What are you using to wash, polish and wax your prime?

I've used Miguiar's Gold class car wash soap and their Ultimate liquid wax with just one coat and it seemed to work pretty well for me. Restored the shine to about what it was when new although with microscratches from driving for a few thousand miles still remain.

Also if you ever get bird poop on you car clean it off ASAP since it eats through the clear coat a little bit (at least on my hypersonic red). I waited a couple days and now with light at the right angle you can see where it was even after washing and waxing.

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I'd also like to know what is best for cleaning the Softex. interior. And yes, I RTFM but wasn't satisfied with the answer.

 

You mean specifically washing and waxing a Prime? Maybe cus a car's a car?

And wash, polish and wax? That's one word too many, lol. Maybe wash and polwax?

Every 6 months, btw.

 

My friend who is a professional detailer swears by this brand. Most of their stuff is also on amazon.

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Wash...the local car wash "club" $30/month for all the washes I want. This place does a good job. The owner explained that their cheapest wash is basically lube for the brushes. The mid price wash (in the "club") uses much better products and includes the bottom of the car and the wheels. The high priced wash includes surface coatings that last a couple of weeks and do look better, as well as being slicker to better shed dirt in the winter.

Polymer sealant...Menzerna Power Lock. It's the best I've found. I also use a spray "wax" for a week or two worth of extra-slick surface to help the car shed dirt in the rain.

 

Meguiar's Gold Class car wash (no drying on the first round), Mother's California Gold clay kit to get of the crud (won't harm clearcoat btw), another quick wash along with drying with microfiber waffle-weave drying cloth. Klasse high gloss sealant glaze.

Got the waffle weave drying cloths (Wooly Mammoth), wash mitts and applicators from Chemical Guys.

Note: I only do this when I plan to apply the sealant. Otherwise it's a quick wash and dry or I take it to Manhattan Beach Toyota and they do a free, semi-decent job in 15 minutes and then I'm out of there.

 

I asked the same question a few weeks ago. I ended up at http://www.autogeekonline.net
The whole site is dedicated to auto detailing which is a huge subject unto its own.
There are hundreds if not thousands of products to choose from / decide on which you spend a small fortune on.
You would think that washing your car a simple matter, but I found out it can be very complicated.
There are a lot recommendations to watch car detailing videos by a guy named Mike Phillips.
They are indeed helpful but of course he is paid to push certain products.
You need to include clay bar in your sequence, even brand new cars have stuff embedded in the paint.
After polishing you can use a wax, sealer or coating. Wax only last 6-8 weeks, sealant lasts 3-6 months and coating last years. I decided to go with a sealant since they are easy to apply and last longer than wax. I am a DIY kind of guy but I decided I don't want to spend the money on supplies and figure out how to do this right now so I am going have a professional detailer do it for $150. After that I can wash it and reapply sealer myself.

Good luck

 

Toyota makes a carwash liquid concentrate, available through our local dealership parts department. My eternal bottle of Meguiar's finally ran out, so I got some:

 

If you use a polisher make sure it is has an orbital motion. These leave fewer swirl marks.

 

The car wash at the gas station when I fill it. Getting pretty dirty.


700 miles this tank. 4.5 gals to go.

 

Awhile back, I took my 2004 Prius to a professional detailer in Huntington Beach who did an amazing job on it. With the clay finish, they made it look better than it had looked in years!

 

If all my cars from my first one to now are any indication, my Prime will have no car wash in its 12-14 year life, other than an occasional quicke one from the dealer when they do service, or the (very occasional) SoCal rainstorm. As long as the inside cabin's clean I don't care if the outside is dusty (something like bird poo on the windshield I'll spot remove, but rarely ever need to do something like that). I know other people really like their cars and want to keep them sparkling, that's fine, I'm just more of a Point A to Point B person. As long as the inside is clean I don't care if the outside is dusty

That said, I did post a while back asking a similar question about the Prime's interior, and never got a response: was wondering if anyone had a good product to clean that white plastic-y area (where the cupholders are) if it gets dirty. I had a black mark on there that no amount of rubbing with water and a soft cloth could get out, yet when I went to the dealer, they got it out right away by using some kind of special solution. I didn't ask them what it was (I will next time I go back) but can anyone recommend a strong but safe cleaner to use on the white plastic-y area where the cupholders are, where you set your phone?

 

I never wash with any sort of soap - just fresh water and a sponge.

I use a tire cleaner on tires (Wesley's Bleach White) and bug and tar remover when necessary.

I haven't tried a new polish in years, having used NuFinish all this time.

 

I just had mine detailed (Clay, polish, sealant) to get it in good shape. Although it is only a month old and of course looked like new, it looks and feels noticeably better. The blizzard pearl has a sparkle that it did not have before. From here on I plan to maintain it myself with some regular washing and re-applying sealant as needed. I spent some time on Autogeeks and there is a ton of information and products. I decided I just needed to choose some and give them a try. I realize this isn't for everybody but I think it doesn't take a lot of effort to keep it looking nice.

 

That was one of the first waxes I used in the early eighties, IIRC. Orangey shade bottle? Assuming I've got that right, it played havoc with rubber trim, put me off ever using it again. I'm sure it's a completely different formulation now, but funny, how once bitten, forever shy.