I need helping picking what products to use on my new truck!

[ElectronMan]

I just recently purchased a 2005 GMC Silverado CC after selling my Civic Si. I was a huge nut about keeping my Civic spotless and spent a lot of time and money to give it the best. I was a big fan of the 3M products and some One Grand products as well. After reading through the forums I thought that I'd like to try some of the Meguiars products and I wanted some suggestions and thoughts since this is a new vehicle. However the truck was sitting on the lot since January of 2005 so I'm sure there are some contaminents on the paint. I currently have an orbital buffer and I am considering picking up a dual action polisher and I am prepared to spend whatever amount of time it takes to get this truck looking right. Unlike my Civic, which was garaged it's whole life, the truck will be outside at my apartment, unless I rent a garage soon.

Mainly I'm looking for suggestions on what time of Wax, Glaze, Cleaner, etc. to use. I've heard great reviews on the sealants, should I consider that? Is it crucial that I have a dual action polisher? Also, I have a slight pen mark on my leather seat and its driving me crazy, any tips as to how I should remove it? When I had my Civic, Meguairs made an interior protectant that left a dull shine, not greasy, etc. is that product still made?

I apologize for the random thoughts, I'm just trying to give you a good idea of what I have and what I'm dealing with. Thanks for any and all of ya'lls help.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi ElectronMan,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!


Hang on a second and I'll offer some suggestions, I'll also download your photo to my hard drive, crop out the truck and resize it to a maximum of 700 pixels wide so that others can see it without having to horizontal scroll

Photo Netiquette - How to put pictures into your posts

[Mike Phillips]

I cropped out some of the blue sky and asphalt, the resized the photo to 600 pixels wide and uploaded into our photo gallery, here are the results...




As for product suggetions...

Because your truck is black, large and parked outside, the below products will enable you to keep it looking show room new...

• * Grit Guard
  * Quality Wash Mitt or Brush - As soon as you drop it on the ground or it begins to look tatty, delegate it to non-important polished surfaces and replace with a new mitt or brush.
  * Premium quality car wash soap, either Gold Class or NXT Car Wax
  * Premium Quality drying products, such as Meguiar's new waffle weave microfiber Water Magnet Drying Towel
  * For removing above surface bonded contaminants, get Meguiar's Quik Clay Detailing System
  * For removing light swirls, restoring maximum clarity and preparing the paint for application of wax, purchase some M8032 Speed Glaze for use with the dual action polisher.
  * You'll also want to get a pad kit for the polisher, this kit comes with two W-8006 polishing pads and one W-9006 finishing pad, Set of 3 Polishing Pads
  * After applying and removing the M80 Speed Glaze you'll want to apply a coat or two of wax, this wax makes all colors, both single stage and clear coated finishes look great! NXT Generationâ„¢ Tech Wax
  * To remove both the M80 Speed Glaze and the Tech Wax you should have on hand a ample supply of premium quality microfiber polishing cloths such as a couple packs of these... Supreme Shine Microfiber (Three-Pack)
  * I personally like this product for in-between regular wasting and application of a normal coat of wax, NXT Generationâ„¢ Spray Wax
  * For interior vinyl you might consider this newest addition to the Meguiar's line, NXT Generationâ„¢ Tech Protect

This will be enough to get you going, you can always add more products in the future such as tire dressings, glass cleaner, metal polish, etc.

[ElectronMan]

Do you think it is necessary to use the speed glaze on brand new paint? Also you suggest the clay bar. I have clayed some cars in the past with great results, but it was a do or die situaiton for the paint. Do you suggest I clay the entire truck or just some problematic areas?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by ElectronMan
Do you think it is necessary to use the speed glaze on brand new paint? Also you suggest the clay bar. I have clayed some cars in the past with great results, but it was a do or die situation for the paint. Do you suggest I clay the entire truck or just some problematic areas?

Speed Glaze is just an option. You don't have to apply anything if you don't want to, it kind of depends on you and what you're doing with the truck. Is it back on the road? Or parked in a garage? You want to keep your new paint clean and protected while it's curing, but if you're driving it everyday, then it's undoubtedly getting dirty so at a minimum you'll want to wash it.

If after washing it you want to polish it, you could use a pure polish like the M07 instead of the M80 Speed Glaze.

You only need to clay if you have above surface contaminants. You can find this out by drawing your clean hand over the finish after washing.

It's possible for a brand new paint job to have above surface contaminants, and even dry spray, (overspray), from the shop it was painted in, you just never know until you inspect.