Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

[trembly01]

I recently just purchased a 2015 F 150 and am in need of some advice on how to proper car for it. The color of the truck
is a black metallic which looks gorgeous when its clean but keeping it clean is gonna be a chore. I'm coming from a small car
which I would just wash and dry every couple weeks. I really want to keep this truck looking as good as I can. What products
would anyone recommend? I was thinking about the Gold Class car wash along with UW, also there are a few small surface scratches
which I would like to try to repair, what is the best way to approach these ? I have read several posts saying to try polish first, then maybe
scratchX and finally UC if nothing else works. I can run my finger over the scratches and not feel anything so I don't think they
are deep into the paint. I'm looking for recommendations on all products......wash, wax, tire/wheel, interior. I plan on buying everything
Meguiars as my father in law swears by their products. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated !!!!

[The Guz]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

Welcome to MOL.

First and foremost I would recommend you read through this thread on the proper washing technique. Also the proper drying technique.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?41790-Meguiar-s-Quik-Tips-Video-Series-Washing

The next question is are you planning to do any sort of polishing by hand or by machine? A dual action polisher will net better results than by hand.

The first thing is determining if you need to clay or not. Prepping the surface is just as important. Google the baggie test and clay. Decontaminating the paint will allow the wax or sealant to bond to the paint and last longer as well.

It is hard to say what your paint needs. The test spot with the least aggressive liquid is the first

The ultimate line (compound, polish and wax) is always a good place to start. That should cover most of your needs.

Hot Rims All Wheel & Tire Cleaner is an excellent wheel and tire cleaner. I would recommend a tire brush to scrub the tire surface prior to applying any tire dressing.

My personal favorite Meguiar's tire dressing is D163 Tire & Trim Gel. You will not find this on at your local auto parts store.

[trembly01]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

Welcome to MOL.

First and foremost I would recommend you read through this thread on the proper washing technique. Also the proper drying technique.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?41790-Meguiar-s-Quik-Tips-Video-Series-Washing

The next question is are you planning to do any sort of polishing by hand or by machine? A dual action polisher will net better results than by hand.

The first thing is determining if you need to clay or not. Prepping the surface is just as important. Google the baggie test and clay. Decontaminating the paint will allow the wax or sealant to bond to the paint and last longer as well.

It is hard to say what your paint needs. The test spot with the least aggressive liquid is the first

The ultimate line (compound, polish and wax) is always a good place to start. That should cover most of your needs.

Hot Rims All Wheel & Tire Cleaner is an excellent wheel and tire cleaner. I would recommend a tire brush to scrub the tire surface prior to applying any tire dressing.

My personal favorite Meguiar's tire dressing is D163 Tire & Trim Gel. You will not find this on at your local auto parts store.

thanks for the info, I have been throwing the idea back and forth about claying the truck, as well as using a polish. There are a few surface scratches that I need to get out first. I've pretty much lived on this forum last 2 days reading different post about products, techniques, etc. I'm really new to the "detail" world. Before all I ever did was wash and dry my car. I have never done anything else, so I'm concerned about any damage I could inflict on the truck. What would you suggest to try first to treat the small scratches that are on the truck? also most of what I am going to be doing with be done by hand. I don't have a DA polisher, not yet anyway.

thanks

[mtiffee]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

I just lost my 2008 F-150 due to an accident. It was all black. Here was my process and will probably work well for you since your trucks is pretty new.

Wash as described all over this forum (two bucket, grit guards). I used separate mitts for the very bottom portion of the truck doors and side panels and another separate one for the rims. I found the bottom of the truck is much dirtier and I don't want to bring any of that up on to my hood.

Clay - don't skip this step. This is a must. If you don't want to clay then just take your truck to your local car wash and stop reading this forum. It's super easy and you won't mess anything up. Lubricate with a quick detailer, rub on paint, wipe with CLEAN microfiber, the re-knead clay to get clean. You usually don't need to do the entire truck but most of the more horizontal surfaces typically need more attention. If you drop the clay, THROW IT AWAY. Once you do a small section you'll quickly feel the difference.

