wash/wax

[pfaiazza]

i was wondering what everyone uses for cleaning the interior and exterior of there trucks, i didnt see any threads on it recently so i thought i would start one!

the reason this came up was also because i need to get some new stuff for my truck! and was considering many different brands and such!

so if ya want, list what you use on yours! including any special towels or microfibers you like!

 

[exbass94]

Mother's wax leaves a beautiful finish, but does not last long at all. If you want your truck looking awesome but don't mind waxing it often, go with Mothers. Meguiars is also really good and lasts longer. You can't really go wrong with either brand. I also like using the Mother's clay bar. Leaves and incredibly smooth finish. It's pretty time-consuming to apply though. You gotta be sure to always keep a coat of wax on it so you don't have to do it again too soon.

 

[97BlackBetty]

My washing experience usually starts with a pressure washer on the exterior and under carriage. Then I pull the drain plugs in the cab and let a hose run inside for a few minutes. I use a cheap brush and boat soap that removes wax to wash the exterior and then I follow up with 3M liquid Scotchguard Wax. Interior I use a towel to wipe the dash off and a little glass cleaner. I sometimes vacuum the seats with my moms "good" vacuum cleaner. *She gets mad*

 

[skinner]

Wax makes a huge difference. I'm a HUGE fan of Maguires gold class wax. Mothers does a nice job as well. Don't waste your time with the cheapos.

 

[triumphrider-1]

I usually use Mother's clay bar kit once or twice a year and wax my truck about once a month using Turtle Wax w/Carnuba (the turtle wax spray stuff just sucks). If you have a black paint I would suggest using Ebony cleaner/polisher, stuff is AMAZING, then following with a high quality wax.

Interior I usually vacuum out once a month unless it get too dirty for my liking before then. Then follow up with some Armor All on the plastic pieces and then clean the glass.

 

[wrecking-crew]

my firends uncle uses meguiers. it turned a bland faded red/pink colored s-10 back to its former red glory with the 3 step wax stuff. the meguiers plastix works good on faded out light lenses and interior guage glass. armor all wash-n-wax soap is really good. also if you have black plastic trim the bondo back-to-black works wonders. i use rain-x window cleaner for the outside of my trucks and sprayway glass cleaneron the inside(can get it at ace hardware house cleaning section).

 

[dburton07]

during the summer i wash my truck about every other 2-3 weeks or so, winter about every other week where sometimes i go to the pressure wash thingy and do it myself, somtimes to the crappy automated one (cheaper and im feelin lazy) the summer i do it myself with some purple stuff, cant remember the name. i dont wax it though, not worth the time polishing a 15 yr old peice of poop

 

[martin]

wash? wax? what's that.

 

[alaskan155]

turtle wax mabye every 2 or 3 years and i use tuff stuff(thinks that what it is) or that turtle interior cleaner, both have that built in brush from wal-mart to clean the interior

 

[rangerbum]

I work in a Hertz rentacar Washbay so I use all the soap/water and misc. crap we have there. I love the AutoMagic Vinyl cleaner for my interior, since it is ALL rubber or vinyl inside. I'll use any product made by "Mother's" or "Meguire's" for waxes, engine detail, and wheel polish. P.S. Love the powerball polisher.

 

[BigJohn76]

Mequires is alright but i have always been a fan of Mothers. that is all we ever used on our vehicles at carshows and we won quite a few of em. thats all my father ever used and i trusted him. he was a wise man.

 

[RangerMan64]

I've always been a Meguiar's guy. Never been disappointed with any of their products.

 

[pfaiazza]

ive always heard good things about meguiars and mothers, i was just at a swap meet and they were selling a kit with 1 gallon of meguiars nxt generation wash, 2.0 wax a microfibre applicator tire spray and rim cleaner for 50 CAD

i wish i wooda picked it up! but there is this stuff called chemical guys and i really wanna try it! but i dont wanna order it and i think its the only way!

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

There used to be a thread or two on this in the exterior forum...

I have a bit of a collection going of stuff... I'll list what I can remember offhand...

Meguire's Gold Class wax (I tried a couple different waxes and when I first applied this stuff I wasn't sure it really did anything different... a couple days later I was convinced, it really enhanced the depth of the metallic finish on my Ranger and really brought the glitter out in it, looked really sweet)

Meguire's ScratchX (not overly impressed, works ok for light/fine scratches)
Meguire's PlasticX
Mother's Cleaner Wax
Mother's Back-To-Black
Mother's Chrome Polish
Armor-All Auto Glass Cleaner
Armor-All Ultra-Shine Protectant
Armor-All Original
Armor-All Car Wash Wipes
Armor-All Extreme Tire Shine Gel (I think it's Armor-All, it comes in an orange bottle)
Blue Coral Wash-n-Wax (I may end up going with something else when this bottle is kicked)
Blue Coral Upolstery Cleaner (works half decent actually, it even got an old coffee stain out)
Black Magic tire shine (bottle of thick silicone-based stuff, I use it on door seals an stuff)
California Duster thing, works good for cleaning a thin film of dust off the vehicle.

I got towels from Wal-Mart... they seem to work good (I got one package of ones for drying off a vehicle but they were so tiny that I took to using them for wiping out door jambs an such and use a big towel an water blade for the rest of the truck.

 

[stringburner]

I try to wash my truck at least once a week if I can. This mostly involves a high pressure carwash followed by chamoising it off w/ an Absorber" rag doohickey, including the door jambs. I focus on the wheel wheels and undercarriage too. I don't want any dirt/mud laying in the fender lips or any ledges under the truck, or trapped in any of the exterior trim pieces. Armor All Tire shine on the tires, clean the wheels, and Invisible Glass on all the exterior glass/mirrors. If there are any bugs on the front clip, i'll wax them off. It's a lot easier to keep them at by if you do it often.

Interior I use Plexus Plastic Cleaner on all of the interior surfaces. It's not cheap, but it's an amazing product. It was developed for the aviation industry, and it's the only cleaner spec.'ed for the military stealth aircraft. Then a vacuuming/brushing of the fabrics and floor, and spot cleaning of any areas of the vinyl flooring/seats that need attention. I never use Armor All on the interior. I hate the shine, it's sticky/greasy, and it builds up a residue. It also releases gasses that put a film on your windshield.

Otherwise, I try to wax it once every month or two, scrub the interior flooring, and detail the whole truck. The truck looks remarkable for a 2003.