Cleaning, polishing, and appearance tricks for your Chevy Silverado

[White Lightening]

Greetings Silverado readers,

I'm starting this thread for the purpose of people offering ideas, tips, tricks, etc. on the simple process of cleaning or keeping your truck looking as good as possible.

It sounds so simple - yet with all the new materials and decorative aspects of the Chevy Silverado trucks of the last few years - cleaning is no longer just "soap and water". For those who think that a truck is only about work and dirt shows work - then you won't be interested.

All the new vinyls, plastics, clearcoats, chromes, alloys, laminates, paints, waxes, and trims - not to mention fabrics, leathers, rubbers, and coatings - do you really want it scratched - marred - separated - or less than the best it can look? Not me.

Come on - add your ideas in.

Catch U later,

White Lightening

[White Lightening]

Greetings,

When I purchased my new Silverado this fall - my neighbor was helpful. He saw me applying a "wet look" type polish spray to my 20 inch tires. I was trying to be very careful - because it isn't so good to spray your wheels with this stuff - or painted areas either (like fenders etc.).

So he shows me these foam applicators he uses for his tires. They are shaped like the tire sidewall profile - so it makes it easy to wipe the tires - but yet you don't have overspary - no cloth/rag needed and its a smoother look and wastes less spray. Buy em at Walmart or any place like that for a buck.

So I start looking around - and find an even better version at the auto supply (Advanced Auto Parts). Its the foam applicator with a gray plastic holder. Still only 99 cents. Reusable over and over again.

Simple, fast, easy, inexpensive - and efficient for any car or truck tires.

[White Lightening]

Here's yet a further improvement on the neighbors original idea:

Ever have wax or polish get on your exterior vinyls/plastics of your bumpers, mirrors, door handles, fender flares or tailgate lips? My 2004 has that stippled finish on all of them - and you can't "clean" that wax and polish off. Rubbing alcohol, soap, etc. all just give it a temporary fix - but it looks bad after drying. Darn waxes :-)

One of the problems with removing wax and car polish from plastic and vinyl is that many items can soften the base material (fingernail polish, superglue remover, etc.). So I experimented with those same foam applicators and the same "wet tire" sprays (I like a particular one).

If you have black plastic parts (like Silverado bumper plastic, tailgate lips, mirror plastic, black fender flairs, etc. I have a wonderful solution for you. I use a "wet tire" type of product "No touch Wet N Protect" that I spray into a foam tire sidewall applicator you can purchase at any Walmart or auto supply (price $1.00). Decent quality wet tire type products have both a cleaner and a rubber rejuvenator/preservative in them. It lifts wax and polishes, then cleans the surfaces (even stippled like bumper plastic) - and then gives it a very pure sheen to it. It does not "color" the plastic dark, and does not yellow it either. Also can be used on truck box rubber cargo mats etc..

Word of caution - it will make rubber or plastic look excellent - vinyl and plastic will be great and rubber will be shiny smooth, clean, and brand new looking. But if you need traction (like a box cargo mat) - use it sparingly - the rubber rejuvenators - on a flat surface - act as a lubricant-like slippery effect. Dust and dirt won't stick - but foot traction can be a bit iffy too.

P.S. Also could be used on rubber floor mats too.

White Lightening

[silveradoman]

I remember when I was a freshman in high school (without a penny to spare of course) a friend told me to use a can of Coca Cola to clean off the muck that sticks to your tires and after laughing at him for a while, he showed me the trick with the Coke he was drinking, darn tires looked like new and all for 75 cents

[Cadillakin'98]

So let me get this straight, he had the Coke and you had the smile when he shined your tires? I thought the one who had the Coke also got the smile. Damn, now I'm all confused!

[emmitt69]

The last time I made my 18 hr. drive home I went trough a construction site and sure enough they were tarring the road and it didn't help being very hot out, now I have tar on my lower quarter panel behind the tire. A friend of mine said to use gas. Any other suggestions, or does gas work???????
Info please

[CRAWFM]

Originally Posted by emmitt69

The last time I made my 18 hr. drive home I went trough a construction site and sure enough they were tarring the road and it didn't help being very hot out, now I have tar on my lower quarter panel behind the tire. A friend of mine said to use gas. Any other suggestions, or does gas work???????
Info please

WD40 !!! works on bug splats too !!

[Nigel215]

I have a can of stuff that is mad to take off road tar... But I forget what its called. Check pepboys or probly any auto place like that. I used it to get all the tar of my ehxaust tips when they re-did all the streets in my neighborhood last summer.

[dr_of_lovephd]

I don't know if anyone else has had this problem. I bought a bug shield for my truck and after two years it faded and looked terrible. I tried everything I could think of to bring back the shine, but nothing would last more than a couple of weeks. I bought a new one but I am sure it will fade too. I know they are pretty cheap to buy a new one but I would like to know if anyone knows how to keep the bug shields looking good.

