Completed my “post delivery detail” detail yesterday…

[RHOfan]

Been detailing for many, many years. I won’t say professionally, as I’ve rarely taken payment. For me, it’s a labor of love that I do on my own vehicles & some close family. My Jaguar dealer used to say, “Tom’s Detailing…the home of the $875 car wash!” When completed, many folks tell me the vehicle “glows”.

On RHO, I completed a post delivery detail, which sets the truck up for easier, damage-free subsequent cleanings. But the 1st clean is not about perfection. It’s more about decontamination, identification of areas needing focused correction & adding a protective layer of graphine to the painted areas.

Yesterday, I completed a thorough maintenance detail, focusing on trim and gentle cleaning. Took a bit over 4 hours. You definitely need “a plan” to detail this beast efficiently. It’s large with lots of different surface finishes and materials, each needing its own method of care.

Best advice? Clean all the textured black plastic trim & rubber coated window surrounds first (there’s a TON of it), then apply your favorite black plastic conditioner/protectant. For the money & results, I like Mother’s Back to Black. Then, do a gentle cleaning of the paint & glass (I adore a rinseless wash…NOT waterless…safest option). This removes any plastic conditioner that may have smeared onto the paint & glass.

Happy detailing fellow RHO fans!

 

[SeñorRAM]

Looks stupendous!

The cherry on top would be creating a video showcasing all of the process! I sure would appreciate it

 

[truckguy]

I’m planning on doing a 1 step paint correction and ceramic/graphene coating myself once I take delivery. How was the paint in your opinion after the wash? Also what products do you use?

 

[RHOfan]

Looks stupendous!

The cherry on top would be creating a video showcasing all of the process! I sure would appreciate it

Thank you!

I’ve been asked before. It would be quite an undertaking.

 

[RHOfan]

I’m planning on doing a 1 step paint correction and ceramic/graphene coating myself once I take delivery. How was the paint in your opinion after the wash? Also what products do you use?

How was my paint after wash? Clean. Ha!

No, I know what you mean. Mine had quite a bit of acid rain damage on one side, but mostly superficial. Didn’t need the Porter Cable RO, but did need some pretty aggressive hand polish with a swirl/haze remover compound. Surprisingly, didn’t need clay.

I did find a minor paint run at the edge of a door and an under-clearcoat paint scuff on the rocker. Both would require a paint shop to fix, so I’m gonna live with the flaws.

There was also quite a bit of adhesive transfer from the protective film the factory places over certain body panels & glass. I think the film got left on a bit too long. I found alcohol or WD40 took it off effortlessly. If you come across any stray adhesive, try alcohol 1st. If it doesn’t come right off, use some WD40.

I use a mix of products & brands. Much of it is Adam’s. I like that you can buy most of their liquids/sprays it in 5 gallon containers, which makes it more economical. Some of their products are “best in class”, like the Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner. Some of it is just average.

Adam introduced me to their Tire & Rubber cleaner, that works fantastic. But on a whim, I tried their Tire & Wheel Cleaner. It’s simpler than using separate products/processes for each. It’s also gentle on brake components (many dedicated wheel cleaners tear up the brakes). I use their boar’s hair brush to agitate the wheels & it’s rubber-backed, so any accidental wheel bumps don’t cause any damage. Results are 100% & it has little smell, which is a big plus if you’ve ever used a dedicated Wheel Cleaner. You also have to agitate the tire, but I use a different, stiffer brush for that.

 

[yoda33073]

Been detailing for many, many years. I won’t say professionally, as I’ve rarely taken payment. For me, it’s a labor of love that I do on my own vehicles & some close family. My Jaguar dealer used to say, “Tom’s Detailing…the home of the $875 car wash!” When completed, many folks tell me the vehicle “glows”.

On RHO, I completed a post delivery detail, which sets the truck up for easier, damage-free subsequent cleanings. But the 1st clean is not about perfection. It’s more about decontamination, identification of areas needing focused correction & adding a protective layer of graphine to the painted areas.

Yesterday, I completed a thorough maintenance detail, focusing on trim and gentle cleaning. Took a bit over 4 hours. You definitely need “a plan” to detail this beast efficiently. It’s large with lots of different surface finishes and materials, each needing its own method of care.

Best advice? Clean all the textured black plastic trim & rubber coated window surrounds first (there’s a TON of it), then apply your favorite black plastic conditioner/protectant. For the money & results, I like Mother’s Back to Black. Then, do a gentle cleaning of the paint & glass (I adore a rinseless wash…NOT waterless…safest option). This removes any plastic conditioner that may have smeared onto the paint & glass.

Happy detailing fellow RHO fans!

Are those Mopar power steps? Any idea of the part number? Thanks

 

[Bigram]

. Then, do a gentle cleaning of the paint & glass (I adore a rinseless wash…NOT waterless…safest option). This removes any plastic conditioner that may have smeared onto the paint & glass.

