Having a hard time bringing back the shine.

Hey guys. Im here asking how to bring back a nice shine into my 1996 Tahoe 2 door. Im having a real hard time getting it to really shine like i did last year. My detailing regimen for the exterior goes like this.

-Spray truck down with pressure washer
-Soak one section at a time with hose, not pressure.
-Sponge it down using Dupont car wash liquid.
-Rinse using the flood method.
-Repeat for whole truck.

Then, Chamois the whole truck dry.
Then apply Mothers Synwax Liquid using an applicator sponge
Then let sit for about 1 minute then wipe off with microfiber cloth.

And thats it. Im thinking i need a polish? Or a better wax.. because it just does not shine like it used to.

Here she is after a detail.

I have actually only used a pressure washer when my truck was caked in mud. I have found using a pressure washer even when hooked up to a city water hose and not well water. Will leave terrible spots.

I see now, hmm maybe i wont use that anymore. But would it be worth it for me to invest in a foam gun? Not sure what they really do or what the advantages are but...

a foam gun that uses your pressure washer would work wonders. I would love to get one of those. As it will filter out the bad stuff.

Do you have bad swirl marks? A better wax would probably help a lot, also i would ditch those chamois imo, any dirt on the surface will get dragged around the paint and possibly cause micro marring, which will dull the finish.

You need to clay bar, use a swirl removing product such as Poor Boys SSR and then a higher quality polish and wax. Read up on some of our other threads about detailing, and consider getting a PC7424

exactly, need to do a clay bar clean on it and see how it turns out.

Drag your hand across the paint. Does it make a sand papery sound? If so you need to wash your entire truck with dawn, then you need to clay it, then wash again with a good soap like PB SSS(best stuff ever IMHO) and dry the truck completely with a WW towel(if you have air use it in the cracks before the towel). Then your going to want to get a PC, go over the truck with a good swirl remover(I use Adams, but PB, or Zaino will work fine too). Then you want to polish, then put a good coat of wax on the truck. I also do not recommend using a pressure washer.

Thanks so much for all the help guys! My truck currently is smooth to hand touch. The wax holds up, it just doesnt shine like it used to. I will be buying a clay bar soon! Wish i knew how to use one! And will one bar do my whole truck?

Does your truck have swirl marks under direct sunlight?

Yes it does why?

To really get it to shine it needs to be poished. To get it looking new again you really need to get a PC7424 and some poor boys SSR2.5 and SSR 1, or meguiars 105 and 205, then wax it.

check out www.autogeek.net they have tons of info on detailing. you can also go to youtube and search clay bar and there are some videos on how to clay bar a vehicle.

you probally need a polish, after washing and clay-baring, The glaze and then wax. And Tada:




Invest in a PC and you'll bring the shine back.

"350Vortec" said:

Thanks so much for all the help guys! My truck currently is smooth to hand touch. The wax holds up, it just doesnt shine like it used to. I will be buying a clay bar soon! Wish i knew how to use one! And will one bar do my whole truck?

Click to expand...

Just make sure to keep the paint and the clay wet with detail spray. Apply moderate pressure and go over the entire paint that way. Yes one bar should be sufficient as long as you do not drop it, then you will need a fresh one. I also recommend getting a polishing your paint.

Okay, it's going to take some time and effort but with a dark color like that you can really bring back the shine. Here's how to do it.

A random orbit buffer is the only way to go. These pics are from last summer, I bought the '** the winter before, it’s a 2K. From a distance the paint looks fine, the reds still bright, but when you get up close there are a lot of swirls and fine scratch marks. It looks like someone use a broom to brush the snow off the hood. It also has a few more major scratches. My buffer isn’t a commercial grade, it’s just a $50 Craftsman I got at Sears but it does the job. First I washed with Joy, then clay barred. Next I used Meguiar’s Dual Action Cleaner/Polish #83. If your paint isn't scratched like mine but just has swirls, halo's and haze, use Meguiars Deep Crystal System Step 1 Cleaner. Using the buffer I did the hood three times. You could probably get by with one or two. Then I used the Meguiar’s Deep Crystal System Step 2, Polish twice. I followed that with the NXT wax. Look at the pics and pay attention to the swirls, halo’s, spider webs, and just basic haze that is on the left side compared to the right side. Granted, there are a few scratches that prolly won’t come out without a professional having at it, but I’m very pleased with the results. I’m thinking some #7 Show Car Glaze might give it an even wetter shine. I can't figure out how to label the pics but the third one is the unfinished side, the fourth is the finished side.