Please help me get a shopping list to wash, and maintain my "new to me" truck!! Inside and out!!

I just bought 2001 silverado ext cab 2wd with 38K miles. The paint is a 9 out of 10 with a few nicks here and there. Overall, very glossy and nice. I want to keep it that way. I have a few questions about cleaning/waxing/maintaining the exterior/interior:

1. How do you get sap from pine trees off without harming the paint? I park in a different area now, but some sap got on the truck first 2 days I had it in driveway. Its the real gooey stuff from a pine tree.

2. What should I use to wash the truck? Dish soap and a bucket?

3. Should I use a chamois cloth to dry? Will it harm the paint?

4. What about protectant for the tires and trim pieces? I hear bad things about armor all. The Owners manual says something about silicon based stuff being best. Please tell me what brand I should get.

5. What should I wipe down the interior with? I dont want greasy smudges when I am done.

6. What about detailing the engine? Do you use a degreaser, then spray with silicon spray? What does the delaer put on to make it look so nice?

Thanks for your time in writing a shopping list for me. I was previously using a 1977 ford F150 which never got washed. It hardly has paint on it LOL. So I am out of the loop with all the new cleaning products and I dont want to damagae the good looks of this truck for years to come.

I am so glad a site like this is here, kudos to the admins! Also, Thanks to Sportin83 for helping with caraudio. I will be getting my stuff in this week for install of alpine system.

Check into Meguirs products. They're some of the less expensive yet better products. Clay Bars will remove sap and road grime. WD40 removes tar. Wax once a month or so but whatever you do don't use dish soap... it removes wax. Silicone spray hoses and seals around doors to prolong life. Keep the interior plastics moist with some product of your choice... There are lots of things out there. Black Magic and Mequirs are the better that come to mind.

Check into Meguirs products. They're some of the less expensive yet better products. Clay Bars will remove sap and road grime. WD40 removes tar. Wax once a month or so but whatever you do don't use dish soap... it removes wax. Silicone spray hoses and seals around doors to prolong life. Keep the interior plastics moist with some product of your choice... There are lots of things out there. Black Magic and Mequirs are the better that come to mind.

WHat are these clay bars? Is that the name of them? If I should not used dish soap, then what? Powder stuff? Or.... I really need more specifics, Sorry!! I will come out of autozone with a bunch of krap I am sure. There is so much to choose from!

A clay bar is exactly what it says... it has the ability to "grab hold" of contaminants on your paint... use one after washing but before waxing and your paint will stay glossy smooth. Just make sure the clay bar stays clean. What I did was picked up an entire cleaning kit made by Mequirs. It has a liquid wash/shampoo, liquid wax, tire shine, leather/upholstry protectant plus a few other little things. It's about $30 I think. Doesn't come with the $10 clay bar though.

Another edit: A soft wheel brush, and a stiff brush contoured to scrub the tire with will make things alot easier also. Get yourself a window squeegy for the windshield. IMO, both synthetic and real leather chamois will work about the same for drying to prevent water spots...

Ok thats a good lead. I will get a kit and a clay bar. WHat about silicon spray/ degreaser for the engine? I appreciate your replies!!

I don't clean my engine bay too often because it's pretty clean already. I read something on here that someone used a foaming tire shine to clean hoses and plastics. Just don't let it sit too long... probably best to do that at a car wash where you can use the degreaser and pressure washer. I don't know if silicone spray would be a must in there but I suppose it could keep things from drying out. Just avoid saturating the alternator and electrical components with too much water.

Look for "Back to Black" it comes in a red squirt bottle. It's great for bug guards and the black plastic around your bumper. It's much better than "black magic" in my opinion. I covered half my bug deflector with each, and the "back to black" won hands down. It doesn't have to be black to work.

I also use "never dull" wadding for all my crome bumper and wheels. You can get it at walmart in a silver can. Anyone whose been through basic training in the military knows exactly what it is.

Rain-X is good for the windows once they've been cleaned. It makes my wipers chatter sometimes, so i use it on the sides and rear window. DON'T use it on your side mirrors, it screwed mine up, and took a long time to get off.

If youre going to detail the interior, use compressed air to get in all the nooks and crannies around seat tracks etc. it works great.

Oh, and I'd advise not to use armorall etc for the top of the dash, it makes too much reflection and can make your visibilty crap under certain conditions. I use a dishrag and plain old water. it works fine.

I also use household oil and white lithium grease for the door hinges and stops. the tailgate hinges get the white lithium grease too.

