Newbie question

[mlp021]

Hey folks,
Just got my first non beater truck (2015 Toyota Tacoma) and want to keep it looking sharp. Have a few questions and potential product recommendation requests as well.

Car Shampoo
Do the waterless car wash systems offer anything over the traditional car wash? I have access to free water, so unless they are somehow better - I'll stick with a traditional car wash. These are the two soaps I've been using. Is there anything else out there I should try?

Griots Car Wash
Chemical Guys Citrus

Quick Detailer
I bought some Griots Speed Shine to use as a clay lube and love the smell and the stuff. Unless there is something else out there as good or better, I'll stick with this stuff.

Griots Speed Shine

Wax
I'm new to waxing and picked up some Meguiars Ultimate liquid wax and was impressed. But, is there something out better and still as easy to apply?

Meguiars Ultimate liquid wax

Spray Wax
I've never used a spray wax before, but picked up some Griots Spray Wax. Are there any special tricks to using this stuff?

Griots Spray Wax

Clay bar
I picked up a Nonskin as opposed to a traditional clay bar. The clay bar is a little intimidating to me still. Will probably go with a Mothers or Meguiars clay bar - but, is there a better one on the market?

My truck is not a show piece and is kept outside 24/7. It is driven daily, but I want to keep it looking sharp.

How often should I wash my truck versus quick detailing it/waterless shampoo/cleanng it?

Any other tricks to keep it looking good?

Thank you for your help and suggestions in advance.

[Paul A.]

First off, congrats on the new truck! I do both ONR (rinseless wash) and traditional 2 bucket washes. My frequency on traditional washes is weekly (rain or shine). I will succumb to an ONR wash midweek if it has rained or i my ride gets prematurely dirty. In my opinion, nothing beats a traditional 2 bucket wash...well i should say using my foam gun and a bucket for rinse with grit guard. The 2 wash products you mentioned are fine. I am now solely using Duragloss 901/902. Its relatively inexpensive too and does a phenomenal job for me on my black BMW. I also use ONR religiously when machine buffing to remove any dust/splatter or if i'm doing a vehicle overnight and return to machining the next day. A quick wipe with ONR and a WWMF towel dry and i'm more comfortable taking the machine to that panel again.

I will also say the benefits of a FULL decontamination cannot ever be understated. I didn't see you mention any iron or ferrous metal removal. I use Iron X and am a strong proponent of seeing what it removes. And there are many different "iron" removal products out there that do the same or similar. I will say the new 3D Brake product has piqued my interest. I do that step before claying. As a result my clay/nanoskin effort yields less contamination. That fact in my experience along with seeing it react and turn purple is enough to convince me it removes something anyway. The nanoskin is a good method for "claying" however i still use clay for smaller areas or heavily contaminated areas. If i were to break it down in areas i would probably say nanoskin is used on about 75% of the paint and clay pieces used on 25%...basically, to me, there is still a benefit to using traditional clay pieces on some parts of the vehicle and its not as difficult or as scary as you might think. Just keep a clean ziplock baggie handy to sample the areas, both before AND after. Plenty of lube is used and i mix up some wash soap and distilled water in a spray bottle for that. For me its economical that way although Griots Speed Shine is perfectly fine...just more expensive in the long run to get lube than wash soap (my opinion here so take that for what its worth).

I've been applying Blackfire sealant to my car for over a year and love it. The Meg's waxes are superb though and you can't go wrong with them. Another favorite of mine is Collinite 845 and has surprised me with its durability...even in FL!

I also use a QD after washing and drying. My new favorite is Pinnacle Crystal Mist however anything from AG and compatible with your LSP is a good choice. For my customers that have preferred a hybrid "wax" or straight carnauba (why? I'm still not sure), i love Finish Kare 425 as a QD after their maint washes.

Again, congrats brotha, on the new truck and best of luck with it...both mechanically and aesthetically!

[Ricorocks]

@Puckman

1. What do you use to apply Iron X?
2. Is the 5 min wait, after the whole car was applied & sponged?
3. What do you mask off?
4. Approx how much do u use, for a job?

Thanks
Rico

[Paul A.]

@Puckman

1. What do you use to apply Iron X?
2. Is the 5 min wait, after the whole car was applied & sponged?
3. What do you mask off?
4. Approx how much do u use, for a job?

Thanks
Rico

I spray it with the included sprayer that came with it however admit to not really covering every square inch of paint. I then spritz a ProLine grout sponge (Lowes/Home Depot) with 2-3 sqirts and work VERY LIGHTLY the sprayed product to get 100% on that section. Remember, the car hasn't been clayed yet and light pressure (and i mean very light pressure) is your friend. I work it in sections at a time to isolate the set up "sit" time and to insure i'm happy with that panel before moving on.

The wait time is to allow it to dwell and infiltrate the particles on the paint coupled with AVOIDING drying it out. I have my test panel (my old BMW trunk lid) sprayed with a shot or two of product and time about how long it takes to dry that day...weather conditions affect it...then know roughly how long i can let it sit before rinsing it off.

The only thing i mask off is wheel weights (if accessible) and when doing wheels. I have no problem with it getting on trim, chrome, glass etc. and have even seen it "purple and run" on those areas!

I use about half to 3/4 of the 500ML bottle so maybe 250ML or 8-10 ounces per average sized vehicle.

[Ricorocks]

I was thinking @next full detail.

Strip wash 1 oz CG's Citrus Wash/ 1 gal.

Then Iron X.

So your doing a panel Iron X, + sponge, wait 5 min. rinse, then move onto the next panel.

That seems to make sense, If you did the whole car Iron X + sponge, the areas done first, would have considerably more dwell time than the last section. Just checking to see if my thinking is correct.:confused:

What's the diff. btwn grout sponge & the big yellow sponge at Home Depot?

Thanks
Rico

[Paul A.]

I wouldn't say "panel" at a time, its more like larger section at a time. I may do all of one side of a moderately sized vehicle because it can be done so quickly. I'll gauge about how long it may take to dry and get as much of an area within that time. I like to let it work as long as it really wants to to dissolve what it found and what that means is apply it by spray, spread it for coverage by sponge and let it sit and work doing its thang. Then a thorough rinse off. Yes, i focus on its effective dwell time to work best.

Its really easy to use and i'm making it sound like a precise science here...it isn't. You'll get used to how easy it is. Just don't let it dry HOWEVER i have a couple of times when i first started using it. When that happened i sprayed a little more on that area and wiped it off then rinsed. And that was on my wife's car (hee hee) and there have been NO problems with paint or anything else on those sections since. I sprayed it to her entire car and the oldest areas dried a bit.

[Ricorocks]

Thanks Amigo

[Paul A.]

No problem signor but that's just how i use it. Some may differ and that's all good and why we're here! :dblthumb2: