Guide to Washing N' Waxing your X PICS!! | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Guide to Washing N' Waxing your X PICS!!

Washed and waxed the X today and decided I would post a little guide on what I like to do when I wash, clean, and wax the truck.

Some of this stuff people might not agree with that I do, but I think it works well and have gathered info from these forums and other places on detailing.

I am in no way resonsible if anything wrong happens to your truck from any of the stuff done as I have said. From my "Personal" experience everything I have used on my truck listed here worked fine. I can't gurantee the same results for you. So basically do this at your own risk.

1. Get the right tools for the job

-Towels

Have quite a few. Nothing is more annoying then having to try and dry with a wet towel. Honestly I am not totally convinced that 100% terry cloth stuff is much different from a shower towel. I have tried alot of terry cloth towels from the auto store, and they seem to throw off just as much lint and crap as my shower ones do. I prefer the shower ones to dry the truck off with as they are larger and take more water. I use the small terry's for applying waxes and what not.

- Table

Makes everything alot easier. You can store all your products like so on it and they are easy to get to. Also keeps your towels nice and dry and clean. I use just a standard card table thats easy to fold down and store.

30063DSC00047.jpg


- Detailing Tools

Have a variable setting hose nozzle. You want something to blast off dirt and grime and also be able to give u that wider setting to take off the wash with a flat stream. Tire scrubbers are also cool they get alot of that built up grime off them, and make them look real nice. You can see it on the table pic up above. For washing I like the hand mit. Seems like my hand doesnt get as tired with the mitt as when I'm using like a brush type thing. The mitt has just grown on me ;) . And last but not least ye' old bucket.



2. Products

The following products where what I used.

-Dawn liquid detergent
-Meguiars NXT car wash
-Mother's Clay bar
-Meguiars NXT quick detail spray
-Meguiars Paint Cleaner
-Meguiars Paint Polish
-Meguiars NXT Tech wax
-Meguiras NXT Tire Shine
-Mother's Chrome Polish

3. Get 'er Done!!!

(This is an optional step)
I washed my truck first with dawn liquid detergent to take off any wax I had on it from the last time I waxed it. Some people say this is bad for your truck, but I have read that it doesn't effect it at all. From "MY" experience it has been fine. I still washed with the NXT afterwards.

1. Put your car wash in the bucket and then fill with a solid stream of water to get it all suddsy and bubbly.

2. Start washing your truck going from Panel to panel. Do one panel with its window above it and then rinse off. Don't try and do the whole truck at once and then try to wash it off at the end. Believe me I have tried, I always miss spots when I do that, or the car wash dries on the truck. TAKE YOUR TIME! and do it right the 1st time. Get all those odd shaped nooks and crannies. Go from side to side and make sure you go overlap where you stopped off to rinse each time.

I like to start off the driver fender and work my way to the back of the truck then around to do the hood last. Finally I go to each rim and wash them, followed by the chrome tips.

3. Next step is to dry her off. I use a squeggie(sorry prob butchered that like crazy on spelling) tool to get the still water off my truck. I go around and just gently swipe off any excess water I see. DO THE TOP FIRST!!!!! I don't know how many times I have washed my truck, only to put it in reverse and to have a rush of water go right down the front of my newly washed and dried truck. After you get most of the excess water off follow it with a towel. I use a large one to get dry quicker and cover more area. My experience with the small ones is that they get wet real quick and I'm constantly changing them out.

4. My next step is using a clay bar on the truck. When you open your package you will have a yellow bar. Take the bar and roll up into a ball. Flatten it out a little bit where u plan on putting it on the surface of your truck. Start doing section to section spraying the paint with the NXT speed detailer. You need some type of lubricant for the clay bar to run on against the paint. You can chose to use the stuff that came with it , but I like to stick with the NXT stuff. MAKE SURE YOU SPRAY THE DETAILER WHERE U ARE RUBBING THE BAR. You should be able to feel the bar working as it takes off stuff stuck to your paint. Take a peek at your bar. See all that crap its pullin off? It really works. Dry each section off as you clay bar it. Your paint will be much smoother now.

5. After she is all done and dry You can start applying your products on there. They are pretty much the same in how u put em on. I use a small towel for applying all the products. With each of these try to spread each one evenly as possible on the surface to get a nice clean, even, bright shine. Once again work from fender to fender applying the product and removing it with a large towel.DO NOT USE THE SAME TOWEL TO APPLY THE DIFFERENT PROUCTS!!!! Use a seperate towel to apply each different product and to dry each product. Don't want to be applying the same product over and over. The only one you might leave on there for a while longer is the wax. It says on the bottle to let dry to haze. The other products say remove right after you put it on pretty much. Apply in this order

1.Paint Cleaner
2.Polish
3.Wax

6. Fine details

Now to add some finishing touches to the truck..............

Go buck wild with the the tire shine!!!!!! I put alot of the stuff on! If you have thick treaded offroad tires by ALL means use the spray. It gets in all those nooks and crannies in the tread. For street tires I reccomend the liquid dressing you put on yourself.

Chrome up those exhaust pipes and RIMS!!! Apply the chrome polish to a small towell and rub back and forth on the pipe (Yes I know it sounded gross...sick minds).Let it dry to a haze.... and remove with a different towel. Do the same for your rims.

My truck before and after

Before:

30063DSC00048.jpg


After:

30063DSC00066.jpg


30063DSC00060.jpg


The pics aren't the best I had to take them in a hurry. I'll have better ones up tommorow. Anyways hope you guys enjoy the guide and it helps some people out there.
 



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Thanks for the guide. How long did the process take you?
Any opinion on orbital buffers? Any new pictures?
 






Probably able to do a 4 wheel burnout with those tires grease up like that. :thumbsup: Looks good. I use the same stuff on my Audi. I haven't washed the X yet and I don't know the last time that Felix did before I bought it from him... :rolleyes:
 






Really nice before & after pics. You can sure see the difference. That NXT is good stuff.
 






Yeah, It looks great.
 






How do you have 6" of lift? 2wd?
 






Yeah definately nice looking, and the guide is great too :D

Now.. the real question is why isnt your truck flexing on that element behind there?
 






he is 2wd.
3'' body, 3'' TT, 4dr leafs and shackles

I did the TT and shackles ;)
 






heh flexing on the element.... my mom loves that thing she won't even let me drive it. Not much too look at on the outside but it is actually pretty roomy and cool on the inside.....thing is just too ugly for me..........

I really do not like the orbital buffers man I bought one for the first time I did mine and the stuff went all over the dang place man. spraying on me and on the bumper plastic and stuff. So I just assume do it by hand.

This is prob about 2-3 hour job I would say.
 






got my 35's man!!!!! I'll be back in town tomorrow morn and I'm puttting them on sunday :)
 






you dont use a sheepskin chamois to dry your truck? i find soaking a sheepskin (and only sheepskin, the fake stuff sucks) in warm water then wringing it out is the most effective way to dry. every so often, when the chamois spreads water instead of absorbing, just wring it out some more
 






never tried it sounds like a good idea though thanks!
 






i always thought a chamois was THE only way to dry lol
 


















vervepipes said:
i always thought a chamois was THE only way to dry lol

I always use my leaf blower, then follow up with a towel
 






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