Looking for advice for new paint preservation

S

SouthPawCO

New member
So I have been researching day in and day out and cannot find the exact answers I am looking for. What I am looking to accomplish is getting a solid wet look, seal it and maintain it. Following up with WW/2bm as a maintenance as I live in a complex that does not have outside water hook ups. When it starts wearing down, repeat the process again. I bought this truck new on 12/23/15 and I would like to preserve the new paint as much as possible. I am a creature of habit so I am hoping to find a `formula` that works that I can just keep repeating with the same products and process. Please feel free to share your advice/opinion and change things as needed.


So I have been researching day in and day out and cannot find the exact answers I am looking for. What I am looking to accomplish is getting a solid wet look, seal it and maintain it. Following up with WW/2bm as a maintenance as I live in a complex that does not have outside water hook ups. When it starts wearing down, repeat the process again. I bought this truck new on 12/23/15 and I would like to preserve the new paint as much as possible. I am a creature of habit so I am hoping to find a `formula` that works that I can just keep repeating with the same products and process. Please feel free to share your advice/opinion and change things as needed.


I was thinking on doing the following:
  • 2bm wash
  • Clay bar? (Not sure if this is needed or not)
  • Polish by hand (again, not sure this is needed but they are some very very faint scratches)
  • Sealant
  • Possible wax on top of it?


Products I was thinking of using:
  • Meg`s Crystal Car Wash (just what I have on hand currently, but may need to change since I used NXT wax on it about three weeks ago, open to ideas)
  • Clay Bar (Simoniz kit?, open to ideas)
  • BlackFire Gloss Enhancing Polish by hand (not sure I want to use a DA yet because of no experience and the paint being so new, it might not be needed, thoughts?)
  • Hydro2 Sealant (pretty set on this because of easy to use and awesome reviews)
  • Meg`s NXT 2.0 (just what I have on hand, open to ideas)


Maintenance products (trying the three to see what works the best for me):
  • Meg`s UWAW (will this effect the hydro2?)
  • UWW+
  • Trifecta WW


Pictures of the truck:







 
IMHO bite the bullet and get it professionally corrected, coated and then paint protection film on the front facing surfaces. Then all you need to maintain the paint with is regular washing whether it be traditional 2BM or rinseless. You won`t need any waxes, sealants, QD`s etc.
 
pheerix said:
IMHO bite the bullet and get it professionally corrected, coated and then paint protection film on the front facing surfaces. Then all you need to maintain the paint with is regular washing whether it be traditional 2BM or rinseless. You won`t need any waxes, sealants, QD`s etc.
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Well a great idea but I would really like to do the work myself. I am very particular about my work and take my time on everything. Plus for the cost to get someone to do this `right` would be about the cost of everything to do it myself 10x or more.
 
There are things called "Dealer installed swirls options" that are commonly installed for free by dealers now :) So, a light paint correction is recommended even on brand new vehicles. Just like what "The Guz" mentioned, please list out the products and equipments you have, and also if you have a DA. We`d be happy to give out best bang for the buck recommendation to you!
 
I would say do yourself a favor and buy the griots garage 6" da, a couple orange and white pads and the griots fast correcting cream and their finishing cream- whatever its called. Its a great little machine and you have a lot of real estate to cover.

The second thing is I would never do a waterless wash on a black vehicle. I dgaf what promises they make, its not as safe as a normal wash.

And the 3rd thing I would say is get a big red sponge, optimum no rinse and opti seal and a grit guard. One bucket is all that is needed. Use opti seal as you dry, its really amazing the look achieved with so little work, and the relative safety as well.

The next level would be a coating like optimum`s gloss coat, which keeps your truck cleaner, less swirls and lasts 2-3 years.
 
Well... I have the following ordered/on hand:

Porter Cable 7424 DA
(2) buffing wheels (apparently will need more)
Hydro2
Megs crystal car wash soap
NXT 2.0 Wax
megs ultimate polish
megs clay bar kit


Ive been kicking over the WW and I still very skeptical of it because of the black paint.
 
Megs crystal is ok for foam gun, but it isnt people`s first choice. NXT will stain plastic trim, but it looks great. I would use ult. quick wax as a booster as you dry.
 
Well reevaluating my list,

Wash
Clay bar
Polish
Seal

Seems like a pretty simple way to protect new paint. I really appreciate the feedback guys.
 
SouthPawCO said:
Well... I have the following ordered/on hand:

Porter Cable 7424 DA
(2) buffing wheels (apparently will need more)
Hydro2
Megs crystal car wash soap
NXT 2.0 Wax
megs ultimate polish
megs clay bar kit


Ive been kicking over the WW and I still very skeptical of it because of the black paint.
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You are all set. You have good products. You just need more pads.

