newbie with new Dodge Ram Quad

[bfhammer]

I just bought Ram 2500 Quad cab in flame red and while looking up things to keep it in great shape I came across this site. It has an unlimited powertrain warranty and I bumped the bumper to bumper to unlimited as well so it`s rather important for me to keep this truck in great shape as I`ll still have it 10 years down the road or more. My eldest truck the 95 Ram with 300k miles was missing most of the paint off the hood and roof and had been relegated to plowing my mechanics farm and parts running until cash for clunkers rolled along.

It is my work truck and I put a lot of time in on the road writing estimates and plowing snow in the winter. Here in MN they put horrible amounts of chemicals on the roads, there have been time when after a night plowing my red truck looked like a salt lick and you could barely tell it was red.



I bought the Ultima 360 kit after reading the thread here for the long lasting durability as in the winter I usually have to extensively use tunnel washes or self serve washes to clean my truck and plow. I don`t have access to a garage big enough to fit the truck in, although I can bring it in to the shop at work.



While I`m plowing during a snow storm I`ll usually have snow compacting and turning to ice that will occaisionally be sliding around on the roof and hood as I work.



I`m considering purchasing this with a friend of mine and sharing it.



FLEX XC3401 VRG Orbital Polisher Kit with Free FLEX Polisher Bag, FLEX Dual Action Polisher and storage bag, FLEX bag kit (http://www.autogeek.net/flex-polisher-kit-bag.html)



Wolfgang FLEX XC3401 Polishing & Swirl Remover Kit, wolfgang polishes, flex buffer, menzerna, lake country (http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-flex-polisher-kit.html)



I`ve put 1k miles on it since I picked it up last week so I`m looking for advise on the best ways to protect it considering the harsh environments. Being that it is new will it need anything besides a wash and the Ultima? I did pick up a clay bar but I thought I`d be using that on the gal`s tribute that has never been detailed in 5 years.



Can it be waxed before or after applying the Ultima or would that be redundant or degrade the performance?



How many and what size/color pads might it take to clean this beast, Lake country seems to be the favorite here.



I had considered just getting it detailed once a year but I wasn`t particularly impressed with the job that was done on my 04 Dodge I`m trying to sell and figured the Flex would pay for itself in a year vs paying someone.







I didn`t see any information on if dodge`s paint/clear hardness, would anyone know that?



Being that it is red and swirls show up more any particular color advice? My 04 still has swirls after the detailing. The trucks are outside year round due to not having a garage large enough or tall enough.



Thanks in advance!

[bfhammer]

I haven`t bought a polisher yet but we did wash, clay, wax, and Ultima both vehicles.



Her Mazda has a strange rust streak on the hood that actually seems to be under the clear coat.



My new Ram which looked great coming from the dealer wasn`t so great after washing I noticed a ton of brush scratches and clear coat blemishes. The dealer who had it originally must have one of those old timer car washes and parked my truck near a tree. There are about 50 small circular areas on the roof and hood that didn`t come out with clay or by hand with the mother`s polishing wax that came with the clay bar.



And I`m still waiting on resolution from the government idiots on the cash for clunkers rebate.



I`m thinking of getting the PC instead of the Flex. It seems to do nearly as good from what I`ve read here and far far cheaper. I would only be using it on 2-8 vehicles throughout a year. I believe the PC is made in Mexico which is more tolerable than China, and the Flex is made in Germany or just owned by germans and made somewhere else?

[vtec92civic]

PC`s are good but take a very looooong time to do any sort of corrective work. I would personally get the Flex as it is like a PC on steroids and will get the job done.



Bfhammer . . . . to answer your question regarding the pads . . . .



you will want a couple orange pads, white pads and either black or blue.



UPGP will work good but in my honest opinion you can never have enough protection on any given vehicle.



I would go UPGP and top it off with some wax of your choice. Feel free to PM me if you have questions

[bfhammer]

I was wondering about that as the video of the flex vs PC was with the old version of the PC and there are a lot of great review on the new XP. But since I just indebted myself with that monster payment on the truck I`m in cost control mode. But after further review I think flex it is, no sense not spending a few extra bucks in comparison to the value of the new truck.