P/U coatings and wax.

Gary Mitchell · Jul 16, 2017

I have an 02 F150 that quit getting regular washings about 7 years ago when we moved out in the red gravel country where we currently reside. I tried to wash it this summer and it won't come clean at the car wash. I thought about trying to wax it but seem to recall hearing that was a no-no. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. gm

David G · Jul 16, 2017

Get a bucket of water/car wash detergent, scrub, rinse, scrub, rinse, wipe dry.

Jim in rush co · Jul 16, 2017

You might check with this place in Indy, I started using it when still in the body shop. When they got to using lots of plastic bumpers, that had to be repaired and repainted. Removing all to the years of old baked on bugs and road grime was a pain and time consuming. This stuff was the answer. He might be able to tell a dealer near you, he can not ship.

Stephen Newell · Jul 16, 2017

A car that isn't waxed the paint oxidizes and becomes porous. This makes dirt harder and harder to wash off. Depending on the condition of the paint this may be very superficial. If that is the case if you got a electric auto polisher and a lambswool bonnet you could buff the outer surface of this dried out paint off using rubbing compound you can get anywhere. You should be able to tell very soon if this will work or not. Once you bring the shine back then wax it. Just don't make a habit of buffing the car. You are removing paint when you do it so repeated use of the buffer and you might start seeing primer.

David G · Jul 16, 2017

Get it clean before buffing, or you will have scratches.

kcm.MN · Jul 16, 2017

I found this website. Sounds like pretty darn good instructions also!
http://store.carcareonline.com/cleanyourcarspaintwork.aspx

Had watched a video some time back that showed....ah, lemme find the thing. Ah! Here it is. If you read the above site and then watch this video (or the other way around), you'll know how to get the crud out of the embedded finish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXfSBR5Q9w

We have 20 miles of gravel roads, so this is just a wee bit too much elbow grease for us nowdays. Gettin' more and more difficult to sweet talk the wife into doing it anymore! :wink:

ss55 · Jul 16, 2017

Try washing it by hand with a soft brush or mitten to see what condition the paint is in (rinse frequently to avoid scratches). Your paint may be oxidized. Does the truck have a clear coat top layer?

dustycoal · Jul 17, 2017

I like washing the hard to clean bugs and dirt early in morning with the dew still on. Bugs and dirt come off easier. I use the pink dish washing power that restraints use.

showcrop · Jul 17, 2017

Time is your friend. It took time for it to all get stuck on there. Just wait for a cool day, apply a solution of dish or laundry detergent, with an old towel, just keep going around it keeping it wet and gently rubbing. Every minute that goes by the solution is penetrating and loosening more dirt. In ten minutes you will have 95% of it.

dhermesc · Jul 17, 2017

The lime in the gravel is eating the clear coat off. This gets many times worse if you let it sit outside and dew collects on it - the moister activates the lime every morning causing even more damage. You need to hand wash with a quality car wash and then wax it - and you need to do this a couple times a year. Getting it under a car port or a roof of some kind and storing it clean would go a long ways in preserving your vehicles.

I use Meguiar's products.

kcm.MN · Jul 17, 2017

Haven't done it yet, but one of my future projects is to put bedliner on the lower portion of the truck. With the 20 miles of gravel road, would sure prefer to have a tough bedliner than chipped paint. Unfortunately, this project isn't real high on my to-do list.

dhermesc · Jul 17, 2017

If you dish soap you really need to wax the car immediately afterwards. The grease cutting ingredients in dish soap strip away all the wax on the clear coat.

http://www.consumerreports.org/car-repair-maintenance/how-to-wash-your-car/

showcrop · Jul 17, 2017

(quoted from post at 11:43:49 07/17/17) If you dish soap you really need to wax the car immediately afterwards. The grease cutting ingredients in dish soap strip away all the wax on the clear coat.

http://www.consumerreports.org/car-repair-maintenance/how-to-wash-your-car/

Any product that is intended for immersing bare hands in, is not going to hurt any quality car polish. Dishwashing MACHINE detergent is another matter.

fixerupper · Jul 17, 2017

I shined up a heavily oxidized 52 chevy pickup with plain old comet sink cleaner. We pulled it out of a shed in North Dakota preparing for a farm sale. It took some elbow grease but it looked darned good after I was done. Downfall is A course aggressive abrasive like Comet leaves fine scratches that show in the sun's reflection. If I would have had a fine automotive polish to follow it up I probably could have brought out a pretty good shine. I doubt if it had ever been washed.

Today I shined up my old IH 1086 with a fine 3m automotive polish and some elbow grease followed with a light waxing. It looks good from a distance. I can't use an aggressive polish because I have done this too many times and the paint is getting thin. A more aggressive polish might be what you will need if you want it to shine again. Maybe you don't want to go to that kind of work though.

John(OR) · Jul 17, 2017

Car wash detergent wash with mitt, dry get Maquires clay bay or Surf City beyond clay ( easier to use) follow directions !! I used rubbing compound on my pickup took all clear coat off and thinned
paint had to have it repainted. I didn't know what I was doing!!
Do in shade no bright sun!!

dhermesc · Jul 18, 2017

Actually dish soap is abrasive (even liquid soap for hand washing) combined with its grease stripping additives - not something you want to use on a paint/clear coat surface unless your goal is strip all old wax off before waxing. Dish soap does dry out your skin because it strips the oil off it. Then you have higher end soaps like Dawn that are especially good at stripping off oils they use it to clean animals that survive oil spills.

WGM · Jul 18, 2017

When I was a kid I would use Comet to scuff up existing painted surfaces before re-painting.

showcrop · Jul 18, 2017

(quoted from post at 08:50:40 07/18/17) Actually dish soap is abrasive (even liquid soap for hand washing) combined with its grease stripping additives - not something you want to use on a paint/clear coat surface unless your goal is strip all old wax off before waxing. Dish soap does dry out your skin because it strips the oil off it. Then you have higher end soaps like Dawn that are especially good at stripping off oils they use it to clean animals that survive oil spills.

Actually none of my company's manual dish wash detergents contain abrasives nor have any ever. I have been in the detergent business for over forty years and no manual dishwasher in any of the brands that I have been involved with have ever contained any abrasives. Hand soap yes, but we are not talking about hand soap. As to why they used Dawn, it will dissolve oils of various types, but it does not dissolve skin. That would have been kind of counter productive wouldn't it? And oil saponification or emulsification ability does not translate to attacking automobile finish in any way.

P/U coatings and wax.

Gary Mitchell

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David G

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Jim in rush co

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Stephen Newell

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David G

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kcm.MN

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ss55

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dustycoal

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showcrop

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dhermesc

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kcm.MN

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dhermesc

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showcrop

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fixerupper

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John(OR)

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dhermesc

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WGM

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showcrop

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