Detailing Routines?

[Josh Ortiz]

Well first off, I have a 2002 estate green ST. I'm 17 and it's my first truck, my grandma got a new Wrangler & passed the ST on to me. I was just wondering if yall have any specific routines/products yall use when detailing. I want to get a routine set up where I use the same things in the same routine each time. I don't have a huge budget for cleaning, but I'm willing to spend quite a bit so that she's cleaned up good.



There are a few other things I've been thinking about.

--Tires, wheel wells, & grey cladding.....I really want something that'll make them look dark & nice & new but not really greasy. I live in south Texas so dust is sometimes an issue. It tends to stick to anything greasy.



BTW, I've already got the interior down. I'm gonna pull all the seats out & clean under them real good to try & get some of the smell out (7 years of ketchup packets & candy fallin into every crevice:blink. Then, I'm having the seats redone in leather.



Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[swshawaii]

Josh- Many posts on the "projects" board. Exterior / Interior categories and more.

I am not going into specifics, but use Meguiar products almost exclusively on my Trac.

The only exception is Zymol for wax. Have used it for many years on different vehicles with good results.

I have not used a water hose or bucket yet, although my ST never leaves the pavement.



P.S.- Pretty cool ride for a 17 year old. My first car was a "handed down" '65 T-Bird with a 390 V-8. (When 95 Octane was 35 cents per gallon) LOL

Second car was a '70 Boss 429 'Stang. Trading her in was the the biggest regret of my life. Only 499 were made.They command unbelievable prices in restored condition.

 

[Chad Merry]

I use the local car wash. It is 5 bucks for a wash and it dries the ST as well. Never used wax on my ST. I need to find someone who will educate me on waxing my truck.

 

[Robert Caffyn]

Try the link below, I've been using thier products for about 10 years now. I'm pretty much a stickler for detail and try to keep my truck looking new. My routine is wash, dry, clay bar/speed shine then machine polish, carnuba wax. Under the truck is next, then wheel wells and finally rims and tires, I always work from the top down. Unfortunately it takes time and money to do that. But this company can at least get you started, as they have "packages" available that contain some or many of thier products. If this isn't what you were lookin' for, I've always trusted Mothers products. Lots of good stuff. Bob



PS: welcome to the wonderful world of Sport Tracs, stay in touch and let us know how it all turns out. (pictures always help)

[Broken External Image]:

 

[ray moyer]

i wash my truck every week at a local car wash for $5



then detail it every other day depending on how dusty it gets



wax and polish 4 different times a year

befor winter

mid winter

after winter

mid summer



clay bar 2x a year

end of summer and end of winter



tire shine, black magic matte finish

nu finish polish

meg NXT wax

mothers back to black



use the mothers powerball or a buffer to speed things up a little



wd-40 in the wheel wells helps keep the mud off between washes

 

[John Z]

I am also an avid user of Griot's products (like Bob C) is on my ST, and most every other car, or truck I have owned. You pay more for their stuff, but the results are wonderful. I have also used their Bumper and Trim conditioner, on my bupers and side panels. That product has restored them like new!!!

 

[FlipTrac_511]

I mainly use Mothers products. I usually wash my Trac about every 3 weeks to a month. By this time water has stopped beading or the paint is no longer smooth to the touch. This means there is no more wax protecting the paint (namely from bird droppings) and the sun is taking more toll on the paint.



I do a full detail on it every Spring. This includes claybar, polish (to physically buff out fine scratches), glaze (to hide scratches uncorrected by polish), and finally wax (the actual layer that provides protection). In Mothers parlance this is known as the Ultimate Wax System (UWS). Prep work includes application of Back to Black to all plastic and rubber trim to prevent white stains of polish/wax. This is in lieu of laying down masking tape everywhere to prevent stains just the same. It is time consuming but gives the added benefit of keeping the trim dark and provides some protection against the sun.



Again, this exceptional 3-step detailing is extremly time consuming and done only annually, after which regular washing and waxing is done to maintain it. I'm quick to remove any bird droppings too with quick-detailing spray, otherwise they will etch permanent spots into the paint.



