New GMC Denali 3500 Dually Black

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Good morning all,
I recently purchased this little beast of a ride and want to get on top of taking care of it from the get go. I can only imagine the cost of having it professionally detailed so I am going to learn myself. It already has the typical dealer swirl marks and a light scratch on the hood where it looks like something got stuck under the wash sponge (Nail doesn't catch on the scratch). Being that its black it shows every little thing and a big area of concern is the dually wheel part of it because it seems every possible thing on the road hits the fender flares there. I am going to go out on a limb and say that none of my current inventory of cleaning supplies is up to par so I will need everything from a buffer, pads, microfibers and polishes. I want to be able to maintain and remove swirl marks as I have a GT-R I bought as well but the gentleman took it to the dealership every week for its washing so you can only imagine how it looks as it is black as well. Thanks for all the suggestions and I look forward to all there is to learn here.

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Depending on how much you have to spend, the Griots Garage Boss system is a great starting point.

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Im not too terribly concerned about price, as I know its saving me money in the long run. The clear coat on this thing seems to be the softest clear ever and its on a HD truck, I dont know what they were thinking there or its just a poor wash technique or both.
 
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I have a '16 Black 2500 Denali with a Black Canopy. Its a lot of real estate. And its tall and hard to get to. My wife also has a Black SUV. I broke down and ordered a Rupes BigFoot 21, Mini, and Nano. These pretty much cover the gamut of spaces that need polishing. I also like the fact that the pads and polishes are all color coded so I don't have to think to much. These are very nice machines.

The other thing I broke down and bought was a nice steamer (Vapor Chief 125). I use this damn thing pretty much every day now and the wife uses it in the house. It makes short work on the carpets, mats, and nooks and crannies in the interior, and works great with the rinseless wash when I just want to get the dust off the truck. Just pull the trigger and spray a panel and then wipe. Done. The truck is too long for my garage so it gets old having to do a full wash all the time.
 
First you're going to want to go to Lowe's or Home Depot and get TWO Werner Work Platforms.

Take my word for it, you want two as it will make washing and waxing faster. Heck if you have a canaopy on the bed then get 4 and put two side-by-side on each side and you can walk back and forth over them instead of

Getting up and getting down. Moving the platform.
Getting up and getting down. Moving the platform.
Getting up and getting down. Moving the platform.


Black_Tahoe_Production_2_Step_019.jpg


Black_Tahoe_Production_2_Step_020.jpg




Next - if this is a daily driver figure out how you're going to wash it because this will determine the best way to "maintain" the paint.


So how you going to wash it?

  1. You take ownership and wash it by hand?
  2. You take it to a touchless car wash?
  3. Or one of the other options...


It is the most important factor as to how your vehicle will look. That is how you wash or how you "touch" the paint.


:)
 
Mike is correct. Those platforms are awesome! As for the paint you are correct that its very soft! Pretty much all straight black GMs from 2014 on have very soft paint and can be a pita to correct properly. If you are not coating it I would suggest Meguiars M205 on a Rupes Yellow pad followed by HD Speed on a black finishing pad or white polishing pad. I would look into a Porter Cable 7424 for a entry level polisher. If you want to spend a bit more then a Griots Garage G21 long throw is a great machine for correcting and finishing.
 
A finishing polish M205 followed by an AIO? Id rather do a 205/Essence combo followed by a coating. Or just a finishing polish such as HD Polish followed with a coating. Id go the coating route if the paint is so soft for better protection.
 
I have Rupes polishers, pads, and polish and basically the same truck ('16 GMC Black 2500). Its been through a physical carwash several times (don't ask how or why) and it has lots of swirls and micro scratches that I want to address. What would be the advised Rupes pad and polish to start with before coating? It sounds like Green and not Blue?
 
MikeC78 said:
A finishing polish M205 followed by an AIO? Id rather do a 205/Essence combo followed by a coating. Or just a finishing polish such as HD Polish followed with a coating. Id go the coating route if the paint is so soft for better protection.
Click to expand...

Read the following article and it will explain why I said this. Now obviously if he plans on coating it then you need to finish with something like sf3800 or Rupes diamond finishing polish or Hyper polish. I personally haven't had good luck with essence on these new black GM's. Did a brand new 2016 3500 Denali last year and thought it would be a cake walk. Nope! Menzerna SF3800 followed by a prep solve wax and grease remover rather than the traditional eraser or ipa worked awesome. I have found IPA or any of the prep wipes not to have enough lubricity. The prep solve has more lubrication and has less chance of marring the paint in my experiences.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...-haze-scratching-when-working-soft-paint.html
 
The truck does sit outside as it does not fit in my garage, and I envy those of you with a big enough garage to fit something like this in it hahah Its not a daily driver but being that it sits outside it gets dusty everyday and gets the some tree junk on it ever now and then. Being that it is such a soft paint I dont have a problem with coating it if thats the plan most would go with as you all more experienced than me. Ill take care of it myself washing and waxing no car washes. Mainly what I will be fighting is swirl marks and the occasional clear coat scratch from god only knows what on the road.
 
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