Professional TIPS and TRICKS

[Skyboi]

Ultimate Tires and Wheels 101

Detailing your tires and wheels is crucial to the overall final detailed presentation look of your vehicle so let's jump right in.

Generally speaking...the cleaning should be done prior to the vehicle wash stage...The dressing, last.

What you'll need for the job:

1. A non acid/non caustic wheel cleaner in a spray bottle diluted properly
2. A butyl based heavy duty cleaner/degreaser (Butyl eats rubber) in a spray bottle diluted properly
3. A 4-6'" firm bristle scrub brush for scrubbing the tire and white letters.
4. A soft bristle Mag wheel brush or a soft bristle detail or tooth brush.
5. A 5 gallon wash bucket filled with warm soapy carwash
6. A wash mit that you only use for tires and wheels...Never on the paint.
7. A hose handy and ready.
8. Tire dressing and a sponge
9. A pair of rubber gloves
10.Wax and a wipe cloth

The Rules:

1. Never spray anything on a mag wheel in the direct sunlight. UV light can cause etching on a mag.
2. Never spray anything on a dry mag wheel...Always wet it first.
3. Never spray anything on a hot mag wheel.
4. Never walk away from wheels or tires that have chemicals on them. Use the 30 second rule and then rinse.
5. Always run extra water on the cleaned tires and rims to get any excess chemical off.
6. Try not to breath that crap in....known to cause Parkinsons disease.

Let's begin:

1. Begin by rinsing the tire and wheel to get off any excess dirt and to cool the wheel.

2. Always start with the Tire first...get your spray bottle, tire brush and hose ready.

Spray down the tire and the wheel well completely with the cleaner and count to 30...watch as the tire starts turning brown as the butyl based cleaner starts to deep clean the dirt out of the rubber...
Pay close attention to the mag and if you see any type of reaction....Rinse immediatlly.

After 30 grab your brush and scrub the whole face of the tire. Do it with vigor and do it quickly as you've oversprayed your mag. Scrub it hard and fast you wuss. RinseTire, Mag and Well...Repeat if necessary.

3.Grab the wheel cleaner spray bottle and get your wheel brushes and hose ready.

Spray down the wheel with the cleaner and count to 30 again. Begin to brush all the nooks and crannies GENTLY! rinse and repeat if necessary.

4. Grab your bucket and your wash mit and give the wheel a detailed scrubbing with your hands followed up by washing the tire. Rinse...

Next, proceed to the vehicle wash, dry and wax.

After your vehicle is completely washed, dried and waxed.....

Time to Dress the tires and wheels:

NEVER SPRAY TIRE DRESSING DIRECTLY ON YOUR TIRE!!!!!!!

1. Put your gloves on (so you don't get this greasy crap on your hands and have to rewash your truck...Trust me)

2. Squat near your tire and put the nozzle of your tire dressing right in the sponge and proceed to "load it up" with dressing. Apply with a circular motion right around the outside of the tire covering up to and over the first tread.

Next, make sure you move toward the center and then the inside tire BEING CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH THE WHEEL.( if you do wipe it off with a clean wiping cloth) Cover the tire completely.

3. You can then apply a thin coat of wax to the mag and wipe clean.

4. MOST IMPORTANT!!! Roll your truck forward or back slowly a half a tire rotation and wipe with dressing to get the underside of the tire you couldn't reach from the weight of the vehicle...

If you have to drive immediatley, don't go too heavy with the dressing or you'll spinn it off up the wheelwell and on the body.

Let it sit overnight for best results.

Have a beer and brag....you now have the cleanest kicks on the road....ANY ROAD!

Good luck, hope this helped and give me feedback as to your results!

[yellowranger215]

These are all great tips, guys!

I bought my truck, an 05 around Thnksgiving of 07, and My dad borrowed it for a few months (Feb-March) because his car died, and my wife and I have an extra vehicle. When he gave it back to me, he said "I gave it a wash for you, not a good one, but I washed it."

My brain made the same scream that Marv (Daniel Stern) made in the first Home alone, when the kid put the spider on his face!

So last week, it was finally nice enough to get out there and detail it, and, even though it took me all week (not enough time in the day, especially with a little one on the way) I machine polished and glazed and waxed the WHOLE truck...she looks great now! (except for all the pollen on it, my black truck looks tinted green!)

[Steelyeyedone]

Good stuff. Thanks for these tips, keep them coming!

[QShip]

What about spraying underneath the truck with some type of silicon dressing to prevent rust?

[Skyboi]

Originally Posted by QShip

What about spraying underneath the truck with some type of silicon dressing to prevent rust?

Dressing the underside of the truck will only make sense if you're going to "show it" let's say at a car show. Other than that, if your looking for protection, A commercial undercoating would be the answer. The silicone or oil/water based dressings would have the opposite effect. They would collect dust and dirt. Then when that dust and dirt got wet it would act as a sponge holding the moisture to the frame then creating an accelerated corrosion

In potential problem areas my advice is .... CLEAN and DRY

Good luck, hope this helps

[Skyboi]

Paint Chip Repair 101

I know that many of you are dealing with paint chips on the front end. Although the only real way to make than go away is by repainting the front end...I'll show you a professional, yet do it yourself way to " Minimize" the damage caused by these chips.

We're going to assume that you washed the truck and are ready for this procedure.

