Appearance - Getting your Dakota Pickup to look it's best!

Introduction

If your like me, you probably decided to treat yourself and invest a substantial amount of cash to purchase that special vehicle ( ride, baby, buddy, wheels, etc.). Now that your a proud owner of that special automobile you want to take care of it's appearance, you want it to stand out and reflect on you and your choice of wheels, or you might me more sensible and just want to protect your investment, ............yeah right!

This page will cover information on taking care of your autos' clear coat finish. I'll be bringing you information on products to make your truck or whatever vehicle or auto you drive look better than new. I will only be recommending the one's that I use on my own Quad that I feel give good results and will let you know of the ones that don't impress me.

Thinking Ahead

The 1st place to start when concerned about keeping up the quality of your vehicle exterior finish is where you park your vehicle when your not driving it.
Approximately one third of the time it will be at your home, possibly in your garage, carport, tarp or metal shelter, or parked outside the proximity of where your live. If your have a garage you'll be in great shape, if you have some property you can purchase a tarp shelter which range in cost between $200. to $700. that can be assembled in 1/2 a day or less. This is the option I'm currently considering since my garage is being used for a different purpose. For now my Quad is parked out front my house.

The other two thirds of the day your probably using your vehicle as transportation, driving to work, store, friends, etc.. As with all trips, eventually you must stop and park.Your probably a bit apprehensive about parking it at the local mall and may very well be one of those people that park that extra distance from the entrance just to have the little extra peace of mind that some idiot won't have the chance to dent up the side of your ride, no, your not alone. Just don't make the mistake of appearing to take up 2 parking spots, because you can bet your ....... there's somebody out there that will walk up to your vehicle and put a nice long scratch on it, just like they did to my 1969 Corvette when I decided to straddle two parking spots, hey I was only a kid back then, I didn't think people functioned like that.

As far as parking at work and other areas, your pretty much at the mercy of the mother nature and other idiots that inhabit the earth. The only advice I can give you for these times is; to park close to the curb; so your not sticking out enough to be clipped, park near other similar expensive vehicles; hopefully these people think like you and respect other peoples property. Avoid parking under trees where there are bird dropings on neighboring cars or on the ground. Don't; park on somebody's tail, don't leave your tail on someone's nose, don't park near construction ( road or building), don't park near potholes, avoid parking in crime areas, and last but not least when you pull between two cars to park check to see that neither cars contents have any of the following: broken windows, liquor bottles strewn on the seat and floor, any weapons of mass destruction, and under no circumstances park near a vehicle that may have the appearance that a small army of children have temporarily vacated the vehicle.

Labor

Before I continue with keeping your car looking it's best, I want you to know that I don't have a problem with hard work, however I do dislike doing the same hard work over and over again. This means I'll be using products and methods I have found to be quick and efficient in maintaining the appearance of your car. I'll let you know what is to labor intensive and what is a breeze.

To continue, click below.

Washing Your Vehicle