I degrease my engine with foamy engine brite. There are 2 kinds that I've found, one foams up and the other doesnt, they work about the same. It takes about a can to do the engine, and I do mine about 3-4 times a year. I usually make it a point not to hit the alternator with the spray or the rinse.

If your tires have white lettering, get some Wesley's "bleach white" and a stiff bristle brush (like a big toothbrush tyrpe). I spray it on and then scrub. After I rinse, I let it dry and then hit it with some tire shine foam. It works great. Just be careful not to get the bleach spray on your rims.

Good luck!

Hey Thanks!! Thats a good start. What stuff do you use for just washing? The black magic kit?
Thanks!!

I really like Meguiars Gold Class car shampoo. Its $10 for a gallon, but does an awesome job. It took the paint on my car from feeling rough and having no shine at all to being very glossy and smooth.

I went to walmart last week and got armor all ,a bristle brush(for the rims),and a detailing brush pack.I really like the detailing brush pack,it has this one brush in there to get the dust off the vents for the a/c.It's called black magic,also has this rubber tip on one side of the handle to get in those tightspots.Also i would get rubber floor mats ,I perfer them over carpet ones because their easier to clean,Once they get taht dusty look to them get the armor all and put it on them and wipe down.Remember to wipe down good though,if you don't your foot might slip.

Also look up 5starshine.com

I bought one for 50 bucks,only problem is i haven't got around to put it on yet to test it out.

Please help me get a shopping list to wash, and maintain my "new to me" truck!! Inside and out!!

Well Hanibal, here is a link to a thread already created that talks exactly about cleaning and maintaining our trucks.


http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=343050

I use the Blue Coral wash concentrate available at most autoparts stores for a wash. I mix it a little stronger than the directions say. I use NuFinish liquid wax; it's in an orange bottle. The No Touch tire cleaner works great on the engine bay, but if it gets really dirty, I use Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner. I never let either one sit long before I rinse it off

White here is another idea for the wet look finish to the tires that I use. the applicator pad didnt fit the profile of my tire well (im running 305/50's almost 33's, I took the lid off of one of the standard size (i cant remember the capacity 32 gallon) rubbermaid garbage cans happens to be almost the exact size only about an eighth of an inch smaller than my wheels, traced it onto some cardboard and cut it out slightly bigger than my trace line to compensate for the eighth of an inch. Punched a couple holes in the middle and to attach a handle and it works like a charm. Best part is the cardboard absorbs the overspray so you dont have to watch for drips. when it gets too saturated just cut a new one.

Go for the "No Touch" tire spray. I use it on the engine, wheel wells, running boards, and the tires. It does not have static cling. The kids don't slide off my boards after it is sprayed on, and when you leave the car wash you spray on and enjoy the clean look.:smokin:

I bought some armoral interior a few months back and I cannot find anymore. Do they still make this. I also use the foam tire spray in my fender wells

I guess the LS Wheels I have are aluminum, right? SO I dont want to get tire cleaner on them :I
They look to be polished aluminum, or at least a brushed chrome finish. Hmmm......

I am adament about staying AWAY from Armor-All. It fades all of your plastics and over all is just a crappy product.

I am adament about staying AWAY from Armor-All. It fades all of your plastics and over all is just a crappy product.

I also won't use Armor All. It collects dust rather than repelling it. And it does have some unpredictable results on vinyls and clear coat. UV seems to effect it. I like cleaners better than "coaters" and too often - the traditional Armor All product seems to be a "coater". Some of Armor Alls cleaning products work OK though.

Ok, I just picked up some miguire's GoldClass Shampoo, a chamois, and a wash mit.
There was so much krap to choose from, I forgot what is best and what isn't from all the replies. There is "Wheel" cleaner and there is "Tire Shine" then there is "Wheel and tire CLeaner" I was like WTF :screwy: .

It appears that the tire shine stuff "SHOULD NOT" touch the wheels, or it will hurt them, right?

I have LS ALuminum 16" Wheels. What stuff (That is good) should I get that "WONT" hurt them, yet clean em good?

Then I need some tire protectant shine, which there was like 10 different kinds of spray, gel, paste, pads etc....for tires :screwy:

And by this time, from all the replies, I couldnt tell what is best for the black trim on my truck....Is BacktoBlack ok? :screwy:

What interior cleaner "REPELS" dust, if it is not armor all?

I guess a piece of paper and a pen and some searching is in order. SIGH,