First off you'll need some tools. See first pic. (yes, that is a pounder)

TOOLS:

1. 1 pack of regular matches
2. A new razor blade
3. A small cup to hold your touch-up paint
4. Assistant (in the blue can)

1. Using the razor blade, cut a few matches on a very accute angle...See pic 2 & 3

2. Dab just the very tip of the blade in the touch up paint. You should have a small ball like droplet of paint on the tip.

Lightly touch the chip in the center... You want to slightly "over fill" the chip so the touchup slightly crests above the vehicles regular finish.

You'll quickly get the hang of just how much paint to put on the tip to accurately fill the chip above level with the regular paint.

The touchup will "settle" and become more level.

If you want to go the extra step...."LIGHTLY" buff down the chips a week later well after the paint cures with a super light polish and they will blend a little better.

Good Luck and I hope this helps....Also, Give me some feedback on your project.

[QShip]

Originally Posted by Skyboi

Dressing the underside of the truck will only nmake sense if you going to "show it" let's say at a car show. Other than that, if your looking for protection, A commercial undercoating would be the answer. The silicone or oil/water based dressings would have the opposite effect. They would collect dust and dirt. Then when that dust and dirt got wet it would act as a sponge holding the moisture to the frame then creating an accelerated corrosion

In potential problem areas my advice is .... CLEAN and DRY

God luck, hope this helps

I like to use PB Blaster or WD-40 under my truck. A buddy of mine uses the silicon dressing. He said he's been doing that for years with no rust.

[Skyboi]

Originally Posted by QShip

I like to use PB Blaster or WD-40 under my truck. A buddy of mine uses the silicon dressing. He said he's been doing that for years with no rust.

OK..Let me try to make you understand that these products are nothing nothing more than water displacers that will only last a short time...

WD-40 stands for Water Displacement 40th attempt.

When the product is wet, it creates a surface tension tension that is like a sponge that will trap contaminants. These contaminants, like salt, iron, fallout,road grime etc...will attack the frame....

Here's what happens... You spray it on and it stays moist for a few days...as it drys it picks up every thing under the sun and adheres it to your frame in every nook and cranny. than you clean it where you can reach by bending over and spraying what you can easily reach with the gun...Then you reapply and the process begins again.

Here's the problem...The areas you can't clean become the theater of engagement for the corrosion process because the moisture you're trying to displace becomes imbedded in the gunk that you've collected and directly attacks the metals at an accellerated rate.

Like I said above, Clean and dry is the best way unless you plan on sealing your undercarraige with a professional coating.

I professionally advise not doing this.

[Skyboi]

CLEANING LEATHER SEATS 101

I had a PM from a member regarding cleaing his leather seats so I thought I woud pass the details along to the rest of the board.

Leather is tricky and you have to be careful....

First off, leather is processed through several "tanning" baths, dried and colored....The problem arrises when you start to break that process down by using harsh cleaners and excessive scrubbing. These degreasers and caustic cleaners actually work against the properties of the finished leather. Then the leather begins to break down and you see crackes and color wear.

So here's my advice:

1. The obvious...Try to not get the seats too dirty...This generally means that you will not have to clean them as often and won't have to introduce harsh chemicals. Try seat covers and keep a repellant on them.

2. When you get them dirty....Try to clean them immediatley so stains don't have a chance to set. Use a light dilution of mild soap and water(DAWN dish washing detergent)....Wring out the rag and don't "scrub" it to death....Or you'll start to wipe the color off....Wipe it dry, then treat it, then cover them.

If that doesn't take the dirt off...determine what the stain is and go from there... ie; heavy Moly based grease will require a butyl based cleaner to remove....Clean, dry, treat...cover

3. Treat the seats with either a leather conditioner/ food or a silicone spray. I don't like the water based products because the leather was treated to repel water and shouldn't absorb it. Water will stretch and then shrink the leather causing cracks.

Here's the deal.... If you're cleaning the leather seats "just to clean them"...You're killing them. "Really" clean them ONLY when they're dirty and they'll last longer and stay in better shape.

P.S. No ink pens or screwdrivers in your back pocket....

Good luck and as always...Give feed back if I was able to help you....This helps the next guy!

[Skyboi]

Forgot to mention.....

When you guys are working on your interiors the most important thing you need is LIGHT.

If you do not have a "great" florescent light tube.... you might as well be working with a blindfold on.

If having a truly clean interior is importamt to you than go to the auto store and invest in a the brightest high quiality light you can find...You won't regret it.

I've have had employees that were cleaning an interior and when I saw they were not using a light....I would make them start over.

You have to clearly see what it is that you're cleaning or you'll make mistakes.

[pogi69x]

This is some really great info and hope we can keep this thread. Here in Alaska we need to keep our trucks clean and at a regular intervel to keep it from rusting and I plan on using these great ideas, thanks for the info!

[verotitan]

Skyboi,

Thanks again. Really good information. This guy knows his stuff!!!

[verotitan]

How about treating/leather food? How often should you use these products and which products are safest/best?

[Skyboi]

Originally Posted by verotitan

How about treating/leather food? How often should you use these products and which products are safest/best?

You can get a decent quality leather treatment for your local auto place...They're all about the same give or take a few ingredients. I would treat them with every season.

Just don't be overly aggressive with leather...

[hooligan]

Originally Posted by Skyboi

Paint Chip Repair 101

1. Using the razor blade, cut a few matches on a very accute angle...See pic 2 & 3

skyboi, first off, kick aass instructional... 2nd off, what's the steel wool for and 3rd, what's done with the match after you cut it at an acute angle? you don't mention it again after you cut it, so just curious as to why you need to do that if you don't use the match.