SUV roof protection

35TH LE said:
Megs #21 or Collinite. I would prefer #21 since it induces more of a sheeting action vs beading... which may keep the roof in better condition after washes and rain.
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Never Mind...just read this over and my question was answered.
 
LastDetail said:
Don't be a jerk
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It was half joking, half serious. I didn't call anyone anything, you did which I believe violates forum rules. Kind of a little bit ironic that people spend days detailing their wheel wells here but don't WASH the top of their SUV?
 
But maybe they want to spend their detailing time on something that can actually be seen and not on something that no one notice. At least he wants to protect it, but the easy way. Most people don't care about their roof at all.
 
yakky said:
It was half joking, half serious. I didn't call anyone anything, you did which I believe violates forum rules. Kind of a little bit ironic that people spend days detailing their wheel wells here but don't WASH the top of their SUV?
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That's why you need to use "j/k" or "/sarcasm".



I still think that you don't need to polish your SUV roof to the same extent as the rest of the vehicle. IME, a one-step cleaner wax (e.g DG 105) works just fine on an SUV roof, it is a real time saver when your trying to finish your vehicle so you can do other things. Yes, I said it, I don't spend HOURS of my day to wash and wax my vehicles. Life's too short.



Yakky, do you even have an SUV? That little Prius in your avatar takes 1/2 the time of a mid-large size SUV.
 
I have the same issues with the top my conversion van. I do neglect it. The only people who see it is God and the birds..LOL... Last year I grabbed my "little giant" ladder and polished it out via Porter Cable with orange pad and klasse All In One (heavy oxidation, single stage paint) and it came out great. Klasse saved me. Will do the same thing in spring and top it with Zaino
 
yakky said:
It was half joking, half serious. I didn't call anyone anything, you did which I believe violates forum rules. Kind of a little bit ironic that people spend days detailing their wheel wells here but don't WASH the top of their SUV?
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Well to start this off your argument is flawed; you actually did call a few people names. Myself included. In your post you referred to people who dont wash the roofs of their SUVs as "whiners" and then proceeded to insinuate that you are superior to the others because you polish and seal the roof of your van. You further insulted the people who don't pay particular attention to the roof of their SUV by saying "go ahead and turn in your autopia badge and membership card. You should be ashamed of yourself." In my estimation, claiming that simply because some people don't go crazy with the roof of an SUV that they are somehow not worthy of being on Autopia.

I don't want this to turn into a flame war, but I felt that I was being compared to someone else who beleived that I, or my practices, were somehow inferior and I reacted. The point of this thread was advice on how to treat an SUV roof without needing everyday maintenance. You could have simply stated the process and products that you use for your van in a non-demeaning way. The tone of your post was what I objected to, specifically.

Secondly I don't think it is ironic at all that some people may neglect the roof of an SUV in favor of detailing wheels for the following reasons:

The top of the roof in a car that size is hardly seen, whereas wheels are what a lot of people look at first. It is physically challenging to get up to the roof level to detail it and the detailing itself is often hampered by roofracks, trim, sunroofs, etc. The wheels are right there on ground level, all you gotta do is sit.

I was offended by what you said and this is the explanation for my post.
 
RCBuddha said:
That's why you need to use "j/k" or "/sarcasm".



I still think that you don't need to polish your SUV roof to the same extent as the rest of the vehicle. IME, a one-step cleaner wax (e.g DG 105) works just fine on an SUV roof, it is a real time saver when your trying to finish your vehicle so you can do other things. Yes, I said it, I don't spend HOURS of my day to wash and wax my vehicles. Life's too short.



Yakky, do you even have an SUV? That little Prius in your avatar takes 1/2 the time of a mid-large size SUV.
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You are right, I should have used a smiley at the send or a /sarcasm.



I still think it is very important to hit the roof. What two panels usually start to fail first? Roof and hood. Miss those and you will be paying for a new paint job soon enough. Its funny though, with all the banter about what product to use, there are people that don't even wash? C'mon. Maybe I hit a sore spot?



Sorry, no I don't have an SUV. But I have this:
 

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LastDetail said:
Well to start this off your argument is flawed; you actually did call a few people names. Myself included. In your post you referred to people who dont wash the roofs of their SUVs as "whiners" and then proceeded to insinuate that you are superior to the others because you polish and seal the roof of your van. You further insulted the people who don't pay particular attention to the roof of their SUV by saying "go ahead and turn in your autopia badge and membership card. You should be ashamed of yourself." In my estimation, claiming that simply because some people don't go crazy with the roof of an SUV that they are somehow not worthy of being on Autopia.

