White Plat Tri Coat Maintenance

[kalyanverma]

Bought a White Plat. Tri Coat 2012 LTD last week. This is my first white car. Would like to know if I need to take any special care so that the color remains as good as new. I live in Boston.

[GWA1]

Originally Posted by kalyanverma

Bought a White Plat. Tri Coat 2012 LTD last week. This is my first white car. Would like to know if I need to take any special care so that the color remains as good as new. I live in Boston.

Leave it in the garage if you have one. LMAO.
Sorry couldn't resist. Never owned a white vehicle.

[Bill #4 Explorer]

I've owned several white cars. Currently own 2. A Mercedes E320 4Matic and a Porsche Boxster S. Easy to take care of. Use good washing techniques, and apply a couple coats of RejeX wax. Wheels too. Good to go.

[cnsheets]

I also went with the white platinum. Easy to maintain. In fact I think I am spoiled now coming from black cars previously. Will never do a black car again unless I can afford to pay someone else to maintain it.

[jrmexplorer]

Just wash it by hand the right way and use a decent wax (turtle, mothers, meguiars or some other reputable brand)

Never machine wash (unless its the high pressure touch less - and only do that in winter when hand washing really isn't doable).

The machine wash puts swirls in the paint really fast.

The correct way to hand wash is using a microfiber mit and using TWO buckets. One with soap and another with clean water. Hose down the explorer first with clean water, then dip your mit in the soap and wipe down a section of the car and then rinse (don't leave the soap on long or else it will leave residue). Rinse your mit in the clean rinse water before you dip it in the soapy water again. The idea is that dirt from the car gets trapped in your mit and the rinse water helps remove it so you don't rub it over other parts of your car and leave fine scratches.

[vurb]

There are many many good ways to care for a vehicle finish and everyone will tell you something different. White is very forgiving however as imperfections hardly show.

That said, most products you can buy at your local auto store are inferior to what professional detailers use. In the past we had no choice, but now with the internet we all have access to the highest quality easiest to use products (that are often the same price or cheaper than the auto part store stuff). You just have to know which ones are snake oil and which are the real deal.

I use what my buddy (who is a high-demand detailer that travels around the country detailing high end cars for 18 years now) uses-

Wash: Optimum No Rinse (http://www.optimumcarcare.com/onrwns.php). You will use about a gallon of water to wash an entire vehicle and there is no rinsing. I wash with a microfiber towel/mitt and then use a 2nd microfiber towel to dry. Yes I know this goes against everything you know if you aren't familiar with this method, however it is 100% as safe as conventional washing and you can even wash your vehicle in the garage (useful during the winter) due to how little water is used. Another benefit is no spotting as you wash one panel and then dry that panel before moving to the next. It leaves a nice protective, shiny finish. Go watch some youtube videos of people using it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYOAyxsEIuQ is a good quick one). Then get a small bottle for yourself, use it, and you will never wash a car the old fashioned way again. The only time you should rinse before using ONR is if the paint is coated in thick mud or salt before washing. In that case rinse off the big stuff before washing with ONR. If you wash every week or two this is very rarely necessary.

For polish: I won't even get into this because polish is too subjective to even start on.

For Wax: Optimum Spray Wax. Wax is also very subjective because everyone has different needs and preferences, but if you want an easy to use, affordable, top tier spray wax that will provide 4-6 months of protection and shines like the sun, this is a good place to start. You don't have to worry about getting it on black trim either so you can wax a vehicle in around 30 minutes. It protects black trim, headlights, etc just like it does paint. Gone are the days of having to apply a paste wax for 2 hours and then spending another 2 hours trying to get all the white residue off the trim just to get good protection.

For leather: Zaino Bros Leather in a Bottle works amazingly and will leave your vehicle smelling like a high end boot shop. Leather care is also subjective but I've never seen anyone say this is not a good product and never seen anyone not absolutely love the smell. For leather cleaning prior to using this product you can use the Zaino cleaner or simply just use Woolite (the laundry soap version) in a spray bottle (8 parts water, 1 part Woolite). Nylon brushes work great for scrubbing leather and other interior surfaces.

I have zero connection to any of the above companies or products other than that I use them.

[spitfisher]

After years of red as in multiple saabs, blues, greys and burgundy in my wife's volvo wagons & Hondas. I purposely went after the white tri coat. Looks iridescent, and have had many comments on it. Also I knew this going in that it (white) will hide minor scratches, road salt spray from previous ownership from above.

Lots of good information above on waxing. 2 thumbs up on rejeXs though. I use it on my center console boat, works great. I told my friend about it and he now raves about on his Cessna plane.

[EX-SV]

I've owned over a dozen white cars including Ford, Honda, Acura, Hummer, Mercedes, Mazda, with good results via normal care. But never a metallic-type white.

[vurb]

RejeX is a good sealant and tends to look better on lighter colors like white/silver. The main complaints it has is that it doesn't last for the 6 months they say (actually I just checked their site and it now says 4-6mos) and that the initial slickness feel is gone in a month or so. Most detailers agree that 4 months is the longest you'll get out of it and don't like that it has to cure for 8-12 hours. The other complaint I've heard is that it looks too plasticy, however that's more on darker colors. It would likely look excellent on the White Plat.

[deewan]

I've found some great results using the following products.

Exterior Paint:
Wash - Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo (Every week)
Spray Detailer - Pinnacle XMT 360 Spray Wax (After every wash)
Wax - Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 (Every 6 months). Then followed with the Spray Detailer

Exterior Trim (black plastic trim):
Cleaning - Detailer’s Pro Series Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner
Polishing and Detailing - Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant

Wheels & Tires:
Cleaning - Wolfgang Tire & Wheel Cleaner
Detailing - Grape Dressing