Happy detailing fellow RHO fans!

do you have a recommendation for the rinseless wash?


I use

Rinse Free Wash And Shine Complete Hoseless Car Wash | Chemical Guys

Rinse-Free is the innovative car wash shampoo that uses next-generation rinseless technology to safely remove dirt, filth, and grime from any car with no hose, no mess, and no scratching or swirling.

www.chemicalguys.com

works very well

 

[Dan G]

Been detailing for many, many years. I won’t say professionally, as I’ve rarely taken payment. For me, it’s a labor of love that I do on my own vehicles & some close family. My Jaguar dealer used to say, “Tom’s Detailing…the home of the $875 car wash!” When completed, many folks tell me the vehicle “glows”.

On RHO, I completed a post delivery detail, which sets the truck up for easier, damage-free subsequent cleanings. But the 1st clean is not about perfection. It’s more about decontamination, identification of areas needing focused correction & adding a protective layer of graphine to the painted areas.

Yesterday, I completed a thorough maintenance detail, focusing on trim and gentle cleaning. Took a bit over 4 hours. You definitely need “a plan” to detail this beast efficiently. It’s large with lots of different surface finishes and materials, each needing its own method of care.

Best advice? Clean all the textured black plastic trim & rubber coated window surrounds first (there’s a TON of it), then apply your favorite black plastic conditioner/protectant. For the money & results, I like Mother’s Back to Black. Then, do a gentle cleaning of the paint & glass (I adore a rinseless wash…NOT waterless…safest option). This removes any plastic conditioner that may have smeared onto the paint & glass.

Happy detailing fellow RHO fans!

Who makes those power steps? Who installed? How difficult? Does it connect with Uconnect?

 

[tlh235]

engine bay info? best way to go about it.

 

[RADA]

Been detailing for many, many years. I won’t say professionally, as I’ve rarely taken payment. For me, it’s a labor of love that I do on my own vehicles & some close family. My Jaguar dealer used to say, “Tom’s Detailing…the home of the $875 car wash!” When completed, many folks tell me the vehicle “glows”.

On RHO, I completed a post delivery detail, which sets the truck up for easier, damage-free subsequent cleanings. But the 1st clean is not about perfection. It’s more about decontamination, identification of areas needing focused correction & adding a protective layer of graphine to the painted areas.

Yesterday, I completed a thorough maintenance detail, focusing on trim and gentle cleaning. Took a bit over 4 hours. You definitely need “a plan” to detail this beast efficiently. It’s large with lots of different surface finishes and materials, each needing its own method of care.

Best advice? Clean all the textured black plastic trim & rubber coated window surrounds first (there’s a TON of it), then apply your favorite black plastic conditioner/protectant. For the money & results, I like Mother’s Back to Black. Then, do a gentle cleaning of the paint & glass (I adore a rinseless wash…NOT waterless…safest option). This removes any plastic conditioner that may have smeared onto the paint & glass.

Happy detailing fellow RHO fans!

I agree. A list of products, steps, and a video would be greatly appreciated.

I want to decon, polish, and graphene my truck, but I've never gone that far down the detailing rabbit hole.

I plan on using C6 Hydro Lite or Ethos Max Graphene. I want to do it myself because no shop is going to put in the attention to detail that I will.

My biggest huddle is no inside garage space.

 

[Space race]

There are a ton of detailing video channels on YouTube. I like Pan the Organizer.

 

[RADA]

There are a ton of detailing video channels on YouTube. I like Pan the Organizer.

I like Pan, DIY Detail, and IMJOSHV.

 

[truckguy]

There are a ton of detailing video channels on YouTube. I like Pan the Organizer.

Pan is a shill and got exposed for pushing products based on whoever’s paid him the most. So I don’t listen to any recommendations from his page. His process of cleaning seems decent

 

[truckguy]

How was my paint after wash? Clean. Ha!

No, I know what you mean. Mine had quite a bit of acid rain damage on one side, but mostly superficial. Didn’t need the Porter Cable RO, but did need some pretty aggressive hand polish with a swirl/haze remover compound. Surprisingly, didn’t need clay.

I did find a minor paint run at the edge of a door and an under-clearcoat paint scuff on the rocker. Both would require a paint shop to fix, so I’m gonna live with the flaws.

There was also quite a bit of adhesive transfer from the protective film the factory places over certain body panels & glass. I think the film got left on a bit too long. I found alcohol or WD40 took it off effortlessly. If you come across any stray adhesive, try alcohol 1st. If it doesn’t come right off, use some WD40.

I use a mix of products & brands. Much of it is Adam’s. I like that you can buy most of their liquids/sprays it in 5 gallon containers, which makes it more economical. Some of their products are “best in class”, like the Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner. Some of it is just average.

