Step by step for old guy

Jon54

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I like to drive a shiny vehicle as much as anyone, but I’m approaching being older than dirt. I’ve used a clay bar on previous vehicles and can do it again.

So I wash the truck, dry it with a quality micro fiber towel. I’ll clay bar the truck, and that’s where I get confused. I’m not sure I’m up to buffing the truck, which I assume polishes the truck? At autozone, I’ve seen ”Protectants” and waxes.

I guess I’m looking for a simple detailing routine that won’t wear an old fart out.
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2020FRL

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All I did after that was wipe it down with Isopropyl alcohol and a micro fiber to remove waxes ... then apply the ceramic per instructions on the bottle.
 
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Jon54

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All I did after that was wipe it down with Isopropyl alcohol and a micro fiber to remove waxes ... then apply the ceramic per instructions on the bottle.
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CutterWolf

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Jon, "If" you really want to make taking care of your paint as pain free as possible you will want to do a ceramic coating. There are several out there that do a great job, the key in the process is the "Prep work" which by the way is the most labor intensive part of the whole process. The more time you put into just the part will yield you the best possible results. A good ceramic coating can last you up to 2 or 3 years and really does not take much to maintain. I've built and maintained several show cars over the years and the last two I did ceramic coats on and it made my life a lot easier to keep that show finish on the paint. I plan on ceramic coating my Ranger very soon. Here is a product that I used on my Mustangs: https://www.carpro-us.com/coatings/?sort=alphaasc&page=3 Once the prep work in done applying the coating is very, very easy and there are lots of videos on youtube you can watch to see how its done. Here are some pics of my cars

13549288192-795207-ford-mustang-gt-muscle-cars-vehicles.jpg


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2020FRL

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DHH

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Paint it silver or better yet a charcoal silver. Best color out there for hiding dirt. I think I washed my old Frontier twice in the 4yrs I owned it.
I'm much better with my white Ranger. I've washed it 3 times in just one year! :like:
 
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Jon54

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Jon, "If" you really want to make taking care of your paint as pain free as possible you will want to do a ceramic coating. There are several out there that do a great job, the key in the process is the "Prep work" which by the way is the most labor intensive part of the whole process. The more time you put into just the part will yield you the best possible results. A good ceramic coating can last you up to 2 or 3 years and really does not take much to maintain. I've built and maintained several show cars over the years and the last two I did ceramic coats on and it made my life a lot easier to keep that show finish on the paint. I plan on ceramic coating my Ranger very soon. Here is a product that I used on my Mustangs: https://www.carpro-us.com/coatings/?sort=alphaasc&page=3 Once the prep work in done applying the coating is very, very easy and there are lots of videos on youtube you can watch to see how its done. Here are some pics of my cars

13549288192-795207-ford-mustang-gt-muscle-cars-vehicles.jpg


IMG_0391.JPG
I LOVE the silver ‘stang!
 
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Jon54

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Paint it silver or better yet a charcoal silver. Best color out there for hiding dirt. I think I washed my old Frontier twice in the 4yrs I owned it.
I'm much better with my white Ranger. I've washed it 3 times in just one year! :like:
My Ranger is Magnetic gray.
 

DukeCanBuildit

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Jon,

I think you might find out everything you need to know from this video posted by @quangdog.

My Shadow Black Ranger has never looked so good!
 

AzScorpion

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I like to drive a shiny vehicle as much as anyone, but I’m approaching being older than dirt. I’ve used a clay bar on previous vehicles and can do it again.

So I wash the truck, dry it with a quality micro fiber towel. I’ll clay bar the truck, and that’s where I get confused. I’m not sure I’m up to buffing the truck, which I assume polishes the truck? At autozone, I’ve seen ”Protectants” and waxes.

I guess I’m looking for a simple detailing routine that won’t wear an old fart out.
Jon if you're looking for something that's simple and easy to apply try the 303 Graphene Nano Coating. After you're done claying all you need to do is spray on and wipe off, it's that easy. I did 2 coats (you can layer up to 3) because of the sun and heat here in AZ. I did a complete write up here on it and so far it's been holding up great! There's also a link to where you can buy it and it's only $20.00 and will last up to 1 year. You can top coat over it with any speed detailer or gloss enhancer if you wish with no chemical interaction.


IMG_3345.jpg
 

Rviator

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I like to drive a shiny vehicle as much as anyone, but I’m approaching being older than dirt. I’ve used a clay bar on previous vehicles and can do it again.

So I wash the truck, dry it with a quality micro fiber towel. I’ll clay bar the truck, and that’s where I get confused. I’m not sure I’m up to buffing the truck, which I assume polishes the truck? At autozone, I’ve seen ”Protectants” and waxes.

I guess I’m looking for a simple detailing routine that won’t wear an old fart out.
Just put on some liquid Turtle Wax Ice every 6 months or so and it'll be fine.
 

wanted33

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Jon, like you I'm not into all of that intensive car clean up like I used to be. After trying several brands I found the the Meguiars Ultimate line of products are right up my ally. Easy to use, leaves a shine without a ton of hard work, and beads water like crazy. And it doesn't leave a white film on the plastic parts. Reasonably priced at your local Wally World if you want to give something like that a try. Here's mine after a little Meg's Ultimate spray wax.

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