Cleaning a truck that's parked outside?

Just moved into my new home in July. It only has a 1 car garage so unfortunately it is reserved for my bike and my girlfriends car since my Tacoma is driven the least (Bought it in January and still don't have 5k miles on it.)

Since I rarely drive the truck and it is sitting outside all day, it develops lots of spots from rain and such. Also gets a couple bird droppings every now and then since it is partially covered by a couple small trees. I learned the hard way that you should remove those IMMEDIATELY or else they will be extremely hard to remove...

I have a Laser Wash (touchless carwash) right near my house so I take it there to wash it. I noticed that now that my truck has been sitting outside, even after getting it washed the white rain spots don't get washed away unless I use some spray detailer and wipe them off manually. Even then, doesn't seem like they go away completely.

What is the best way to keep a truck that is parked outside clean? I'm not going for a show car look, but I don't want the paint to be permanently ruined and have the truck look like crap in a couple years. I just want to maintain the paint and prevent it from being permanently damaged. Since I don't drive it very often, I don't wash it very often either.

Some people suggested clay bar for removing spots but someone also mentioned that it will scratch the paint and you will have to polish it to remove the scratches. My truck is black so I'm not sure I want to use something that will scratch the paint.

Any suggestions? I'm sure there are others who park their trucks outside.

 

Just keep a good coat of wax on it. Surprisingly NuFinish is tough stuff. While its not a show car polish, it does hold up. I used to park out side for years and the truck at time held up well with just NuFinish every 3 months.

Dont worry about using a clay bar or rubbing compound or any jazz like. If you just want to preserve the paint, keep is washed and waxed.

 

If it's driven the least, wouldn't it make more sense to keep it garaged?

Can't help ya on the detailing...

 

Why not use a cover, since it sits all the time.

 

I'd get it washed and waxed real good and then throw a cover on it. Then you don't have to clean it after every bird flies over.

 

Get a 12x12 canopy and put it over it. Then all you have to worry about is the bed.

 

I'm just wondering if a wash and wax will be enough to remove the spots from sitting the past couple months. I know the Laser Wash wasn't enough, maybe a different car wash that isn't touchless will do better.

I thought about getting a cover for it. Maybe I should start looking for one.

In response to The_Dude, the girlfriends car gets the garage since we use it to carpool to work (in winter when I can't take the bike) and we don't have to worry about brushing/scraping snow and ice off.

 

To get the spots off use a couple of cap fulls of vinegar in your wash bucket.

Laser wash is good but since nothing touches it, the bad spots dont really come off and if they have hard (huhhh ...hard) water then you could also get spots from that.

 

Unless you've got loads of time to constantly clean the truck....that's the life of a truck that's parked outside.

Mine is outside all the time. I drive it everyday and I'm embarrassed to admit, it's probably been atleast 3 months since I washed it last. It hasn't been detailed or waxed in probably a year. I just don't have the time.

If your truck sits a lot - do a really good cleaning and wax job on it and get a car cover for it. Keep it covered, that'll be the best protection againest the elements. YOu'll still probably have 'dust' but that easy to wipe off with a CA duster.

 

Fair enough. If I was you, I'd get it cleaned up and covered stat.

 

Throw a car/truck cover on it..

 

Even better, throw a car on it.

 

my truck hasn't seen a garage since Ive owned it

 

I have water spots in the hood. Can't get them off even with waxing, buffing, etc. They are not obvious when truck is clean though.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. I will look into getting a cover for it when I know it will be sitting for a while. I just quickly glanced at the prices of car covers and yikes! They are alot more $$$ than I expected.

 

If its going to be outside, car covers can be worse than no car cover. You trap in moisture and heat and contaminates. Animals cozy up between the cover and the vehicle, etc.

Just wash it when its dirty and keep a good coat of wax on it. It will work!!

 

My hot rod is parked in the garage, so i have to park mine on the driveway as well. all i do is keep it clean and waxed.. its an 05 and heres how she sits as of a few months ago:



Still lookin good.

 

A couple things to mention. First, clay bar, when used correctly will not scratch your paint and will remove contaminates that damage it. Second, wax will not fix anything, it will go on top of any damage and seal it in. My advice is to wash, clay, polish, and put about 3 coats of a strong wax. Don't use show wax, that stuff is meant for those who detail on a regular basis. If you add a cover after doing this you will keep it looking good for even longer. Oh and I would suggest a really good cover if you do go that route. A cheap cover or tarp can do plenty of damage to your paint as well.