Adam introduced me to their Tire & Rubber cleaner, that works fantastic. But on a whim, I tried their Tire & Wheel Cleaner. It’s simpler than using separate products/processes for each. It’s also gentle on brake components (many dedicated wheel cleaners tear up the brakes). I use their boar’s hair brush to arbitrate the wheels & it’s rubber-backed, so any accidental wheel bumps don’t cause any damage. Results are 100% & it has little smell, which is a big plus if you’ve ever used a dedicated Wheel Cleaner. You also have to agitate the tire, but I use a different, stiffer brush for that.

I have found lots of Adams products are great. I used their graphene ceramic coating on my current truck. It is 5 years old and it has lasted all that time on the hood and upper quarter panels. The rocker panels and lower doors lasted about 1.5 years but I keep applying the spray to the whole truck and it seems to work great. One of the best products I have found for black plastic is the cerakote plastic restorer wipes. It has been on my mirrors and plastic trim for almost 5 years and is still just as good as day one. For tires I have been using the turtle wax graphene tire shine and it leaves a matte finish for about 6 weeks in the summer. I have not tried it in winter yet.

 

[RHOfan]

C7

Are those Mopar power steps? Any idea of the part number? Thanks

Yes, Mopar made by Amp. Luv ‘em! Since they integrate into vehicle’s electronics & can be controlled from the center screen (locked up or down), I went the Mopar route.

Part# is in the accessories that work with RHO thread.

 

[RHOfan]

Who makes those power steps? Who installed? How difficult? Does it connect with Uconnect?

Mopar made by Amp. Dealer. Yes.

They are worth every penny of $2500. Highly, highly recommend.

If you don’t mind using an app on your phone to control them outside of normal operation, you can save some $$ with the Amp (non-Mopar) version. Or, Amp makes a 2 motor per side version for folks in the snow belt. But, either way, you gotta wait for the RHO version, as the wiring harness into the truck has changed.

 

[RHOfan]

I agree. A list of products, steps, and a video would be greatly appreciated.

I want to decon, polish, and graphene my truck, but I've never gone that far down the detailing rabbit hole.

I plan on using C6 Hydro Lite or Ethos Max Graphene. I want to do it myself because no shop is going to put in the attention to detail that I will.

My biggest huddle is no inside garage space.

You need inside garage space to do it. Graphine needs at least 12-24 hours to cure, unless you use an expensive curing lamp.

If stored outside, detailing your truck to the “nth” degree is not going to be fruitful. Sorry, but that’s an uncomfortable fact. I’ve been there.

My recommendation: Don’t go down a Rabbit Hole. Learn about rinseless washing technique by watching some old YouTube videos by Garry Dean. Turtle wax makes a great graphine coating product that won’t “break the bank” & cures fast. Use lots of Mother’s Back to Black from Walmart on the plastic trim. And, enjoy maintaining your truck better than 90% of new trucks on the road.

Enjoy the learning process & reach out if you need ANY advice!

 

[RHOfan]

engine bay info? best way to go about it.

Great question.

Adam’s makes a product called Total Interior Detailer. It works fantastic on engine bay plastics. Don’t spray the engine bay…liberally dampen an inexpensive microfiber towel with the Adam’s product & start wiping! What’s great about this?: You don’t have to spray the engine bay with water & the Adam’s product does not attract dust.

Ask Jay Leno…the less you spray your car/engine bay with water, the better. He’s 100% correct.

BTW, you can spend a fortune on great microfiber. Do that for your glossy painted surfaces. For everything else, use the microfiber 24 pack from Walmart (Auto Drive blue & yellow), like under $10. Use ‘em & throw them away if contaminated with anything abrasive. Tip: Sam’s sells a package of 45 or 50 microfibers for under $20…they are junk. Good for cleaning up oil spills in the driveway, but don’t use them on your car.

 

[RHOfan]

I have found lots of Adams products are great. I used their graphene ceramic coating on my current truck. It is 5 years old and it has lasted all that time on the hood and upper quarter panels. The rocker panels and lower doors lasted about 1.5 years but I keep applying the spray to the whole truck and it seems to work great. One of the best products I have found for black plastic is the cerakote plastic restorer wipes. It has been on my mirrors and plastic trim for almost 5 years and is still just as good as day one. For tires I have been using the turtle wax graphene tire shine and it leaves a matte finish for about 6 weeks in the summer. I have not tried it in winter yet.

Love the Adam’s Advanced Graphine spray. They sell it as a kit that includes an applicator pad & polishing towels. About $50+/-, and you can do 2 pickups & still have product leftover. Tip: Order extra applicator pads & polishing towels. You’ll thank me later.

Just reminder…Graphine is not a polish or conditioner. Graphine seals in the shine. It doesn’t create it.

 

[MongoSmash11]

I like to use Chemical Guys. I find their products work great and the have something for every application. Their customer service is second to none.