I have an '04 expy EB I bought about a year ago, I want to wax it for the first time, which product or application do folks recommend I use? The paint is like new condition but I wan to apply a wax since its bout year old now....Thx

 

Basically, just use a good carnuba paste wax like Meguiars deep crystal clean. Since you say your finish is is in good shape, I would avoid using a cleaner/wax combo (like Mother's). However, in order to make the wax last as long as possible, and to aid you in the buff off, make sure the surface is super clean. The best way to do this is to prep the surface with either bug and tar remover or a product by PPG called wax/grease remover. You can pick it up at any major auto parts store. I think the PPG stuff is also refered to as DX-330(?). Basically, just wipe down all the painted surfaces with it to remove grease, tar and any tiny specs of tree sap etc. - especially the front bumper, hood and rear tailgate. Then apply your wax and buff it off. All in all it will take you the better part of an afternoon.

As an alternative, I am testing a product that was written up a while ago in Car and Driver magazine. It's call Rejex. Bascially, they recommended it for wheels to ease in the removal of brake dust. I used it on my mine and also my wifes Volvo. It really did do a good job in making brake dust pretty much wipe right off the rims so I thought, what the heck, why not try it on the entire vehicle. If you are interested, here is their web address: www.corrosionx.com/rejex.html

Good luck

 

one thing i definitely recommend is DO NOT try and do it by hand. if you dont have a wheel, go find one, they are not that expensive, you can find them for like $29.99 on sale. If you try that job by hand, you wont be able to move your arms for days! I agree with comments above, i use all meguires products, and if your paint is new, you wont need a paint cleaner product. If your expi is a dark color, like navy or black, then i would do a polish and then a wax, if its a light color like champagne, white, silver...i would just do wax.

 

Can you explain the polish and wax process? What do you use and how? I have always just waxed the Expy, but I never thought about polish first. My expy is a dark green color and your response got me thinking.


Thanks,

Joe

 

meguires does a great job of breaking the process down, you can find all of their products at any autoparts store... The first product is a paint cleaner. It will remove any tree droppings, tar, grease, basically anything that should not be on the surface. then you move to Polish, this is what brings out the shine, just as shoe polish would for your shoes. the final step is Wax, which is the protective coating or shell, which will protect all the work you just did.
Waxing without polish is fine, but you are not bringing out the full potential and shine of that deep geen color in your paint.
If your car is new, and the paint is still in brand new condition, you really wont see much of a difference. But after a while and many rains storms, snow, and sitting in the sun, you will definitely see a difference in doing Polish first and then Wax.

 

A Polish has an abrasive substance in it usually silica that "sands" down the finsh to remove oxidized paint and smoth out small scratches. It is similar to rubbing compound but finer grit.
Roy

 

I have a Black Expy and have used many products. I finally found the perfect product to use. Mequiars NXT. It wipes off very easy with no white residue!!!! I do my Expy by hand and this is by far the best product, especially for darker paints.

John B.
1998 Expy 4.6
Altezza Tails
Ractive Superflow Intake

 

A couple of questions.

Has the truck been stored indoors or outdoors? Do you live in an area with a high UV exposure? How about airborne contaminants. I've used the Meguiars online RX for car care (not a sales pitch as I'm not in that line of work) and it gave me a good idea on what to do for my vehicle.

If the surface has been washed regularly but not waxed after a year, I would first clay bar the surface, then polish it then wax it. My personal favorite products are meguiars, but there are many out there that are great.

BTW, it will be easier if you keep the wax up and not let it go a year. I usually wax my 03 about every 6-8 weeks. I find that one coat of wax at this interval keeps the vehicle looking great and I can actually wax the vehicle in 1 hour using Meguiar's #26 hi tech wax. For longer lasting protection I use Meguiar's Gold class paste. I've had really good luck with it being UV resistant as I live in South Texas and the truck is kept outdoors.

Just choose a good product and if you do use a buffer (I don't because I'm not good enough) be sure not to burn the paint.

Good Luck.

 

That Meguirs NXT is great stuff! I tried it on my car and loved it so much i put it on my boat too! The boat sees a lot more abuse than the expy ever will...After a day on the water, all I have to do to get that coffee-colored stain from the water off of the boat is a quick wipe down with a towel...It is simply the best stuff I have tried.....Better than the Liquid Glass, Mothers waxes, and even all of the other meguirs waxes I have tried...The best results have come after using the Meguirs NXT car wash soap to wash the vehicle with....Gave my expy a brilliant shine and really made the black in my boat stand out!

 

I have used many and the one I found that lasts the longest time is Liquid Glass. In Florida everything else I tried last 4 weeks tops (in the summer) This stuff lasts for 4-6 months and puts a nice deep gloss shine on the paint, especially on dark metalllic colors.

I do it by hand, takes about 45 mins. This stuff is not hard to take off. Even if you miss a spot and get to it months later it wipes right off. I use it in direct sunlight and never had any problems. It is like $18 at the parts store but it lasts about 4-5 waxes.

 

Thanks everyone. I live in South Florida and I keep the Expy garaged all the time when not driving....its dark green.
I have also heard from others the NXT wax is great so I think I am going to give it a shot with an orbital polisher I have. I will post pics when done.

Also, how the heck does one clean the plastic running boards??? (mine are beige color) they are dirty as heck and I cant get the dirt to come off with anything, tried soap, pressure wash, etc...no luck.