I've recently discovered Mothers Reflections Car Wax and Top Coat provide a very nice glossy and dark appearance similar to what I previously experienced with Meguiars original NXT tech wax. It goes on and off easily and not as time consuming as the UWS. But this product hides (minor) scratches, not correct them as does the UWS. The horizontal surfaces on my Trac (roof, hood, and painted tonneau) are hit hardest by dirt and the elements so I find myself waxing these areas more frequently than the rest of the truck. Did I mention my Trac is not garaged?



For the wheel wells I use a 4:1 mixture of Meguiars water-based Hyper Dressing. Ever since I've started using this product, the wells have remained like new. What debris sticks on is easily sprayed off by water. This mixture also works great on a clean engine bay. I've used Black Magic Engine degreaser (discontinued?) and Simple Green to clean the engine bay first.



For the tires, I've used various dressings. Many are worth more trouble than they are worth and for now I've settled with Meguiars tire foam. Dressing builds up over time and I will strip the tires of them with Bleche-Wite. Potent stuff but it's the only purpose-made stuff I know of. To reapply dressing I found that using a wheel shield nicely prevents overspray from getting on my chrome wheels. It is one of my more frivolous detailing products that sees regular use and I'm glad to have invested in.



In a nutshell, claybar the whole truck then polish and wax. It is a good, fundamental start. From there, just maintain with regular washing. Wax when needed, to keep smooth, shiny and protected (from droppings, water spots, and the sun). Polish if you ever feel like physically correcting minor scratches (swirls and spider-webbing) and not just hiding them by glazing them over. Use good products and technique to avoid scratching the paint yourself. Don't skimp on high-qualtiy micro fiber drying towels!



Remember: Good technique and products!

 

[Mark K 2]

I let the rain wash my truck. I clean the windsheild twice a year and the side windows once a year. I throw the berber floor mats in the washing machine every spring. That's about it. You'd be surprised how many people tell me how clean my truck is.

 

[gary s]

welcome & congrats on your trac.



i suffer from O.C.D. and a clean vehicle inside & out at all time is must :lol:



any commercial product does well for me. the only thing i will never use is wheel cleaner/degreaser. it will eat thru the clear coat on your wheels and cause permanent streaking & discolour.



good luck

 

[James Kerr]

I usually let the rain clean my truck. After a while a load of black grime builds up and I'm forced to wash it with some soap. I had a profesional clean it the other day cause it was full of love bugs. The truck came out way to clean, he even put armour all on the tires. I felt embarrased driving around with shiny tires. I took the truck off road today in part to dirty it up a bit but its hasn't rained in a few days so it was just a bit dusty, my tires are still too shiny. :angry:

 

[Mark K 2]

The truck came out way to clean, he even put armour all on the tires. I felt embarrased driving around with shiny tires.

My brother put that shining crap on my tires while I was mowing his lawn a few years ago. That sh!t is hard to get off. It took a bucket of hot water mixed with a little acetone and a damn good scrub brush to get it all off.

 

[Sal Adinolfi]

1: Work to get a bunch of Cash..

2: Bring it to Automobilia.

3: Let a person that knows what he is doing do it..

4: Pay the Bill..



I wash is at least once a month my self. Just to know what nicks and dings there are. but the Detail I let the Pros do it.. would take me a weekend to do. and it takes them about 6 hours. to do a FULL detail.

 

[HARRY DREYER]

If you're planning on doing it yourself you can't go wrong with Mother's products. I've also used Liquid Glass to seal my ST. When you get to cleaning the interior, taking out your seats is the right idea the 1st time (get it done right the 1st time). I recommend using Spray-Nine at a 50/50 concentrate. It's a very good degreaser and cleaner. I personally think if you use that and just wipe down your interior instead of using any kind of sylicone-base lube inside your vehicle it will last longer and stay cleaner and besides the sheen from the sylicone, everything sticks to it.