Ask the Detailer

I'm very impressed with how just washing and using Griots 3-1 green spray has really helped with removing the shadowing.

 

I actually have a question for the gurus:

I will be deploying soon and I am about to do the full detail on the truck prior to me leaving. The truck will be parked in a carport at my folk's house in Savannah. The truck won't be in the sun [well hardly, may get some rays but not full on]. So my question is does anyone do anything special to a vehicle that will be sitting for an extended period of time. My brother will come over once or twice a month to drive the truck around the neighborhood and probably wash it every month or six weeks.

 

First of all: thanks for your service man.

I know your truck has the right stuff on it to stay protected. I would definitely get a windshield cover for it to help keep the sun of it. You may even want to look at a cover craft truck cover for it. But if it’s under cover you should be fine.

 

Thank you for your support!!

I don't really want to get a cover for it. I had a cover on my 350z during my first deployment and mildew formed in the vehicle due to the condensation from the humidity. I was actually looking at the Husky windshield covers. So you think I should get one even though it will be under a carport?

 

I would. I use mine all the time. I also agree with you on the cover.

 

Like @Swfltoyomafia said, thank you! I would not be worried about the paint as much as I would animals getting up in the truck and eating your wiring or building nests. Vehicles that sit outside, especially in the south, tend to attract animals. I'm not sure what products are out there as I've never left my vehicles outside, but hopefully someone else on here might know.

 

This is a really good point. I’d definitely get some mice bait and whatever else you can.

 

I've done some research on this, but never pulled the trigger. We have has issues with this with our tractor that sits at our cabin at times for a couple of months. There are a couple of products on Amazon that you can just spray in the engine bay that is supposed to deter mice.

 

My father-in-law just used a strobe light mounted in the engine bay. Very effective, but have to explain to your neighbors why the engine bay is strobing.

 

Anyone have any experience with polishing trailer decals? I'm bringing our trailer to the house late this upcoming weekend and last time we were at the inlaws house (where its stored) i noticed the decals were starting to get a little faded.

I have a Maguires G110v2 that a friend gave me, and all the pads i have for it are toast. I'm not sure what pad i should get that will work to get into the corrugated siding of the trailer and what kind of compound to use. Any thoughts? I have some special stuff for the roof of the trailer, but for the sidings i'm going to hit it with some 3-in-1 for some nice protection.

Here's a pic of the trailer (from a couple years back....in a little rougher shape now).

 

@Ckatz53

 

Decals work the same as the rest of the RV. Just be careful with peeled edges or chipped portions. I use Meguiars Flagship Cleaner wax with Lake Country orange cutting pads for 90% of my fiberglass/gel coat jobs. Removes the majority of light oxidation and leaves a solid finish. Dependent on condition and customer's wishes, I will either use 3M Marine Rubbing Compound with a Meguiar's wool cutting pad for heavy cut, Lake Country orange with 3M Finesse polish for medium cut, or Lake Country white pad with 3M Finesse for light cut (less cut than the previous, slightly more cut than the cleaner wax with a smoother finish). All done on a Dewalt rotary.

 

Thanks! I was thinking about a wool pad, as it seems like i need something that has some thickness to get into the corrugated sections, i bet a smaller polisher, like a 1" or 2" would work great, but probably wouldn't ever use it again. I think that the siding is in good shape, the decals could use a little freshing up.

I'll grab a LC orange and a wool pad. Do you recommend anything for a sealer/wax? I was thinking about griots 3-in-1.

 

What material is it? Corrugated like that I'm assuming it's some sort of metal?

 

Yeah its ribbed/corrugated metal (aluminum?)

 

Any ceramic based product would work well. Probably use a regular automobile AIO polish too. The Flagship is primarily for fiberglass or gel coat.

 

Thanks! I'm going to pick the trailer up on sunday and have a week to get it shining again....i'll post some updates.

 

Good luck! Careful with too much polishing if using a strong abrasive or wool pad. Those painted aluminum panels are typically single stage and very thin layers of paint. Less is more with those. A good foam cutting pad and a polish should do the trick by trailer standards.

 

Just ordered some Method Grids...Most likely will be using them year round through Buffalo snow and salt....

How can I protect the finish of the rims, the "beadlock" and the hardware from rust and corrosion? Other than the obvious cleaning.

Wheels will be here well before tires so I'm thinking I can hopefully do whatever is recommended to protect the wheels asap.

TIA

Paul

 

Ceramic coat them while they're off the truck.

 

Ceramic coating is your best bet. You have the advantage of doing it before the tires are mounted. I recommend CarPro CQuartz Dlux or Gyeon Rim

 

thanks doodz! I’ll look into that stuff

 

Exactly what I would recommend since you have the time and opportunity before the tires get there.

 

Dealer left a sticker on tailgate, what is best way to get it off? Been on approximately 2 mos. keep forgetting to ask....

 

IMO fingernails, otherwise you risk scratching the truck.

 

Just peel it off. Try some goo gone if it leaves residue. Shouldn’t be too bad after a couple of months. If it still leaves a shadow, you can leave it a while to see if it fades. If you’re impatient you can try a clay bar or a mild polish. Shouldn’t be much of an issue.

 

I am planning to (finally) debadge my 14. Any advice on whether this is a good idea or tips to removing old adhesive?

 

Thanks a bunch, much appreciated

 

Park it outside on a really hot day....sticker will come off easily. Just move the edge up with a fingernail. I did this with stripe tape a dealer put on that I did not want.

 

Only issue I could think of would be a difference in the paint under the badge as compared to the surrounding area