[Jimmiz71]

^Go to any motorcycle or ATV shop, there is a product called "Plastic-Renew" it is used on off road plastic fenders. That should work on your bug-guard. The sales person at the shop will know what your talking about.

As for tips, My favorite product is WD-40, I clean my Chrome Exhaust tips with it once a week, to prevent corrosion. It will remove just about any mystery goo.
I also use zymol on all painted and chrome parts, it protects and leaves a brilliant shine.
In between waxes I use wax as you dry spray. Ive noticed less road grime and dust sticks to the surface between washes.
For anyone who uses a Vinyl Tonneau Cover, they sell a product called back To Black, it returns the dark glossy color to your sun faded vinyl and black exterior trim.
I also purchased a rubber coated (prevents scratches) premium wash brush from my buddys body shop that mounts on a 6' pole, it makes washing my truck a much easier job. I have a Large Plastic bin full of cleaners, waxes, shammi's etc.. Im a sucker for buying the latest greatest product to keep my truck clean.. lol..

-Jimmy

[White Lightening]

Originally Posted by dr_of_lovephd

I don't know if anyone else has had this problem. I bought a bug shield for my truck and after two years it faded and looked terrible. I tried everything I could think of to bring back the shine, but nothing would last more than a couple of weeks. I bought a new one but I am sure it will fade too. I know they are pretty cheap to buy a new one but I would like to know if anyone knows how to keep the bug shields looking good.

Greetings DR of love,

If your bug shield is clear or smoked acrylic - you have the same problem that us motorcyclers do with fairings - its not about dirt - its about tiny minut scratches that fog and cloud the plastic. Likely in the past when you've cleaned your bug shield - you used a cloth and wiped - bingo - thats what makes these small scratches.

To improve the appearance greatly - don't try to buff it with normal buffing compound - too course. Instead - they make acrylic and windshield buffing compound. You put it on like a paste and rub the plastic surface with a clean cotton or micro fiber cloth. The surface will "appear" clean. Actually what you've done is buff out the scratches.

Normal process for most motocyclers with fairings/windshields and face masks.

Catch U later,

[White Lightening]

Originally Posted by emmitt69

The last time I made my 18 hr. drive home I went trough a construction site and sure enough they were tarring the road and it didn't help being very hot out, now I have tar on my lower quarter panel behind the tire. A friend of mine said to use gas. Any other suggestions, or does gas work???????
Info please

Greetings Emmitt,

The key to road tar is to soften it so that you can then wipe it off. I've used both gasoline and alcohol to remove tar from painted surfaces. Many auto supplies carry tar removers - but beware of these products - most tar removers are designed for wheels - weither chrome or non-clearcoat finishes. Often they are harmful or soften clearcoat or painted surfaces. You might get the tar off using one of these - but could take your clear coat or glossy part of the paint off with it. If using a tar remover - read the directions thoroughly and if in doubt - don't use it.

Both alcohol and gasoline will not harm paint surfaces - especially if you remember to blot the tar with the liquid and a sponge. the idea is to soften it by apply the liquid.

Hope this helps.

P.S. From personal experience - don't try pressure washing off tar on painted surfaces. I stripped all the clear coat off the tranmission housing on one of my motorcycles once using a car wash pressure hose. Dumb mistake - and once done - the aluminum alloy housing never looked good again.

[rustcal]

I bought a micro fiber cloth and it seems to clean, buff, polish and etc extremelly well. I bought my parents and girlfriend the same clothes at autozone if that makes it any more sincere. PS I'm 32. More mistakes than I care to tell. Ok a girlfriend for one, but not the silverado. Beats a underpowerdered no gas mileage dodge!

[White Lightening]

Greetings,

If you are driving in "cold country" like I am (Wisconsin is -10 today) - here's something I was recently told that helps. When you start up your truck in cold weather - its easy to get interior fogging. One of the big contributing reasons for it - is excess moisture in the cab - get rid of the moisture - you get rid of the fogging. Well, look to your floor mats. If they have water or ice in them - they are a major contributor of moisture in the air. And in cold conditions that water or ice doesn't evaporate much. So dump out your floor mats more often and have less fogging (and better carpeting too)

White Lightening

[chuckwi11]

I use this thing called a "detailer"... he comes to the house once a month! LOL Seriously, he knows all the secrets and is always shows me little things to simplify the process... the only problem I have is he can do both my car and truck in the time it takes me to do one! He did show me this claybar material, I was fascinated! I came from the rubbing compound era and this stuff is like compound on steriods. I guess you can get it at any parts store... it takes all the impurities and imperfection out of the paint at much less work... impressive.