I was just wondering what everyone out there uses to clean up their ranger to make it look shiny and have the wet look to it. I use son of a gun and I like the way it smells and shines everything. Has anyone else ever used this stuff before. If not what else do you guys recommend buying and using?

 

I have worked as a professional car detailer in the past few summers, and I've sworn but the armor all wipes. easy to use, clean lines and good protection.

 

Thats what my dad uses on his F350 dually diseal. We have our disagreements on what we think makes vehicles look purty!

 

Jax Wax Super Blue

Stays on for a lot longer than the armor all.

 

i'm partial to armor all wipe packs, the glass cleaner, orange cleaner, and protectant..

the leather cleaner works real well on my leather buckets as well...

for real bad stains or muddy days, i use purple power though...that stuff is the bomb!!!

 

we had a gallon of sun of a gun, kw: HAD i used it all on my ranger. good stuff.

 

Mothers claybar kit, mothers everything....

when it's super super duper unclean/dirty/not cared for I do this:

wash with dish wash detergent soap (gets any grease off, also makes the truck dry faster)
fully dry
claybar
use caranuba wax
after 24hrs:
wash again with regular car soap/wax
dry completely
use rain-x on the windows
wax with meguiers wax (very thick, provides a nice coat)



Sometimes I throw a polish in there...but my truck comes out very nice when it's done.

I usually claybar every other month, down here for some reason (the water is very dirty) so my truck gets crap in the paint, you basically have to claybar your truck very often here or it starts to feel like jagged edges on the paint.

Thats all folks...

 

I HATE armor all or anything like it. i cant stand how glossy it makes plastics and how greasy it feels YUCK... when i bought my ranger it had armor all everywhere first thing i did was make a bucket of soapy water and washed every interior piece..... never ever ever...

 

I don't think some of you understood me....(jrpro)! I am talking about cleaniing the inside. I have also grew up with the understanding that dish soap made your paint less glossy and sorta rubbed it off. Is this true or not so true?

 

I'm also not a fan of super high gloss vinyl, rubber or plastic. Makes things look artificial, IMO.

Also, as far as I know, Armour-All and Son-Of-A-Gun are petroleum-based products which over the years tend to dry out the material they are applied to. A water-based conditioner is a better choice. Unfortunately, it's hard to find a vinyl/rubber/plastic treatment on the local shelves that doesn't contain some sort of petroleum distillates. Because of that, the stuff I've been using for several years I get online (works great):

http://www.pinnaclewax.com/vinylrubber.html

 

As long as you plan on waxing it after using dish detergent- then there's really no harm done. I agree with the Armor all wipes, thats what I use and love them, they really clean the grime off the interior panels while making them look real nice.

 

I LOVE shinin the tires, but the interior has to be dull. I hate having a glare on the windsheild when im driving into the sun. The sun is already in my face I dont need a glare on top of it! So I use Xzylon Mink Oil vinyl and leather conditioner. Stuff's not cheap either. But it makes leather seats feel like butter, and it's not greasy.
To clean it I usually use a very mild soap and water solution. Or a general purpose cleaner of some kind.
If I need to clean a tough stain I break out the Simple Green but NEVER use it on leather because it WILL fudge it up. Never use simple green on non-clearcoated/unpainted aluminum either.
I use Eagle One heavy duty degreaser under the hood. Stuff cuts grease like a hot knife through butter, and it'll cut your lungs too if you breathe the overspray. And it wont oxidize aluminum parts.
Tire shine, any kind will do, but none will shine like Meguiars NXT Insane shine!
example...

Presta Fast Wax and Meguiars Gold Class are the best two waxes I've found yet. The Fast Wax can be applied in direct sunlight in the middle of the summer and will wipe off with no effort.

 

for some reason i never clean my interior... i never leave trash or anything in it at all, so it's never gotten BAD. i've had my truck for a few years now... and i've probably totally cleaned the inside- twice.

i do admit though, it needs to be cleaned, there's a nice brown glow to the dash... maybe this weekend i'll clean it, we'll see how the weather is....

but when it is clean, i'm with Zach and them... i can't stand the greaseyness and glare of armorall... i'd rather just have it cleaned with soap and water (or something easy like that), and that's it.

 

oh yea, i didn't understand...oops.

for the interior, a damp cloth works great.

 

Thats why I like that super blue. Makes plastic look new, not like you just spilt a glass of water everywhere. Also not greasy. Those are the reasons I do not use armorall.