Well, after combing through the archives I figured I had enough info to go out and really clean the truck.

I decided to go with Meguiars Deep Crystal System. This consists of a Paint Cleaner, a Paint Polish, and liquid Carnuba wax.
It took me about 5 hours from start to finish. I don't know if that is slow or fast as I have never spent that much time cleaning anything (well, I have spent several hours on the bike).

Anyway, while some of the deeper scratches remain, all the swirl marks I got for free are now GONE!! The paint has a nice slick feel to it and it looks very glossy.

I reckon that I won't have to go through the whole process again until some months from now. I figure some good washing and waxing will keep her looking good.

 

she does.

 

I said this in another post but ythat is a sharp looking truck

 

What you might want to do also is spray inside the wheel wells with your tire shine. That'll make it look sharp and cleaner. I never understood why people don't do that in the first place.

It looks sharp. I had a hard time between the black and the dark gray. Stuck with the gray.

I usually take about four hours to do my truck if I can get away with it. So five hours is the right amount of time if you're doing it by hand. That Mcquiers is some awesome stuff. I've been using that system for about 11 yrs.

 

5 hours [&:] It does look sharp though, very nice.



-Matt-

 

look good man

 

Wow! Only five hours

I spent about 8 hours on my new 06 Dakota using Zaino. The results were near perfection. After driving in the rain, I noticed that it dried with barely any water spots. It's almost as if the truck was washed again and not rained on. A truly superior product (at a superior price). Here's their web site...

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

The most important parts of this process are to wash the truck with Dawn (once only) and use the clay bar. This gives you a totally clean (free of wax) and smooth surface to put the polish on. I say polish, because Zaino contains zero wax. Also, ALWAYS use 100% white cotton MADE IN THE USA towels on your vehicle. Anything else contains poly which will produce fine scratches and spider swirls on the surface. Finally, if you do Zaino your truck, DONT let the dealer wash it and DONT take it to a car wash. Once you go Zaino, you have to be in charge of your truck's finish, or else your time and money is wasted.

I dont work for these guys, but I am impressed with their product. I wont have to Zaino again until next March. If you have questions, I'm glad to respond. I should have taken a picture. See ya.

 

Thanks for the information.

I will look into Zaino's but I am pretty happy with the Meguiars. I will take your recommendation to wash with dawn and then clay the truck. While I want the truck to look good, it is still a truck an dit is gonna get used and get dirty.

 

you wrote:

"While I want the truck to look good, it is still a truck an dit is gonna get used and get dirty."

I'm laughing about that because my wife was stunned that I spent so much time on it. You're 100% correct. It kind of stinks that we have to take such beautiful vehicles and subject them to the elements. However, we do drive them as well as admire them.

The reason why I went with Zaino is mainly because of problems with tar, bug guts, and bird droppings. Regular old dirt wont do much to paint, but these things will absolutely kill your finish. I noticed a bird dropping today and it simply wiped away with no effort and no residue. Zaino leaves a coating that acts like Pam on a skillet. I'm not sure if anything will stick to it.

Remember that using Dawn will strip off all that wax you just put on. Once you use Dawn and the clay bar you either have to use Zaino or wax all over again. Good luck.

 

That is one sharp looking truck. I love the painted front valence with the chrome bumper accent piece. I always use carnauba wax. When I get enough swirl marks to warrant polishing, I will use the McGuires kit. Thanx for the tip.