm not 110% sure if they care the full 'system'. Check your local yellow pages for a paint or detail shop. Call them and see if they have any Meguiar's available for sale. I get mine through a local distributor here in Louisville. Also, for a good deal, ebay is typically running a few bottles.

Thus, here's my suggestion. Go to the site and get the paint perscription. From there, follow your nose to the products. I believe that you can purchase everything through Meguiar's site if you can't find the items locally...

As far as the Dura Crap goes. Keep in mind, few products that run infomercials at 4am in the morning deliver on their promises (the George Forman grill was the only thing on the face of this earth that has ever been worth a flip that was advertised at 4am). It's a cheap carnuba wax. The 'sheeting action' that they promoted on that commercial was and is bogus. Wax effectively works by forming a bond, a cationic bond, to the paint. This bond is POSITIVELY CHARGED and thus bonds to the NEGATIVE CHARGE of your paint. (opposites attract). Well, likewise, you need to consider the charge the water falling on your vehicle. It sounds good by theory but, H20 is NEGATIVE thus, if you're using a wax that's positive and the rain is positive... guess what, you get beading because they attract as well. Wax is basically a catch 22.... damned if you do, damned if you don't. The best thing to do is to keep adequate amounts of wax on your vehicle (this will vary upon your particular climate) and when it's wet, whipe it off with a towel before it drys. This will help you keep the unparalled protection that all of us desire. *(geesh, that sounded like an ad huh)* (*I DON'T WORK FOR MEQUIAR'S -- I JUST LOVE THEIR PRODUCTS!*)

GOOD LUCK.. WAX OFTEN!

 

i use MALCO ultrashield pain sealant. i think you can only get it through a body shop. my cousin owns a body shop and recommended it to me. it is costly, but it works awesomely...deep shine and water seems to bead forever. i find myself waxing at most twice a year...

 

Thanks Rockpick for the link to.....

Meguiars.

It's a product I know of but haven't used much over there.
Here in the UK we use a polish that originally came from Germany called "Mer".
I presume it hasn't reached the States.
Very easy and effective to apply.
Anyway I entered all my details into the Meguiars site and back came the prescription.

Wooaaa!!

If I follow that I'll never do anything else ever again except polish the truck.

I suppose by entering the zip code they know the truck is kept near the Gulf Coast for part of the year when it is not covered up in Houston.

They deem that a harsh environment of course !

Actually when I am down there I do hand wash the vehicle every couple of days and polish perhaps once a month...I am ashamed to admit I can't even remember which polish I used last time ....
Turtle Wax?

Anyway I will be over by early April so will get down to a good polish once I am there.

 

I haven't heard of the 'MER' ... not sure that it's made it across that big lake over there *points to the east*.

 

No, I haven't seen MER in the States either.
However as I consider myself an expert (!) on car polishing....my first vehicle I owned myself was in 1962, and I'm now on number 58 !
I have been using Mer for about 15 years.
My wife and I first saw it at a "Steam" rally...you know the old traction engines and stuff...where a guy was desperately trying to sell the stuff by a table demonstration.
You know the sort of thing that gets flogged at county fairs and we all think..Oh, yes, another gimmick..who'd be mug enough to buy that!
Well this poor guy tried hard all day all through rain showers etc (Well a total downpour to be honest) and we finally felt so sorry for him we bought a bottle.
I've never used anything else since.
In fact we were so impressed we eventually got him a stand at the prestigious Rolls Royce annual rally and he was selling it there for some years to be applied to some of the finest cars.
It probably ranks over here with Autoglym, which I think you might have heard of.

Anyway I'll be quiet for a couple of weeks...our friend from Texas is due here tomorrow and we are off on our 60 foot narrow boat for a lazy (4mph) trip round some of our rural canals.
I steer and the 2 ladies are made to work all the locks...great...
MCPigism lives!

(Actually they refuse to take charge of 17 tons of steel which even at 4 mph makes one heck of a thump when it hits something solid!)