yukon needs a good cleaning!

[screamin86]

We are about to take our summer trip to the beach in the yukon and I always like to clean it very well before we go to make it easier to get all the sand out when I get home. Honestly I hate to say it but the last time it was waxed was this time last year. I alwasy hand wash and dry before I do wax but this year I'm debating on claybaring the thing and maybe looking into some other waxes to use. Its black and got 99k on it so its got some small scratches hear and there but over all the paint is good. Anyone have any advice or tips? A guy at work told me about something turtle wax has now for black vehicles but is it any good? If yall can help me out that would be great! Thanks guys!

 

[2005yukonxl]

i have had the "miracle" waxes for dark colored cars before...and they are mostly bs. they add alot of silicone to them usually that makes swirls and such go away for a very short period of time. it will look dang good and deep but a few car washes will make it all go away. just stick with the good old basic wax that you are used to. the miracle waxes that are specific to dark cars etc just have additives that wont last very long.

 

[gdddup]

like already said the filler waxes will make it look awesome for a week or 2. best thing to do is polish then wax. if you have a buffer and good products youll get a awesome shine.

 

[2005yukonxl]

look at griots garage's complete care kits. sure they are expensive but they know exactly what they are making and selling and it aint no cheap filler wax crap. it will fix your issues once and for all.

---------- Post added at 11:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:52 PM ----------

and GDDDUP, keep posting in threads i reply to and im gonna have to keep lookin at that color matched grille till i decide to do ours. it looks great.

 

[gdddup]

and GDDDUP, keep posting in threads i reply to and im gonna have to keep lookin at that color matched grille till i decide to do ours. it looks great.

lol thanks

 

[Night Fury]

use "Black Wax" i forgot who makes it but its special wzx for black cars. i detail as a side job and use a Paint "Conditioner" it helps to revamp the paint to a shine and if its still not smooth and feeling like now, claybar it

 

[chauncey0337]

Definitely clay bar. Before I clay barred, I put a plastic bottle on my hood and it didn't move. After clay bar, I did the same and the plastic bottle slid down the hood like it was on ice. You can also feel the difference with your hand. I used Meguires paste wax, not sure how good it is but it was super easy to apply and remove, required minimal buffing.

 

[Sasquatch]

The best way to remove swirls and light scratches is to get an orbital buffer.

I contacted rob at glimmer glass detailing on the phone and he helped me get the best products to get the job done.

I got a whole package with a porter cable buffer and foam pads and the waxes and compound/polishes that he suggested to fix my paint.

It was well worth the cost and time (i spent about 7-8 hours)

I was a little worried about damaging my paint with a buffer but i watched a bunch of videos on youtube and found that unless you accidentally put sandpaper on the buffer it`s almost impossible to hurt your paint even with the most aggressive compounds.

The only drawback to getting a buffer is that all your friends will want to borrow it after seeing what it did to your paint.

 

[2005yukonxl]

i know that feeling. i have an orbital and a direct drive buffer...all my friends come to me when their wife knocks a mirror off their car or something...i was replacing a mirror on our friends camry after my neighbor painted it for us and he pointed out scratches on his hood and asked if i could fix. of course i never resist an opportunity to sling compound all over the place, but also practicing on someone elses car lets me knwo what i am able to remove in case i ever car shop and wander if something will come out. free practice.

 

[brucebruce45]

Lookup Adams detailers.

 

[ezdaar]

i know that feeling. i have an orbital and a direct drive buffer...all my friends come to me when their wife knocks a mirror off their car or something...i was replacing a mirror on our friends camry after my neighbor painted it for us and he pointed out scratches on his hood and asked if i could fix. of course i never resist an opportunity to sling compound all over the place, but also practicing on someone elses car lets me knwo what i am able to remove in case i ever car shop and wander if something will come out. free practice.

Same here! Always Practice on someone elses pos.
One of my buddies likes to change vehicals every 2 months or so, he buys the biggest POS on the planet and rives it till it dies or he gets tired of it..
Considering the way he drives, it does'nt take long.

So I always sneak the buffer onto a front fender when hes not paying attention, ends up a pretty polished front fender and the rest of the car looks like shit!

 

[photoryan]

The best way to remove swirls and light scratches is to get an orbital buffer.

I contacted rob at glimmer glass detailing on the phone and he helped me get the best products to get the job done.

I got a whole package with a porter cable buffer and foam pads and the waxes and compound/polishes that he suggested to fix my paint.

It was well worth the cost and time (i spent about 7-8 hours)

I was a little worried about damaging my paint with a buffer but i watched a bunch of videos on youtube and found that unless you accidentally put sandpaper on the buffer it`s almost impossible to hurt your paint even with the most aggressive compounds.

The only drawback to getting a buffer is that all your friends will want to borrow it after seeing what it did to your paint.

Being a part-time detailer, I think that Sasquatch is mostly right- just a little vague. The term "orbital buffer" is very generic. What you really want (and what it looks like he got) is a dual action or random orbital polisher. These have more torque than a orbital waxer (cheap things from Sears or wherever that cost $30-50), but have a clutch that will limit the power applied onto the paint. A buffer is usually similar to a right angle grinder, but a little bigger. Those will not stop the rotating motion and if not used properly can eat through paint in seconds.

To remove light scratches, you need some sort of paint cleaner/ compound. Like others have said, wax MAY hide scratches, but for a limited time. Using a paint cleaner will even out the clear coat so that the rest of the clear coat ends up the same level as the scratches, effectively eliminating them altogether. If you don't want to spend the money on a dual action polisher, you can get stuff like Meguiar's Ultimate Compound that can be applied by hand. (You just have to use some good 'ol elbow grease.)

Claying is a great first step if your paint isn't smooth to the touch after washing it.

Wax really is final step to help protect your paint and usually adds a little extra depth to well conditioned paint. The type isn't as important than how it is applied and especially what was done to the paint prior to waxing.