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Advice on detailing for 1 week old JK

4K views 27 replies 15 participants last post by  21edupej 
#1 ·
My 2-door JK soft-top is now 10 days old. Time to lay down some good stuff.
I'll stay with 303 on the bumpers, fenders, etc and N0-Touch for the tires.

I'd appreciate advice on what to do with the paint. (It's dozer).

The Jeep is in Hawaii - bright sun, high UV factor along with high humidity and salt air.
I'm looking for something tough, fairly long-lasting with good protection and shine that'll hold for 6-8 months.
The car will be parked in the open while working, garaged the rest of the time.
Ease of application would be nice and NO white marks left on the fenders or rubber trim if I get sloppy. :)

There's a lot of detail experts here.
Tell me what to use. :confused:
 
#2 ·
Use Turtle Wax Ice liquid on it about every 2-3 months max. You can put it on everything; paint, black metal/rubber, top (except soft) and there will be no white. It will only take you 15min. to do the whole Jeep. I wouldn't only do it once every 6 months though.
 
#4 ·
I use a lot of this guys products Car Care, Detail Supplies, Garage Organization, Car Accessories - Griot's Garage 800-345-5789 and love it. Usually free ship and good sales. Then after every car wash I spray it while still wet with his liquid carnuba wax. Over everything including the black fenders and steps. The paint on mine even with the salt here looks awsome! Not that you have to worry about salt! (my niece from hawaii calls to bust every time she hears we had a snow storm!) Good luck!
 
#16 ·
Talking to some of the detailing guys over at Autogeek, that only applies to if you've had paint work done at a body shop after you take delivery, or if the dealer sent it out to have shipping damage fixed. Otherwise factory paint is fully cured & hardened before it leaves due to the fact that they can actually bake the crap out of it before putting the vehicle together.
 
#7 ·
Unlike many here, I have never been a fan of Turtle Wax Ice.

I would recommend a sealant over a wax. If you are wanting to stay with over the counter stuff, Meguiar's NXT 2.0 is a good sealant. Meguiar's #21 Synthetic Sealant is also good.

If you are wanting to go with something online, I personally love the Wolfgang line of products. Their Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 provides one of the wettest and deepest shines I have ever achieved, especially on darker colors and metallics. Don't have any shots of the Jeep with the Wolfgang stuff, but here is a pic or two of my former Bullitt.


 
#12 ·
Unlike many here, I have never been a fan of Turtle Wax Ice.
Me either. I used Ice one summer, & it doesn't even come close to a decent carnuba wax. 4fit, you feel that the sealant has a deeper shine than a good carnuba wax? IIRC you can layer some wax & sealant.
 
#11 ·
#14 ·
Mopar2Ya said:
Me either. I used Ice one summer, & it doesn't even come close to a decent carnuba wax. 4fit, you feel that the sealant has a deeper shine than a good carnuba wax? IIRC you can layer some wax & sealant.
Actually, I used to top the sealant with Poor Boys Nattys Blue carnuba paste wax before shows. Just to give it an extra kick. But the sealant looks great on it own too. And pretty much any sealant will last longer than most carnubas.
 
#18 ·
I've never been a huge fan of the Zaino look. I have known folks in the show car world that swear by it. But it has always just seemed overhyped to me. Sorta like Bose in the home theater world.

The Wolfgang stuff is awesome. I found the regular sealant to be a bit difficult to work with in colder temps when I did my GF's Altima a few weeks back. I'd been wanting to try a spray "wax" finally though and picked up some of the spray version of the WG Sealant on a buy-one get-one sale and used it on the Jeep a couple weeks back. Let's just say I drooled heavily.

Totally easy to use (like wiping on and off a quick detailer easy) and looks great. Will get me by until Spring detailfest when I pull out the clay, buffer, polishes, etc.

