Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-10-2010, 11:05 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
joey2cool's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 378
Van washing supplies

Going to my local Ford dealer soon to pick up some supplies for washing the van; MotorCraft Detail Wash, Ultra-clear Spray Glass Cleaner, Bug & Tar Remover, and Silicon Spray Lubricant. What are the top three van washing supplies you just can't live without?

__________________
2010 Ford E250 5.4L V8 Gas 2WD
SMB Mod RB36 w/PH Prop Stove & Furn Frig 10G Wtr Elect
Silver Bullet
joey2cool is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2010, 09:27 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Silver350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: BC Canada
Posts: 427
Re: Van washing supplies

Eco Lab Fleet wash, can't remember the exact name, does a number on road film like nothing else I've seen. Comes in a 5 g. pail.

Kleen-Flo Glass Kleen

Mr Clean Magic Erasers

Blue Shop Towels

I guess that's 4.
__________________
"there is neither science nor fact prevailing here" - vlamgat
Silver350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2010, 07:20 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Ford_6L_E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington - Ridgefield
Posts: 4,728
Re: Van washing supplies

Most car wash products and waxes do an acceptable job.

Two things that help are:

- Costco MicroFiber towels. Clean and polish better than any old terrycloth towel.

- A leaf blower to dry all the nooks and crannies, even the mirrors. And to stop water from dripping out for hours.

Mike
__________________
Alaska to Key West, Labrador and more
Prostate cancer survivor. See Thread Prostate cancer and Sportsmobiles
2015 VW GTI 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
2012 E250 Hitop camper
Ford_6L_E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2010, 10:04 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
SteveInLA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Ashland, OR
Posts: 372
Garage
Re: Van washing supplies

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350
- A leaf blower to dry all the nooks and crannies, even the mirrors. And to stop water from dripping out for hours.
I thought that was what the on-board air compressor was for? I only learned later that you can use it to inflate your tires too. Bonus!
Steve in L.A.
__________________
2010 Red EB50 V10, Quadvan 4WD (El Guapo Rojo)
1978 VW Westfalia Champagne Edition (Pepe - gone, but not forgotten)
SteveInLA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2010, 07:24 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
jage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Parker, CO
Posts: 7,643
Re: Van washing supplies

1. Extendable scrub cloth (?)
2. Extendable window squeegee (stays in the van)
3. Help! (Wife / Niece)
Attached Thumbnails
washingthevan.jpg  
__________________
it was good to be back
jage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2010, 04:47 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Ford_6L_E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington - Ridgefield
Posts: 4,728
Re: Van washing supplies

Jeremiah,

I noticed you were hiding behind the trash bins while they were cleaning the van. Afraid they would notice you're not working?

Mike
__________________
Alaska to Key West, Labrador and more
Prostate cancer survivor. See Thread Prostate cancer and Sportsmobiles
2015 VW GTI 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
2012 E250 Hitop camper
Ford_6L_E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2010, 06:29 PM   #7
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 28
Re: Van washing supplies

Jage, are those the retractable running boards on your van? If so, will they stay in the down position without having to disconnect any wires while camping (so they're not going up and down every time you open and close the door). Thanks.
pilsner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2010, 10:57 PM   #8
Site Team
 
daveb's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Turlock Ca
Posts: 10,407
Garage
Re: Van washing supplies

Here are a couple of posts that might help.

Reviving auto paint part 1
Reviving auto paint part 2
__________________
2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer

Sportsmobile 4X4 Adventures..........On and off road adventures
daveb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2010, 08:58 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
jage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Parker, CO
Posts: 7,643
Re: Van washing supplies

Quote:
Originally Posted by pilsner
Jage, are those the retractable running boards on your van? If so, will they stay in the down position without having to disconnect any wires while camping (so they're not going up and down every time you open and close the door). Thanks.
They are always down:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4825
__________________
it was good to be back
jage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2010, 09:42 AM   #10
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 2
Re: Van washing supplies

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350
Most car wash products and waxes do an acceptable job.

Two things that help are:

- Costco MicroFiber towels. Clean and polish better than any old terrycloth towel.

- A leaf blower to dry all the nooks and crannies, even the mirrors. And to stop water from dripping out for hours.

Mike

Hello Everyone!

I agree with Mike. Microfiber towels are boon to auto detailing. Best thing since sliced bread!

I have been doing detailing as part-time side work for several years now.
Just thought I might put my .02 in.
Most off-the-shelf products you find in your favorite auto parts store will handle any paint cleaning chore. I have used several consumer grade products and think that Mequiar's probably has some of the better polishes and waxes....as well as Mother's. 3M makes awesome products as well.

There are some key things to remember...anything that is a detergent will strip protective waxes or sealants you have applied to your paint. You may want to strip everything from the paint surface before claying, buffing etc. But, if not, always use a good quality car wash soap.
If you have tinted windows....NEVER apply any product that contains ammonia on them. You will ruin the tint. You may not see the damage right away, but it will rear its ugly head down the road.

Any wax or sealant you apply on your paint will eventually wear off over weeks or months...especially in the hot summer sun. You want to maintain that sacrificial layer of wax or sealant as long as possible. After all, you put a lot of time and elbow grease into applying it. I recommend you apply a quick detailer product with a micro fiber towel after every washing (I recommend trying Black Magic Quick Detailer Spray). This will prolong the life of that wax or sealant....and it helps to repel dust and makes it easier to hose off and wipe down.

Silicone vs. Siloxane for rubber trim and tires: most all new automotive products for treating your rubber, plastic and vinyl trim contain Siloxane as part of its "poly" synthetic makeup. Back in the days of the original Armor All formula (which had a silicone base-its not anymore), people would slather on the crap and think it was protecting the interior vinyl and plastic of their vehicle when actually it was accelerating its chemical breakdown. Good quality, pure silicone products have their place...in fact, in bone-chilling cold weather, it works wonders for keeping your doors from freezing shut. Apply it on your rubber seal around your door...and in the door locks to prevent that.

For hard plastic surfaces, I have found the best product on the market (my opinion). The company is called Stoner (all right you California folks, I ain't stumping for legalzing mary jane ;-) Try their Trim Shine product on your exterior hard plastic surfaces. After a thorough wash, just spray the product on and it will dry to a hard, shiny coat. Works great on plastic bumper trim, mirror shells, or whatever. You will find that you need to apply two or three times over the course of washing your vehicle, but it starts to stick around on the plastics surfaces longer the more you apply it. Also, I think they have the best window cleaner on the market called Invisible Glass (usually found at Walmart, Target, auto stores).

One of my favorite places to purchase "boutique" detailer products is at Detail King. They have a foam pad glaze that is one of the best paint glazing products I have used. Also, try out their Final Touch express wax spray(quick detailer spray)...it is really good...smells good too!

Finally, I want to plug a really good polish product called Optimum Polish. The best, easiest to apply polish for paint that I have used. It will not sling all over the place and can be used in multiple stages instead of using a different polishing/buffing product for each stage.

Anyway, I do not claim to be an expert....just seasoned ;-)

Happy detailing!

Lloyd
autoramblings.com
autoramblings is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:32 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.