I don't want this to turn into a flame war, but I felt that I was being compared to someone else who beleived that I, or my practices, were somehow inferior and I reacted. The point of this thread was advice on how to treat an SUV roof without needing everyday maintenance. You could have simply stated the process and products that you use for your van in a non-demeaning way. The tone of your post was what I objected to, specifically.

Secondly I don't think it is ironic at all that some people may neglect the roof of an SUV in favor of detailing wheels for the following reasons:

The top of the roof in a car that size is hardly seen, whereas wheels are what a lot of people look at first. It is physically challenging to get up to the roof level to detail it and the detailing itself is often hampered by roofracks, trim, sunroofs, etc. The wheels are right there on ground level, all you gotta do is sit.

I was offended by what you said and this is the explanation for my post.
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I appologize that I offended you, however resorting to direct name calling was unecessary.
 
As far as technique, a pressure washer, a meguiars wide body brush and 30 minutes results i n a good wash. Wax with a cheapie orbital and 845IW. Take the bonnet off the oribital when you are done and use it to get the corrigated roof parts. About an hour to hour and a half and you are done, start to finish. You won't win any concours, but then again, what SUV would anyway :D
 
My suv is a pain in the *** on the roof, I just threw a coat of NXT on months ago, doesn't really bead or sheet anymore but don't feel like doing the roof again, I just wash it now lol. My suv has a roof rack, and the roof itself isn't flat, has mulitple grooves running front and back (look at the roof of a Mountaineer).
 
sunny day yesterday so I did the roof of my black SUV with an orange pad and cleaner wax, then white pad with polish, then #21 (already had some) by hand. did the roof of my MBZ too. put a second coat on this morning before leaving for work. now the roof will get wash and dry only....until I am not satisfied with the look or protection.



as I said before....I just wanted some extra protection on the roof to compensate for the reduced attention.



the rest of the truck gets the royal treatment on a daily basis.



thanks for the suggestions.
 
I have a very soft siding brush on an extendable pole. I use this on top of larger vehicles, followed by a hand wash, all from a ladder. The brush knocks the bigger stuff off, such as bird doo and tree crap. I hit everything with the PC and optimum that can be reached, then hand polish the nooks and crannies. I figure as hard as the top is to work on I want the paint prepped as good as possible so the wax/sealant lasts longer. I'm not so concerned about looks as I am about longevity. BTW I use collinite followed bt AW.
 
yakky said:
Its funny though, with all the banter about what product to use, there are people that don't even wash? C'mon. Maybe I hit a sore spot?
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I'm going to assume that you didn't assume that I didn't wash my SUV roof (IOW, Yes, I do wash my roof). I'm merely talking about polishing it to be swirl free. I see NO reason to get it to that point, other than for your own piece of mind. I believe that just claying and adding some sort of protection should be enough, with the occasional paint cleaner thrown in.
 
I know this may be kind of late since you already did this but...I also have a Tahoe Z71 and it is a PITA to wash, dry, clay, polish, seal the roof. I have a ladder that I use and its still nasty.



ANyway, I too wanted something durable and long lasting so that I wouldn't feel guilty. I used Liquid Glass which is an Acrylic Sealant similar to Klasse SG. I applied 3 coats in the sun and its been over 7 weeks and it still sheets and shines like crazy. The rest of the Hoe gets Megs#7 and #26 religiously.



Hope this helps.:heelclick
 
Do a really good prep job, use lsp of choice (mine is DG or Collinite), then all you have to do for the next year is a quick few shots of Aquawax after you wash...not as easy as doing nothing, but it's quick and gives good protection.

I think the worst thing about NOT keeping the roof up is that someday, you will want to take time to go for a complete detail on the roof, and you are going to find a bunch of etched in waterspots if you don't keep it up to a limited degree at least.

It's the thing I dislike doing most on my Titan truck, but you gotta do it.



I am truly amazed at the lasting power of Collinite...might even have to say it edges out even the Duragloss in terms of longevity. It's close either way.
 
Krodad said:
Do a really good prep job, use lsp of choice (mine is DG or Collinite), then all you have to do for the next year is a quick few shots of Aquawax after you wash...not as easy as doing nothing, but it's quick and gives good protection.

I think the worst thing about NOT keeping the roof up is that someday, you will want to take time to go for a complete detail on the roof, and you are going to find a bunch of etched in waterspots if you don't keep it up to a limited degree at least.

It's the thing I dislike doing most on my Titan truck, but you gotta do it.



I am truly amazed at the lasting power of Collinite...might even have to say it edges out even the Duragloss in terms of longevity. It's close either way.
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I agree, get it good and clean once, and LSP to seal it, don't get any easier than that.

I'm using Duragloss #105 very easy wipe it on wipe it off after it hazes, maintain with aquawax.
 
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