First time waxing the truck

Don't overthink it was great advice. After years of wasted time and money finally settled on

$22 Collinite 845 Insulator Wax-Easy to Use Carnauba+Polymer Wax Sealant-High Gloss Shine+Durable Hydrophobic Beading & Long Lasting Paint Protection for Cars/Boats/Trucks/RVs & Motorcycles (16 fl oz)

Collinite 845. Super fast/easy to apply, bottle lasts forever, doesn't stain plastic. Between the collinite and some aerospace 303 I can do the inside and outside and don't have silly amounts of car care junk in the garage.

 

I've never used a microfiber to dry. Is that what u do? Wring it out then continue use? Or change to a fresh dry one when one becomes saturated

 

You only need 2.
1st to wipe off water . Wring out as you go. 2nd to wipe streaks and dry. You'll be hooked. Super easy and no streaks especially glass.
Removing wax / sealant with it is easier as well.

 

I agree 100%. I also used some Bead Maker on mine last week. Nice product for in between...

 

An easy cheap route. Given your vehicle is brand new and shouldn’t have many fine scratches

Get a pre wax cleanser. Apply and remove. Get a collinite paste wax (cheap and lasts a while). Apply and remove (x2) with an hour in between. Should be golden for up to 6 months.

 

I've always just used those shity super absorbent blue rubber towel things haha

ETA: thanks for the info.

 

I'm definitely not an expert and I'm sure there are different opinions, but I had very good results with the first "waxing" on my truck ('18 TRD Sport) by using the Mother's Speed Clay 2 (to prep the surface), then the Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax.

Had good results on our older vehicles too with the same approach.

 

Been using the hybrid ceramic wax since it came out. Ignore the instructions on the bottle.

- Wash your truck normally, but do not dry it.
- Shake hybrid wax well, spray one or two sprays per panel at most. Use microfiber towel to dry the paint while also rubbing in the hybrid wax.
- Buff off any streaks with a completely dry towel.

Do this every time you wash your truck and it will always be well protected. After doing this once per month for 3 months I get about 4-5 months of protection, which means I dont need to do anything during the winter other then just a quick rinse here or there.

 

there is alot of good info in this thread. wax is what your grandpa used. now a days there is ceramic coating.

1. Wash vehicle
2. Check paint for imperfections and roughness. Use a ziplock bag over your hand and mover back of hand over paint, if rough, move to next step.
3. Clay bar paint
4. Wash again
5. Check paint for swirls, if none, then apply a sealant, then glaze, then wax. If using ceramic coating (not spray bottle) on do sealant per instructions on bottle and forget the glaze and wax.

Ceramic coating will last up to 2 years of protection with maintenance washes every couple months.

 

Dude, you got more product on your shelf than my local auto parts store! Nice!

 

I’m not an expert. I don’t go to automatic car washes because I don’t want swirl marks. I typically don’t wash my vehicles very often and don’t want to have to spend a lot of time on it. I did some research online and decided to go with Optimum No Rinse wash and then followed that with Optimum Opti-Seal. I just did my first wash and “seal” this week on my new truck and I was very pleased with the result. In my view, this is a great option for good results with minimal effort.

 

Thanks!
I owned and operated a chain of auto parts stores for years and also have bought/collected/invested-in/sold classic cars for years as well so the combination of those two have given me the opportunity to try/test
many different brands/types of automotive finish and cleaning products. I've always found Mequiar's products to be the cream of the crop even though I sold dozens of brands and products.

 

Recently I moved from Absorber style chamois to a waffle weave dry towel. Two of them do a great job on the Tacoma. Then hang them to dry and occasionally wash them in the washing machine with other microfibers.

 

I've always used chamois before until a detailer told me why I have the fine scratches. Ever since then I've used microfiber cloths but not ones for kitchen use. It's too thin. At least 300- 400gsm was perfect thickness. The super thick ones 600 up was a pain to wring out.
Good for dry wash though.
When its just dusty, use Meguiar's Waterless Wash and Wax. Good for quick detai . Good stuff.

 

I used to wax. Now, with my new Taco I spent a day applying my own ceramic coating. CarPro CQuartz UK3.0. Which is awesome. That said, you mentioned you wanted something easy. I'd suggest going with a wash on silica sealant. I use Carpro hydro2 Foam for my monthly wash here in the great white north where salt does a real number on paint and finishes. It basically resets my whole coating. The stuff is great, I use it in place of soap and when I'm done the water beads like crazy and lasts for about a month. It would likely last you longer in your climate.
https://carpro.global/catalog/hydro2-foam/

If you're looking for longer protection, I'd look at regular CarPro Hydro2. You put it on the car and then have to rinse it with pressure, as the pressure helps with the application and you'll get about 6 months of amazing protection and beading properties. The stuff really is AMAZING.
https://carpro.global/catalog/hydroo2/

Cheers

 

Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax is the best I've ever used. Goes on and comes off easy bro. Very hydrophobic too.

 

This is what I did with my 2020 when I first got it. Info gleaned from watching way too many Detailer YouTube videos:

1. Rinse off.
2. Spray Eagle One Black and Plasticoat Wheel cleaner on paint and wheels for iron removal. Let set for 5 minutes.
3. Rinse off.
4. Wash with an all purpose cleaner using one bucket. Wash from the top down with a microfiber mitt or towel. Always wash in one direction, the direction the wind flows over the car.Rinse off mitt/slash towel as needed.
5. Scrub wheels and tires with nylon brush.
6. Rinse off.
7. Mother’s Clay bar kit or similar. Clay very lightly.
8. Rinse
9. Dry with 2 microfiber towels. One to soak up most water, wring as needed, the other to finish it off.
10. Use Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic Coating. Even better reviewed than the Meguiar’s. 1-2 sprays per panel. Wipe in with one microfiber cloth. Buff with another. Do the wheels, plastic, and windshield too. Wait 24 hours. Add another coat. The stuff is REALLY easy to apply and the finish is amazing. Will last 6 months to a year.
11. Use some kind of tire treatment depending on how glossy you want the tires. I use Meguiar’s Classic Tire Shine.
12. Clean the windows with a non-ammonia glass cleaner made for cars like Invisible Glass. Apply with one microfiber cloth. Buff with a second.
13. Apply fabric protectant like Scotchguard to cloth seats or a leather preservative to leather seats.
14. Apply plastic UV protectant to dash and doors.

All this took a little over 2 hours.

15. Wash it, when needed, with a car wash soap like Meguiar’s Gold Class Wash. Use other products mentioned, as needed. This should only take 30 minutes to an hour.

Your truck will look great.

 

These Chinchilla microfiber towels are the berries for drying. I also use Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash as a drying agent. (Diluted of course.) I buy a gallon of distilled water at Walmart and add 3 ounces to it. You need to pour a little water out of the jug then add the 3 ounces. Water beads on my truck like I spent hours claying, polishing, and waxing it. Shines like a mirror. Love my "Uber."

 

I'm also a big fan of McKee's 37 Hydro Blue Si02 coating. DOES NOT get any easier than this.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=EqZD0dN_3jM&feature=emb_logo

 

Where did you get the TRD Sport side emblems?