I just bought a 2018 Ram 2500 in black. I'm wanting to make the paint as nice as I can get it and maintain it from there. There's a few swirls already that I'm guessing came from washing it while on the lot and a few blue grease pencil like marks here and there that I'm assuming came from assembly. My question is do I need to start with a compound and move all the way through to sealant 3.0 or would just a polish or cleaner suffice then go 3.0. Any advice, especially by the numbers, and product recommendations would be greatly appreciated
New car detailing advice
- Thread starter twahl
- Start date
Rsurfer
Well-known member
- Jan 26, 2007
- 14,161
- 26
Congrats on your new truck. Black is beautiful when it's clean, but you just got yourself a part time job . LOL
My advise to you is not to chase every little swirl as no matter how careful you are in washing, it's going to happen. Use the least aggressive method when polishing and use good washing techniques.
Do you own a polisher (dual action)?
My advise to you is not to chase every little swirl as no matter how careful you are in washing, it's going to happen. Use the least aggressive method when polishing and use good washing techniques.
Do you own a polisher (dual action)?
Goonie75
New member
- Feb 16, 2017
- 696
- 0
Hi. I suppose it depends on a few things. The baggie test for one. Does it feel like it needs to be clayed for example? That's an extra step but may be important. Seems to me that the best way to tell what to go with is the test spot method. If you have a good polish and a polish/buffing pad, try that maybe first and see what happens, say a white or black pad maybe. If you are satisfied, that's your combo, if not, move up the aggressiveness of the pad (orange, yellow, MF, etc) then maybe the product, that kind of thing, until you find what you are wanting. Least aggressive method first. Then you will know if you need to do all that before 3.0. HD Speed is nice for an AIO, M205, UP, Menzerna, Blackfire AIO, McKee's 37 AIO. Again, depends on what you are after. Happy detailing...
PaulMys
Active member
- Jan 14, 2014
- 10,772
- 3
Congrats on the new truck, fellow Ram man!
Black is tough color. Part time job like Rsurfer said. Goonie made excellent suggestions with HD Speed and others. I love Speed, and it's my go-to. Another choice that has worked on my Ram paint with great results are the Griots creams.
I find the clear on my Ram to be of about medium hardness, so I use Speed with orange LC flat pads. When I tried Griots Correcting Cream, the LC white pads did the job on vertical panels, but they didn't quite cut it (pun intended
) on some of the horizontal panels that had taken a bit more of a "beating".
Switching to the orange flats was the cure for that, and the Griots finished out nicely. Also, Speed is more sun friendly if that matters to you.
Good luck with new Ram!!
Black is tough color. Part time job like Rsurfer said. Goonie made excellent suggestions with HD Speed and others. I love Speed, and it's my go-to. Another choice that has worked on my Ram paint with great results are the Griots creams.
I find the clear on my Ram to be of about medium hardness, so I use Speed with orange LC flat pads. When I tried Griots Correcting Cream, the LC white pads did the job on vertical panels, but they didn't quite cut it (pun intended
) on some of the horizontal panels that had taken a bit more of a "beating". Switching to the orange flats was the cure for that, and the Griots finished out nicely. Also, Speed is more sun friendly if that matters to you.
Good luck with new Ram!!