Once you wash and clay, then you will really get a good sense of the paint and what needs to get done.

You can use scratch-x or another abrasive to get any good or deep scratches if you only have a few of them here and there.

I used #80 polish and it got rid of virtually all my swirls and scratches. Starting with pretty new paint, this is likely all you need. It's not very abrasive but enough to get rid of most swirl marks.

Wax twice with NXT 2.0

Made my truck look awesome. Nice and deep black, very reflective. Loved seeing the deep blue sky reflected on the hood.

EDIT: Oh, and get a dual action polisher. Like what they sell here. You'll use the yellow polishing pad with #80 and a finishing pad with the NXT. If you don't get a DA polisher, it will take twice as long to do your truck.

[mtiffee]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

BTW - I found an old post I made from back in 2008 that shows the results of what I did!

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?21139-Yet-another-dealer-installed-swirl-mark-what-to-do

[trembly01]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

BTW - I found an old post I made from back in 2008 that shows the results of what I did!

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ark-what-to-do

thanks for the advice......so you wouldn't clay the whole truck, just the hood and maybe top of cab? I was under the impression you
were supposed to clay the whole vehicle before applying any polish or wax? also would I clay before trying to get the scratches out? have
had any experience with ScratchX or should I use a compound/polish combo and try to get them out ?

thanks again

[Merlin]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

Oh, and get a dual action polisher. Like what they sell here. You'll use the yellow polishing pad with #80 and a finishing pad with the NXT. If you don't get a DA polisher, it will take twice as long to do your truck.

^ +1

1. You can not obtain the same results by hand that you can accomplish with a DA machine.

2. By hand: Your arms and shoulders will HATE you for a long time. Yes, they will remember.

[The Guz]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

thanks for the info, I have been throwing the idea back and forth about claying the truck, as well as using a polish. There are a few surface scratches that I need to get out first. I've pretty much lived on this forum last 2 days reading different post about products, techniques, etc. I'm really new to the "detail" world. Before all I ever did was wash and dry my car. I have never done anything else, so I'm concerned about any damage I could inflict on the truck. What would you suggest to try first to treat the small scratches that are on the truck? also most of what I am going to be doing with be done by hand. I don't have a DA polisher, not yet anyway.

thanks

If you get the ultimate line, you will have everything you need. Try ultimate polish on the scratches first and if that doesn't work move up to ultimate compound. Depending on how soft or hard the paint is, you could may notice a slight haze when using ultimate compound. Follow that up with ultimate polish as that will remove the haze. The job of a polish is to impart gloss and refine the finish.

Since you are working by hand on a large vehicle, I would recommend you spread out the work over a couple days if you do some polishing. I would recommend you pick up the Meguiar's foam applicators as well. They are some of the nicest foam applicators I have used.

One last tip is to get that bottle of advil ready as you will need it

[Merlin]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

So yes, a DA machine (I prefer 5" backing plate and Megs 5" thin foam pads) It'll make your work easier and better results.
The Megs Ultimate Compound, Polish and Ultimate Liquid wax are three great products to start out and learn "How-To" with.

My 03 F-150

[exploreco]

Re: Taking car of new Ford F 150.....recommendations needed !!!

Congrats on your new truck. Post some pics after you get it clean up and shinny. Guz and a few others on her were instrumental in showing me the light on getting a DA. This is the one I bought https://www.detailersdomain.com/coll...isher-base-kit. This kit came with a backing plate and some pads to start with. It has been a good starter polisher. I got this for keeping my wife's Toyota looking the best it could be. I started out with the Meguiars starter pack from Wal Mart but quickly started ordering Megs Detailer and other Pro line. As you are finding out, you will go though a lot of product to keep your nice looking truck clean. The bulk prices of the details line are so much more affordable than buying bottles of quick wax and quick detailer and such off the shelf at the store. And better quality in my opinion. After using the DA a few times, I don't know how I ever did a car by hand before, and the results are so much better. And then there is the Nanoskin autoscruber to use with the DA that cuts the clay bar time in half.

Anyway, good luck!