I have a new (800 miles as of today) Titanium 2004 4Runner Limited, as soon as the New England weather breaks I am planning on giving the new toy a bath. I have read a ton of posts on different products, Zaino, Groits, etc. I see that most posts refer to the dark colors. I know we all have opinions and preferences so here is the chance for more.

Ok what is the consensus for the Titanium color, The vehicle has had nothing done or any washings since it left the dealer. I want to clean the road salt and general winter junk off it. I have a power washer and usually do the washing by hand and use the sprayer just for the rinsing, not the washing. i have in the past used a dish detergent or Turtle car wash detergent for the wash.

So my question is: Since I am starting off on a fresh slate, what do you recommend for washing (power wash or not), dry with a "leaf blower? and what about wax or polishers? For the novice, what is the difference in appearance from over the counter or specialty brands (Zaino/Groits,etc) Thanks a bunch, this is a great forum

 

Never wash your rig with dish detergent unless you are trying to strip all the wax off in order to clay, polish and wax it.

I am a believer in Griot's Garage and their methods and products. Here is the FREE Detailer's Handbook.

Here are the results:


Good luck!

 

Robbo,

Where in MA are you? I spent two cooold, cold years at Babson. And i dont miss it!

Anyways, back to your question:

I'd worry more about thoroughly cleaning the underbody w/ all the road salt, etc. I'm sure thats why you bought the pressure washer, so there you have it.

As far as taking care of the paint, I'll let you decide what brand you choose to purchase. However, the basic steps are for conventional waxes:

1) Wash with Dawn to remove the old wax, etc
2) Clay bar to remove surface contaminants
3) Polish to smooth out any surface irregularities (and some claim to add essential oils back into the clear coat/paint)
4) wax to protect

You may choose to clay bar and then wax again in about 3 to 6 months. however, you cannot polish over wax. you'll have to strip both the wax and polish off to reapply polish as polish is a mild abrasive. and polish wax defeats the purpose of a polish. hope that made sense

autopia.com has a great forum for this topic.

FYI: As far as all the talk about dark paints and griots vs zainos, the reason for that is darker paints are more difficult to take care of. clear coat scratches are magnified exponentially b/c of the contrast between a typical scratch (white in color) against a dark background (base paint color). both products work well on lighter color paints.

Bob

 

Good advice from both WW and Bob. Now I must add my 2 cents cause I have a 7 page paper to write and it's not about 4Runners

The King-pin of Autopia.org has developed this site, BetterCarCare.com in adjunct to Autopia. It is a great place to ejumakate yousself.

My single and sole advice is do not count on an expensive wax to give you a great shine. It's the process that makes the shine.

That said, I am a huge fan of Collinite #845. <I posted the other day about #476 but I stand corrected, #845 is what I own and love. > #845 has GREAT durability and looks super when topped with Carnauba wax. If you order from that company you can get 20% off by entering in the code: "Race" at checkout.

Damn I dont wanna write this paper. Bye.

-Stu.