Work Truck Fleet- Sealant questions

[connor]

We have a fleet of around 30 trucks at work, all black, all stored outdoors.

Will 2-3 applications of a long lasting sealant per year keep the paint in decent condition? Obviously it won't be perfect but we were thinking compound, polish, seal most of the trucks, and then reaply sealant at the middle and end of the season. A few will be washed bi-weekly but most of the guys do not give a f**k to keep care of their vehicle (on the clock no less!):bash:

Is this just a waste of money?

[SirTanon]

It doesn't sound like a bad idea. It's always nice to have a good looking fleet of trucks.

One thought though - Why not offer some sort of simple incentive to the drivers of these trucks so that after a year, if their truck meets a certain level of maintenance/upkeep, they get a bonus of some sort. I'd think even $50 or 100 would make many of them suddenly decide to care.

[Coastalf350]

Appearance is everything in a business. Sharp clean trucks shows that you take pride in your equipment. What sealant do you plan on using?

I personally have used Rejex on boats and can say it helps out alot for guys that arnt as serious about their washing. Still sheets water after 6 months.

[MattPersman]

Hydro2 or something during the bi weekly wash


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[Bill1234]

Collinite 476s is super durable and will be good for fleets

[Firehouse Mike]

All of my fleet accounts I seal with Megs PP365. It's inexpensive, easy and quick to apply and lasts a decent length of time. I do educate them to use a automotive soap as to not strip the 365 off.

Mike

[The Guz]

How about ONR washes followed by opti-seal as a drying aid every two weeks. It will keep the trucks cleaned and sealed. Both products are cost effective.

[AutowerxDetailing]

To compound, polish, and seal 30 trucks sounds like 30 days worth of work. How will they be maintained? If they will just be driven through the car wash or washed with some sort of brush on a pole they will be swirled out in no time. If the goal is to keep them shiny and protected to project a professional image you'll want something like an all-in-one polish/sealant. One pass of HD Speed (or equivalent) and then washed with a wash/wax type soap in between should help keep them looking spiffy enough to wow your company's clients.

[DBAILEY]

30 trucks is a lot. How about you use DG501 as the AIO instead of compound/polish for a deep clean, mild polish and solid protection. Then top with DG111 to extend the durability and use AW whenever the trucks get washed. Available in gallon size. The prices are very good and you get outstanding durability.

The DG501 will correct some, so match your pad to your need. I've been doing this on a buddy's Dodge Ram that is black. He bought it used and it was quite swirled. After the third time doing this, using a green heavy polishing pad and Makita BO6040 in forced rotation mode, the truck is almost completely corrected. I expect to be able to switch to a white polishing pad next time to see if I can get a bit more gloss out of the DG501.

[james751993]

You could try finish kare 1000P. Very good durability and gives a great gloss to the paint. :)
I like SirTanon's idea about incentives for drivers to keep the trucks maintained.

[GSKR]

A nice wash and with hydro 2 clean the glass dress the tires.That would be the easiest way to maintain a fleet that large and not have to kill yourself.

[connor]

Usually the trucks are washed with a pressure washer with a fairly low pressure tip and an autozone contraption, kinda like a knobby mit on a pole. I've been thinking that a foam cannon would be a good addition to the pw, as to reduce the amount of times people feel the need to use a brush/sponge. The swirling is the least of our issue right now, most of the paint is hazy and oxidized, and resembles more of a purple than a black. The compound and polish killed that on the few trucks I have done so far. Once we can tackle oxidation and the like, we will worry about swirls.

We ordered klasse high gloss and megs m21 and are going to see which suits us better in the long run. Over the winter we do fleet maintenance and this winter we will be compounding, polishing, and sealing trucks. We aren't doing the beds on most of the trucks (mostly dumps, flatbeds, utility bodies, rollback, etc.) and it doesn't take a long time to hit just a single cab.