Winter Clean up tips?

[USMCAMMOMAN]

Hello everyone,

I would like your tips and feedback on detailing after winter. My F-150 has some rust colored spots on the paint that won't just wash off. I think they are caused by the chemicals sprayed on the highways and city streets. What steps would you take

1. Hand wash & dry
2. do you think a clay bar would remove these spots? or some type of cleaner wax?
3. Sealant or wax?

I don't own a buffer of any sort. Thinking about getting myself a DA buffer. Recommendations for casual user? Would only do my own vehicles.

Thanks for your comments.

[AeroCleanse]

Claying should take care of the rust spots.

[embolism]

might also want to hit them with some IronX

[slickooz]

Hello everyone,

I would like your tips and feedback on detailing after winter. My F-150 has some rust colored spots on the paint that won't just wash off. I think they are caused by the chemicals sprayed on the highways and city streets. What steps would you take

1. Hand wash & dry
2. do you think a clay bar would remove these spots? or some type of cleaner wax?
3. Sealant or wax?

I don't own a buffer of any sort. Thinking about getting myself a DA buffer. Recommendations for casual user? Would only do my own vehicles.

Thanks for your comments.

Welcome to AG!
I would power wash the car. If you don't have one bring it to a touchless car wash, they should have 3-5 bays with power wash.

I would recommend you get a Griot DA polisher. Its one of the more powerful DA in the market. Get some orange and white LC flats and maybe surbuf pads for the more studburn stuff. Get Meguair's 105/205.

[USMCAMMOMAN]

might also want to hit them with some IronX

What is IronX, wax of some sort?

[BobbyG]

To Autogeek online!

Cleaning winters grime and crud off your vehicle during a cold winter can be somewhat challenging to say the least...

Items

• Clean 5 gallon bucket with lid
• Car wash soap
• Car washing brush or sponge
• Spray wheel & tire cleaner
• Wheel & tire brush
• $1 bills
• Waterproof gloves

Before heading to your local wash, mix up a solution of hot water and your favorite car wash soap. Place this and the other items securely in the back of your truck and you're ready to go.

At the car wash you'll want to use the high pressure water and NO SOAP. The idea is to blast off as much of those winter deposits as possible before soaping it down with your own solution, not theirs

Don't forget to do the undercarriage including the wheel wells... Clean the wheels and tires next.

Now wash your truck from the top down with your brush and soapy solution carefully going over each section several times then rinse with water only. Do this until the truck is nice and clean.

Use a clay bar and solution those pesky rust spots.

If you can, dry the exterior with a Microfiber guzzler towel..

Sealant

Menzerna Power Lock

Wax

Collinite 845

[FastZR1]

Ammo man,
Where are you located? If you're in my neck of the woods we may be able to try some clay or other products before you go buy a bunch of stuff. I have a lot of products.
Fellow Marine here living in Jacksonville, NC.

[USMCAMMOMAN]

Ammo man,
Where are you located? If you're in my neck of the woods we may be able to try some clay or other products before you go buy a bunch of stuff. I have a lot of products.
Fellow Marine here living in Jacksonville, NC.

FASTZR1 I left NC in 2007 and retired in 2009. I'm now in Iowa, and the winter really does a number on the truck. Semper Fi.

[USMCAMMOMAN]

To Autogeek online!

Cleaning winters grime and crud off your vehicle during a cold winter can be somewhat challenging to say the least...

Items

• Clean 5 gallon bucket with lid
• Car wash soap
• Car washing brush or sponge
• Spray wheel & tire cleaner
• Wheel & tire brush
• $1 bills
• Waterproof gloves

Before heading to your local wash, mix up a solution of hot water and your favorite car wash soap. Place this and the other items securely in the back of your truck and you're ready to go.

At the car wash you'll want to use the high pressure water and NO SOAP. The idea is to blast off as much of those winter deposits as possible before soaping it down with your own solution, not theirs

Don't forget to do the undercarriage including the wheel wells... Clean the wheels and tires next.

Now wash your truck from the top down with your brush and soapy solution carefully going over each section several times then rinse with water only. Do this until the truck is nice and clean.

Use a clay bar and solution those pesky rust spots.

If you can, dry the exterior with a Microfiber guzzler towel..

Sealant

Menzerna Power Lock

Wax

Collinite 845

Thanks for the tips!! I don't have much experience with the clay bar. I've been reading some other posts and looking at the video on how to clay. In the event the clay bar does not remove these spots, what would the next alternative be? Would a cleaner wax work? Brands?? Is the stuff you pick up at Wal-mart sufficent?

[S2K]

I washed, clayed and waxed a white Honda last year in Michigan and it had small rust colored spots on it too. The clay got some of them but not all and I worked them pretty hard because it bugged me I couldn't get rid of them. Didn't have access to ironite or anything else so just had to leave them there and push on. But I would look into the Ironite, I have read some good stuff about it on here.