I washed it yesterday, but yesterday's gone...

[wvstreamer]

Foiled...if you win, keep the truck and hire detail boy to wash and wax everything ennnytime you want! As for easy to keep looking clean...my silver F250 is easy...tan good too...and white way better than black or any dark. Remember a real truck needs a little dirt to make it run better.
Dave

[Gsmblue]

I bought our Ford Expedition EL for the wife. It is silver and does not show dirt too bad. We argue all the time, all I want her to do is drive 10 mins down the road, pay $25 and have someone clean it once a month.

It drives me mad I got her this $65k SUV and it is filthy on the inside... So once again I will break down and get it cleaned today

On the plus side, she is now completely excluded from making choices on our vehicles

[AStreamNerds]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

And tire black looks nice for about 10 minutes before centrifugal force sprays it all over the side of the truck... Any brand that stays put?

Paula

I always ask the people at the car wash to wipe down the tires after the tire black is put on. This eliminates the spray and the tires still look nice.

Most of the time I get a weird look when I ask but I don't care

[tjdonahoe]

What color are Zappo shoes?

[Flying Gypsies]

Bugs bug me though... so can anyone recommend a good spray on bug remover? And tire black looks nice for about 10 minutes before centrifugal force sprays it all over the side of the truck... Any brand that stays put?

Paula[/QUOTE]

Well, this is gonna sound weird, but I heard it on the radio one morning so I tried it- It works, and so far cannot discern any untoward effects- DRYER SHEETS! Yep- get them wet and wipe off the bugs- they melt away! Here in Florida, we are cursed with "Love Bugs" twice a year and they are EVERYWHERE! They will clog your radiator if you don't put a screen over the front of your vehicle. Dryer sheets work to get the dried on buggers off.

[crispyboy]

I have a white truck which gets dirty real quick - just can't do much about that.
Our house has a cistern so we are concerned about water usage. I would estimate that it takes no more than ten gallons tops to wash the truck which includes the bucket of water.
Also when I bought the truck the white color was not my favorite but I it was good deal. I had the lower portion painted so the truck is now a two tone - there was just too much white to look at. It does help a bit with the lower dirt.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Flying Gypsies

Bugs bug me though... so can anyone recommend a good spray on bug remover? And tire black looks nice for about 10 minutes before centrifugal force sprays it all over the side of the truck... Any brand that stays put?

Paula

Well, this is gonna sound weird, but I heard it on the radio one morning so I tried it- It works, and so far cannot discern any untoward effects- DRYER SHEETS! Yep- get them wet and wipe off the bugs- they melt away! Here in Florida, we are cursed with "Love Bugs" twice a year and they are EVERYWHERE! They will clog your radiator if you don't put a screen over the front of your vehicle. Dryer sheets work to get the dried on buggers off.[/QUOTE]


WD-40-


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[tvketchum]

Back in the day, Earl Scheib would paint it any color for $99.....


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Tom
TVKetchum

[m.hony]

Terrible paint jobs-
You had to mask it yourself-
Then the paint was dull and chalky-


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[SeaLevel]

Originally Posted by Flying Gypsies

Here in Florida, we are cursed with "Love Bugs" twice a year and they are EVERYWHERE!

They are a mess, but they aren't everywhere thank goodness. Here on the southeast coast the ocean breeze keeps them inland quite a ways. We only encounter them if we drive towards the middle of the state while they are active.

[Tom Lafferty]

Yes there are loads of white tow vehicles out there. One reason you notice so many "white vehicles" is because the color is highly visible ( except maybe in a blizzard). Most car insurance companies (State Farm, Progressive etc) encourage choosing white because it's more noticeable on the road & it has actuaries' approval that it is a safer color to select because it stands out on the highway. My 2012 Silverado Crew Cab 2500 HD - 8 foot bed with a white fiberglass topper & a white fiberglass canoe aboard the bed topper is not easily overlooked by the cell phone / texting drivers in FL. I feel safer in it because of the color. I'd much rather wash off dirt than some of my or my passenger's blood.

[m.hony]

I like the way silver compliments the Airstream, though...





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[dbj216]

Happy New Year Foiled Again. I think Avion's are heaver than Airstreams. Your new tow vehicle will handle it very well anywhere you go.

White reflects the sun's rays well. They paint the roofs of new Airstreams white with heat reflective paint just for that reason. I may paint my roof white on the 86 someday. That will bode well for you in your southern climate. White shows dirt less than dark colors.

My '13 diesel Ford is black. It looks awful after a few sprinkles on a dusty day. But I don't worry about anymore. Black was okay in Minnesota, but it will be hot here in Colorado. We're just too close to the sun.

Don't worry about your new truck getting dirty. That's what it's for. Run it through a car wash when you fuel it up and forget about making it perfect. It's like us 'enthusiasts" who strip and polish our Airstreams, and then fret about every water spot, bird splash, and bug splat. I used to. I can never keep it "just polished" perfect. So I now worry about something else. My trucks still has some bugs stuck to the grill.

What it it again that Frank is doing to your Avion? Whatever it is, Frank will do it well.

David

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I have three white vehicles and love them. They are cooler in the summer and don't show much dirt. When traveling across this country there are different colors of dirt; Red is the worse. We owned two black vehicles. I would wash them and 30 minutes later, it looked like they were snowed on. Never ever again will I buy a black vehicle. Not to mention how hot they get in Sun light; It doesn't even have to be a hot day to fry you. Go to a full service car wash, they get the bugs off for you. Never ever use tire dressing. More bad than good for your tires. A friend of mine had a tire slip off of the rim, of a motorcycle, on the freeway, because of tire dressing.

[m.hony]

Never use tire dressing on motorcycles tires for sure!


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[PKI]

The light dust comes off with a duster, which is good money well spent. They work well and it takes only a couple of minutes to go over the vehicle. The spray products will spot clean a bird or bug hit. A cover is a bit of a pain to take off and on with the added problem of cleaning it, but it will reduce the soiling. If you get mudded/bugged up, then it's wash time. Agree, the robowash just won't do the whole job. You need a quick suds up, a hand wipe, a rinse down, a DI final rinse and a run down the road to dry off for about $10 at the spray rack.

The problem we found, is that some of those wash racks do not have the clearance for Glimmer. We have had to be real careful. One up in Montana that we used the year before with the car was almost tall enough. We ended up washing the TV and the front of the trailer. At least we got the big bugs off. Pat

[xrvr]

I like the WD 40 idea.

[m.hony]

It really works-
And costs less-


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[PKI]

It was my understanding that WD40 was a very heavy oil in a solvent that evaporates quickly. Hence that's how it gets lubrication into tight spaces. Had heard years ago that greasing the front (bug impact zone) was a way to keep the flying debris from sticking. Just not comfortable with the use of a solvent(and grease is a solvent too) on paint or the trailer clear coat. But letting the digestive juices of bugs sit on the finish does not sound like a good idea either. Anyone know the chemistry here? Is WD40 safe for paint? What really is the best way to keep the bugs off? Soap and water at the end of every day? Heavy wax? Magic stuff sold "buy one get one free" on the infomertial circuit? Just wondering? Pat

[marter]

Originally Posted by m.hony

You had to mask it yourself...

You didn't HAVE to mask it yourself, but it was tough to see through the windows if you didn't.