The only downside is not getting it wet for the 12 hour cure just like the regular stuff. Easy enough though if you put it on in the evening and let the vehicle sit in the garage overnight.
Yeah, the spray sealant is very good and I used it for quite a while. But, if you can find it locally, pick up some Duragloss AquaWax. It is also a spray sealant and is by far the best spray product I have ever used. Just so happens that it is manufactured in my home town and I have had some dealings with the people that make it, Brothers Research. I swear by the AquaWax and also their car wash detergent.
 
#23 ·
courtney123 said:
No doubt black is the best looking color, but way too much work for me to keep it looking that good.
Nice car though.
Hahaha. Just goes to show how deep and wet that paint is. That car is not black! It is Dark Highland Green. Don't worry, you aren't the only one to think it was black. I used to consider it a compliment.
 
#26 ·
ORNGCR8 said:
Jeff, please tell me you still own that Bullitt along with your Jeep! That's one sexy Stang! I know because I test drove a 2008 highland green when they ran the 2nd series of production. Nice car!
Thanks for the compliment. I've had quite a few cars throughout the years, and the Bullitt is the one I regret getting rid of the most.

I sold it to help fund the Jeep. Sold it December 21st, 2010 to a guy in Las Vegas who saw it online. He wired me the money and sent a car hauler to the house to pick it up. He ended up selling it to a guy in Texas this past September.

I've been keeping tabs on the car and hope to get it back one day, if the current owner doesn't destroy it. Last I heard, he was wanting to put euro tails in it, some crazy interior stuff, etc. Makes me furious just thinking about it. This is a Grand National show winner and calendar feature car he is destroying. Ugh!
 
#27 ·
Thanks for the compliment. I've had quite a few cars throughout the years, and the Bullitt is the one I regret getting rid of the most.

I sold it to help fund the Jeep. Sold it December 21st, 2010 to a guy in Las Vegas who saw it online. He wired me the money and sent a car hauler to the house to pick it up. He ended up selling it to a guy in Texas this past September.

I've been keeping tabs on the car and hope to get it back one day, if the current owner doesn't destroy it. Last I heard, he was wanting to put euro tails in it, some crazy interior stuff, etc. Makes me furious just thinking about it. This is a Grand National show winner and calendar feature car he is destroying. Ugh!
Reminds me of that line from "Gran Torino" at the end when the lawyer is reading the will and he tells the kid he can have the car if he promises to never put any faggity spoiler crap on the car
 
#28 ·
Wow, what a wide and varying opinion on products! Wouldn't want it any other way! I've only had my 2012 JK a few days, but have been pondering this topic since about 5 minutes after I drove it off the lot!

Classically, I am very averse to putting ANY product on black trim. Most every one out there turns your trim (ie bumpers, fenders, door handles etc) chalk white, or grey over time. I've owned and detailed dozens of cars over the years, and I've come to find Peanut Oil is about the best thing for black trim that has turned grey or chalky. I had an Explorer for 5 years and never once put a thing on the huge black bumpers, and mine looked better than every other one on the road!

As for chemical technology on the paint, the first product I would suggest is elbow grease! (LOL yup good old fashioned elbow grease). I've gotten some spectacular finishes to come out of hiding on a 1949 Nash, a 1978 Datsun Z, and plenty of other mostly damaged paint finishes by using Mother's Pre Wax Cleaner, Mother's Swirl Remover, and then using 3M Finishing Wax. I'm talking going from dull nearly shineless paint to gorgeous, dip your arm in liquid looking reflection. I took a 1993 Saab I bought in Colorado that literally looked like newsprint paper and spent a day with those products and the paint looked like showroom new. The trim on the car was silvery chalky white and I used the peanut oil and it was midnight black when I finished. I bought the car, detailed it, and sold it for $1000 more than I paid in less than a week!

For the inside of the car, all the dash, door, console, trim etc. I would highly recommend Vinylex. It is made by Lexol and does a helluva lot better job than any other "cleaner/protectant" I've ever used. It will actually remove any oxidation from the surface breaking down and then keep it from getting any worse.

The good weather is coming! Have fun detailing!
 
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