Detailing Regiment

[matts13f150]

Hey all. So I just bought a 13 tuxedo black F150 XLT SCAB. Since she sat on the lot for a year the paint definitely has it`s issues. I`m sure she was "detailed" by the lot attendants multiple times. There is some water spotting, scratches and swirls, and a light scratch at the front of the back half door, where it meets the front door. Also the dealer included the "First Place Finish" products with my purchase. There`s a product in there called "exterior renewer" that I`m kinda sketchy on. So my plans for her are as follows:

1) Wash with Chemical Guys citrus wash
2) Decontaminate with Iron X
3) Re-wash
4) Dry with sheeting and blot method
5) Clay (probably Megs or Clay Magic Blue)
6) Polish with Blackfire SRC and an orange pad
7) Finish Polish with Blackfire Gloss Enhancing and a black or blue pad
8) Seal with Blackfire wet diamond
9) Wax with Dodo Juice Purple Haze.

Any suggestions or changes you guys can give me would be awesome. Also, if anyone has any knowledge for the first place finish products and whether they`re worth anything, please chime in.

[Stokdgs]

Congrats on a really nice truck. I have had a couple of new Ford trucks in the past and their paintwork is really nice.. My last was a Black F150 Harley Davidson... Should have kept it...

What machine are you planning on using ???

I have had way great success with ClayMagic Blue for years...
You can even clean it with Blackfire claybar cleaner and it doesnt break it down... This is also a great product if you are still using claybars..

Your paint should be on the harder side... You will know as soon as you run your machine and product over it..
If you are using Rotary power, it will be faster to correct and very clear, as long as you know how to use the tool, pad, and product/s..

Its black, I have had too many black cars to count and there is my beautiful `09 Grand Cherokee in Black in the garage.. Opti-Guard applied in early 2011 and still looking great...
I like not having to deal with black paint defects now, and have long passed the "lets try out a new product this week" stage....

Blackfire has been making great products long before they came into existence as Autopia.. You can trust their products - especially the newest ones, to really do great things...
Their Support staff is also really, really, great...

You will need a few pads - not just one... Several of the ones that are going to do the correcting and a few of the others for polishing..

You will need a good pad cleaner to clean them.. Depending on where you live, it may take more than 24 hours to dry them..

If you have Rotary, you can spin them at the highest speed and speed up drying...
No, I never put my pads in the Dryer...

Good luck !
Dan F

[matts13f150]

Hey Dan, Thanks! I`m planning on using a porter cable, since I`ve never machine polished before. I`m planning on two or three of each pad to get the job done. Considering the truck sat on the lot for a year before it was sold, the paint is in decent shape and pretty free of swirls and scratches, so my main concern is removing the water spotting and drip trails from water coming out under the badges. I also need to polish the glass too. Although, I am on the fence about wax now. I may pull the trigger on the black ice...

[mrclean81]

You are definitely on the right track as far as products and process go. I can honestly say that Black Ice is the best looking, longest lasting wax Ive ever used. Its pricey, but well worth it in my opinion. As for glass, CarPro`s Ceriglass is a great choice.

[matts13f150]

I appreciate the input, I was a little apprehensive about my process. Still not sure what to use on the exterior chrome trim to remove any water spotting. Do I need different products for the plastic chrome (grille, door handles) than the metal chrome (bumpers, wheels)? I am definitely leaning heavily to the black ice, especially since you say it`s long lasting. I`ll be able to do a maintenance wash every week or two at the most. What are some of your favorite non stripping shampoos?

[Stokdgs]

Matt ,
You will want to run the P/C at full speed once you get the hang of it..
It will rotate more if you get the 5" pads and the Backing Plate for them, than the larger pads...
its a truck so lots of long straight areas, so it will take longer, but the faster rotation will be better if it was me... I use Rotary power so I get all the direct drive rotation I want and need..

You can also use your compound or polish on the exterior pieces and the glass, or get the car-pro ceriglass product - it rocks ! Used it many times to clean up bad looking glass..

There are dozens of non stripping car wash products..
I like to use Chemical Guys Citrus Wash Clear or Optimum Car Wash..
Either make great suds and are slippery.. You dont have to dump a whole lot in the bucket if you dont want to and they will still work great..

Its a black truck, try to keep the surface wet, the soap slippery, and a lot of it, and a good wash mitt.. I have had great success with chenille type mitts and saw that they sell a nice orange one at Target... Keep it rinsed clean and look at it a lot to make sure you dont have something not orange color in it, that might scratch your paint..

The BlackFire Black Ice product has made a lot of people happy who can afford to buy it.. I know for sure, even years ago, their liquid and wax products were killer good, and this one takes it even higher in terms of gloss and durability...

Figure you take your time on this and dont rush anything, ok? Its not a race unless you want it or have to do it that way.. Much easier to take your time, learn as you go, try different things and get it done right the first time...

Perhaps where you live, there is someone here who can talk to you or help, etc... ??