I would use NXT as a base and follow up with hydro.

JBM said:
Megs crystal is ok for foam gun, but it isnt people`s first choice. NXT will stain plastic trim, but it looks great. I would use ult. quick wax as a booster as you dry.
Click to expand...

I agree with Meguiar`s UQW as a maintenance booster for NXT.
 
SouthPawCO said:
Well I spoke with Corey at CarPro and he advised to me skip the wax all together.
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Forget wax, go with a coating. If your really worried about coating, try optimum gloss coat. It`s probably the easiest to apply besides polish angels cosmic 9h.
 
Congrats on the new truck! Personally as much as I like Hydro I would use it for the wheels and get a coating for that black paint. I have a Sierra like your Silverado and went with the Uber coating. I`m not as brave as you and went with Silver, lol. With black the key is touch it as little as possible to keep it looking good. I would also think about getting some type of air drying tool similar to the Master Blaster to reduce toweling it off. The good part of Hydro2 is you dont have to touch the paint to reapply, except to dry but you wont get the durability of other sealants ime, of course ymmv. In any case, you came to the right place for great information and support.
 
Thank you! I love it so far. I kind of knew black was going to be a PITA to take care of so I figured if I got a early start on it, I can make it a little easier to maintain down the road. I`m going to take ShakingHorizons up on his offer and keep the hydro2 for the wheels, wheels and bumpers. The information and knowledge here is unreal. Everyone has been very helpful and I really appreciate it. Tomorrow the windows are getting finished tinted (5% all the way around) and this weekend the project begins.
 
If you are meticulous with things you should really consider either the gloss coat or Uber coating imo. They aren`t difficult to apply and will protect the paint, wheels, I know Uber says even the trim for 2 years and there are people with vehicles that have gotten even longer protection. You can even wax over them for the warm, wet look of thats your thing.
I can`t bring myself to waterless wash but usually just rinse it with high pressure and rinseless with a couple of microfibers. No matter what you use, do some research on how to wash and dry it without introducing new marks or defects. That is most of the battle. Invest in some quality microfibers also, they make a big difference, especially with black. I always have people ask me how I keep my vehicle looking good and clean it so quickly. The truth is if you have a quality lsp it doesn`t take long to keep it up. Something that sheets well almost self cleans. Just be sure to let us know what you decide to go with and post some pics!
 
BSkip333 said:
If you are meticulous with things you should really consider either the gloss coat or Uber coating imo. They aren`t difficult to apply and will protect the paint, wheels, I know Uber says even the trim for 2 years and there are people with vehicles that have gotten even longer protection. You can even wax over them for the warm, wet look of thats your thing.
I can`t bring myself to waterless wash but usually just rinse it with high pressure and rinseless with a couple of microfibers. No matter what you use, do some research on how to wash and dry it without introducing new marks or defects. That is most of the battle. Invest in some quality microfibers also, they make a big difference, especially with black. I always have people ask me how I keep my vehicle looking good and clean it so quickly. The truth is if you have a quality lsp it doesn`t take long to keep it up. Something that sheets well almost self cleans. Just be sure to let us know what you decide to go with and post some pics!
Click to expand...

I appreciate the advise and after looking at both, it does seem the coating is the way to go. Seems like the hydro2 will be great for me wheels so I will save it for that. I ordered quite a bit of stuff yesterday that is scheduled for delivery on Saturday. Hopefully I can make this all happen on Sunday.
 
Sunday was Funday for me. My projects were my borthers truck and my personal truck. My brothers truck was the real chore as about the only thing he ever does is a quick wash and quick vacuum. Due to lack of time, I did not get before pictures of either but the `94 Chevy was horrible. I was really impressed with the hydro2 but I think the next time, I will go with the lite version. I did not have a proper way of measuring the dilution ratio and I think that is what caused it to streak. After the clean up, it turned out beautiful. I took some videos as well and was impressed. I will try to upload the vidoes some how.

Products used:
Meg`s Clay bar kit
Meg`s Ultimate Polish
PC DA
CG pads
Hydro2
Meg`s Natural Shine interior Cleaner
Meg`s Tire Hot Tire Shine (ran out before I could finish my truck :unsure:)
303
Wheel Wax
NXT 2.0
and some various other stuff in my detail bin

Since I was crunched for time, I did not take a lot of pictures. We are supposed to be having some rain this week so we will see how the hydro2 holds up.












*Few streaks/spots left but they were cleaned up after this photo.



 
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