Printable View
Greetings,
I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad, Black. Never really been detailed, only the touch-free car wash.
I want to wash, strip wax, polish, seal and re-wax.
What would be the best way to go about this, and can I use anything like a rotary to avoid having to do this all by hand?
Thanks,
David
Unless you`re experienced with a rotary...I wouldn`t recommend it. I did a truck like that a few years ago...it makes you realize just how HUGE they are.
If you don`t have access to a P/C or other quality orbital and are stuck doing it by hand, I would recommend breaking the job down and spreading it over a couple of days.
For example Cab: doors & fenders one day, hood & roof another followed by the bed on another day.
Being so big AND black, it`s going to take some real elbow grease and if you try to do it all at once, you`re going to get tired & frustrated pretty fast.
Once you get the initial detailing completed maintenance is fairly easy...regular washings & occasional recoating with the protective layer of your choice (wax or sealant).
There are no hard and fast rules, but "what to do" depends on the condition of the finish to start with and your expectation of the result. If the finish is very good to start, a coat of one-step Klasse might be all you need, but if the finish has a lot of flaws like swirl marks (very likely on black) you need to polish and remove or hide the swirls. Most serious hobbyists (sp?) use the Porter Cable random orbital, not a rotary, which is a deadly weapon in the hands of the amateur. Detailing your black or dark vehicle seems to be a long process of trial and error learning the proper techniques and what products work best for you. I would read the posts here and you should be able to garner a lot of information to help you make a decision on how you want to handle it. I will tell you, achieving a swirl-free finish on a large black truck like that will involve a substantial investment in money and time - mostly time.
Don`t worry about stripping any wax, chances are it`s all gone by now. The best thing to do is read, read and read. That`s the way most ppl here learned how to detail.
HilfigerCelica you are so right about that reading thing....thats how I pretty much learn to "detail" I wouldn`t call it detailing but the cars that I have at end up looking pretty good for a 16 year old...well atleast thats what I think
I`e had a run of black cars lately and I alos own one too. Here is what I do for a flawless or near flawless job.
Wash and Dry
Clay bar using QD spray
Polish with a cutting pad with a orbital
Swril remover with a finish pad
Hand glaze with 3M
Wax
You can do all this by hand as well, if you do not have an orbital you might be able to rent one.
This is a car that I did last week, daily driver and has not been waxed in years.
Good Luck
What`s your opinion on the hand glaze beemer? We use it at my shop but i tend to avoid using it on my personal customer cars. I`m going to wait for your response so i won`t influence you with mine.
Damn Beemerboy, that car came out AWESOME. I can only hope that my Ram (also black) comes out so good.
Koop
I was introduced to the 3M hand glaze at a local body shop. I used it on my black BMW for a month or so. A few things about it is, its hard to get all of it off, and at times seems to leave a smokey looking haze. I wax over the top of it and that seems to leave a real wet looking shine. Its hard to see in the pic that I posted.
Balls in your court what is your thoughts?
I"ve been using hand glaze for a couple years now at the shop i work at. And to be honest i never see the cars again. So my biggest question on it is unanswered. How long does that shine last? The reason i don`t use it on costomer cars that i personaly detail is because it`s a filler. Wich i`m opposed to. I kow what you mean by the haze that it leaves. They are just petrolium distolates that are left on the cars surface. These are VERY hard to get off without removing the fillers too. As you said though after waxing it no longer is visible. I can`t wax vehicles that were just painted though. I`m still kind of up in the air on deciding what i`m going to do with it. I hope to find a product that gives similar results without all the negatives. It is also as you said a bare to get off. Doing a small area at a time helps but makes it a very long and tedious processes. I don`t konw what to think. Any ideas of other products to try?
I saw a product that had a SWR and glaze combo. Ardex I think was the company that made it.
I like the 3M glaze it gives that extra punch under the wax, but does not last long that`s why the wax is the last step for me