Good luck !
Dan F

[matts13f150]

Dan, again, thank you! Your input is invaluable to me. One last question for you guys, then I think I`ll be set. Since I have the chrome package on mine that means chrome wheels. after I hit them with a power ball and get them shined up, is Megs NXT ok for them? I know NXT is technically a sealant and not a wax, and I have a completely unused bottle. So can I safely use NXT on the wheels and should I put a coat of wax on them after the NXT?

[Stokdgs]

Matt,
Glad to help along with the other guys here !
Anytime you can get a product to coat the wheels longer than a wax, that is always a good thing.
Anything to help keep brake dust from getting all over the wheels and sticking to them is really nice..
A sealant will always be better than a wax, which because it is a wax, will tend to attract dust.. Wheels get hot and most waxes will not be there long anyway.. But they sure will make the wheels look great !!
Decide what amount of trade-off you can accept and use the product accordingly...

I Opti-Coated my wheels completely, inside and out awhile back and now it is so easy to clean them, I cant believe I waited so long to do this...

There are a lot of products that are good for wheels besides the pricey coatings - Rejex comes to mind as a product that really works great on wheels too, and its not nearly as expensive as any of the coatings out here today..
Looks like you are about ready to go !!!
Good luck with this -
Dan F

[Todd@RUPES]

Hey all. So I just bought a 13 tuxedo black F150 XLT SCAB. Since she sat on the lot for a year the paint definitely has it`s issues. I`m sure she was "detailed" by the lot attendants multiple times. There is some water spotting, scratches and swirls, and a light scratch at the front of the back half door, where it meets the front door. Also the dealer included the "First Place Finish" products with my purchase. There`s a product in there called "exterior renewer" that I`m kinda sketchy on. So my plans for her are as follows:

1) Wash with Chemical Guys citrus wash
2) Decontaminate with Iron X
3) Re-wash
4) Dry with sheeting and blot method
5) Clay (probably Megs or Clay Magic Blue)
6) Polish with Blackfire SRC and an orange pad
7) Finish Polish with Blackfire Gloss Enhancing and a black or blue pad
8) Seal with Blackfire wet diamond
9) Wax with Dodo Juice Purple Haze.

Any suggestions or changes you guys can give me would be awesome. Also, if anyone has any knowledge for the first place finish products and whether they`re worth anything, please chime in.

Couple things that pop off in my mind...

After washing and Iron-X, there is no need to really wash again, just rinse very thoroughly. Then clay...

While that is a good way to dry the car after it`s corrected, if its already scratches, just wipe it clean...

If you are using Dodo Juice Purple Haze after BF Wet Diamond, then make sure that the Wet Diamond has at least 12 hours to cure. If you go with BLACKFIRE Midnight Sun, you can apply the wax sooner.

[PapaChop]

Every time I see this thread subject and it says "Detailing Regiment" I think of a Regiment (similar to a Brigade, approximately 2,000-3,000 Soldiers) of Detailers...

[Swanicyouth]

Only thing I would change is I would skip the BF GEP and possibly replace it with an ultra fine finishing polish - if necessary. GEP is a paint cleaner with no cut that I know of, so it`s sort of not necessary after correction.

However, it does have a glaze component - so maybe you are going for that. If you want a glaze to add some pop, I`d probably correct the paint and go with PB`s Black Hole.

[matts13f150]

So I`m bumping my own thread here...

An update on my approach to correction. Firstly, let me say I found my first random deep scratch on the truck today. Needless to say I`m not happy.

After some intensive reading and research both here and on the detailed image website, I have decided to add Menzerna SF 4000 (PO106FAP) and white pads as my first step product. I opted not to go with the BF SRC as I don`t think I need that much cut with the condition of my paint. I also plan to do a wipe down with IPA before the wet diamond. Everything else will remain the same.

Question I have is, I`ve heard the Menzerna polishes have a very long work time. So with this long work time, does that mean I can cover more panel with less polish? From what I`ve read, three dime (or smaller) sized drops on a pad with no priming is more than enough with the work time that these polishes have...

[Todd@RUPES]

So I`m bumping my own thread here...

An update on my approach to correction. Firstly, let me say I found my first random deep scratch on the truck today. Needless to say I`m not happy.

After some intensive reading and research both here and on the detailed image website, I have decided to add Menzerna SF 4000 (PO106FAP) and white pads as my first step product. I opted not to go with the BF SRC as I don`t think I need that much cut with the condition of my paint. I also plan to do a wipe down with IPA before the wet diamond. Everything else will remain the same.

Question I have is, I`ve heard the Menzerna polishes have a very long work time. So with this long work time, does that mean I can cover more panel with less polish? From what I`ve read, three dime (or smaller) sized drops on a pad with no priming is more than enough with the work time that these polishes have...

A longer worked time doesn`t directly correlate to being able to a larger area, just means that you can work longer.

[tropicsteve]

Every time I see this thread subject and it says "Detailing Regiment" I think of a Regiment (similar to a Brigade, approximately 2,000-3,000 Soldiers) of Detailers...

ok, let`s turn the spell checker back on , it should read "regimen". now we cun all sleap batter at nite.

[Ronkh]

ok, let`s turn the spell checker back on , it should read "regimen". now we cun all sleap batter at nite.

Spell checker still would have approved regiment