First black truck!

[Conrad317]

So I recently purchased my first black truck. 2022 Ram 1500 Laramie sport night edition.
Any advice on protecting the front from chips?
Keeping the paint protected and clean?

 

[PurpleRT]

Oh your gonna have some fun with upkeep lol.


Polish, then have paint protection film added on the front then ceramic coat the whole vehicle. Read up on proper wash methods.. autogeek.net has a ton of info and avoid car washes and stick with hand washes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Starkhaus]

Hand washes, no brushes microfiber mits only. PPF is the the best way to prevent chips, had my ‘22 for 5 months and have probably 15 chips on my bumper. Avoid auto car washes at all costs unless it’s touchless

 

[vincentw56]

A week after I got mine I had ppf put on the front bumper, the grill, the lights, the a pillars, and part of the hood. I actually had someone hit my bumper backing out somewhere. Don't know when it happened of course they didn't leave a note. The laws that did was damage the ppf. Just had to have that replaced. No scratches on the bumper.

 

[bill-e]

I opted for a professionally applied IGL Kenzo ceramic coating and paint correction. The paint correction alone made a huge difference on my brand new 2020.

After some trial and error, I settled on Carpro Reset as the detergent and IGL Enhancer as my every other wash detailer/topping refresh and then once a year I use IGL Premier as the reload on just my hood as that seems to tabe the brunt of the Wear.

I use a two bucket wash method and do that all year round as well as proper washing/touching habits. Never a car wash of any kind.

I use a Blower to air dry the truck, leaving it a little wet when I'm applying the Enhancer but for the most part I try to touch it as little as possible. I use Autofiber Dreadnought rags for drying towel touch-up.

I'm about to compete my third New Hampshire winter and my truck is pristine. No scratches or swirl marks.

I also installed a hood deflector, had the same model on my 2015 for 5 years and it kept the hood free of chips. I don't do painted bumpers so my chrome bumpers still look like new.

I will never buy another black vehicle.

This is a year ago this month after a wash.

 

[JoeRam]

Black vehicles are Gorgeous..... Until they aren't!!!!

 

[MarPar]

Ya, black sucks to try and keep clean. It definitely wasn't my first choice, but this truck had everything else I wanted. It's a lease, so back she goes in 3 years. lol

 

[Biggiehorn]

I've enjoyed the challenge of keeping mine clean. But I will admit, I went from washing it weekly, to bi-weekly, and now I'm down to about once a month unless if I get into something that requires attention sooner. As others stated, it is a lot of upkeep, and these are big vehicles which makes it even more laboring. In addition to what the others have already stated, I would really recommend using some sort of drying aid. I was never big on drying aids on my previous non-black vehicles, but I don't dry my truck without it now. They really help leave a streak and spot free finish, and some products even offer an additional level of protection on the surface of the vehicle.

 

[bill-e]

..... In addition to what the others have already stated, I would really recommend using some sort of drying aid. I was never big on drying aids on my previous non-black vehicles, but I don't dry my truck without it now. They really help leave a streak and spot free finish, and some products even offer an additional level of protection on the surface of the vehicle.

Yea, the IGL Enhancer is what I use as a drying aid but that is a double edge sword. The finish is less likely to scratch or swirl if you reduced touching it to a minimum which is why I don't use the aid after every wash.

Additional good habits Ike 2 bucket with Grit Guards etc and never never washing or drying it with circular motions or a heavy hand is key to keeping that great finish.... And Never picking up and using mit or towel that touched the ground during the wash.

If you have a water beading surface the Blower works great but I did notice after the first year that one can't really get away with never touching the surface and that the added coating the drying aid (or quick detailer or even topper) prevents build up of crud that causes the finish not to stay silky smooth.

And yes, though I'm pretty disciplined about it, I am not as eager to get out there and wash it in the winter as I once was.