Black Truck advise needed

R

ramhunter24

New member
Yes I am a newbie so please bare with me. My wife is not to happy that I have found this site.. :p I have a 2003 Ram QC that is Black and when it is clean looks great!! I have recently purchased the Zaino kit and applied it before the weather got to cold and it looks good. What I did was followed Sal's directions and have about 2 coats of Z5 and 2 coats of Z2. I am wondering this, since I have been on this site reading all the different advice, what is going to give me the best looking finish on this black truck? I do all the application and removal by hand for now, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
Black is a tough color, but it has its rewards. Finish will be subjective, so you (or most likely your wife) may not like my answer. Experiment! Zaino looks very nice on black. It has a great shine and sharp reflections. Durability is also a strong point. Since you already have it, I’d continue to use it.



When you are done with Zaino, or if you wish to experiment, there are plenty of options. The key here is to find your right combination of products. Klasse AIO and SG offer great protection and a slightly better depth than Zaino. Clearkote Vanilla Moose topped by Carnauba Moose Wax looks killer on black. Vanilla Moose and Poorboy’s EX also works very well (have that on my car as of yesterday).



That’s just the start. Want to spend some bucks? Step up to Pinnacle Souveran Paste. It looks great on black, but is a bit pricey. Other paste carnauba options include Poorboy’s Natty Wax and S100/P21S.



No matter which wax you use, black really needs to be prepped correctly. You’ll need to have a polish and swirl mark remover handy. Keeping the car clayed will be beneficial as well. Just keep reading and learning. You’ll find a ton of information here that will help in your quest.
 
I hate it when new folks discover Autopia, AFTER theyve made a major pruchase.............

Ram, all i can say is I wish it was my truck.....
 
You've gotten great advice so far, I'd go for P21S/S100 on top of the Zaino as my first 'expriment'.



Oh, you'll like it.





Jim
 
Scott P- thanks for the info, I am always willing to experiment to find that super shine / wet look. I started out with Meguires Gold Class and recently tried Zaino's. Now I am hooked on this Site and all I can say is I will be adding to the collection of polishes and wax.
 
Jim- thanks for the advise. You mention putting P21S/S100 on top of the Zaino's..... Is this 2 different products, from what I can see it appears to be one product (wax) that I would put on top of the final coat of the Z2? One other question, should I want to try something other than Zaino's can I apply it over the Zaino's that I already have on the truck or do I need to remove the Zaino's first like the Dawn dishwash soap instructions that came with the Zaino;s???
 
my favorite combo on black is vanilla moose topped with souverein. But you might wanna try carnuba moose since it is way way cheaper and looks just as good.



Alot of people recommend topping zaino/klasse with some type of carnuba such as p21/s100 because it gives it more of a wet look. synthetic products like zaino give you more protection but leave something to be desired in looks(to some people) while carnubas give you the look but less protection. so topping with s100 or souverein gives them the best of both worlds.
 
I have a a quad cab Ram also, but mine is Graphite. For the effort, the Zaino is going to be the best bet. Trying to wax that beast with regular waxes that are low in the durability factor is going to get old real fast. I agree with the advice to top with a wax. That will give you a deep shine on top of that great Zaino protection. Did you clay bar your truck? I did mine when it was two months old and it made a world of difference. Never too new to clay! Good luck and you may want to try these websites for your new Dodge.



http://www.dodgetalk.com/



http://www.pickuptruck.com/



http://www.dodgetrucks.org/forums/index.php



:xyxthumbs
 
I too have a black 2003 Ram Quad Cab. It is a heck of a lot of truck to maintain.



I have had very good results with Meguiar's MPPP and with BLACKFIRE cleaner and sealer. Both give excellent results on black WITHOUT topping with a canauba wax.



I've had black vehicles exclusively for the past 30 years. (I know black.) The above products are IMO about as good as you can get.



I apply the products with a PC and remove them by hand using microfiber towels.



Have fun with the truck. Make sure that you spend at least as much time driving it as you do detailing it. :D



Tom :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top