Washing, waxing and a few tips.....

Everyone has there own idea of the best way to take the best care of the exterior of car. Over the years I feel like I have somewhat perfected what I do to keep my vehicles and toys looking new. The first rule is I never take my cars or truck through a commercial car wash ever. This is the quickest way to ruin your cars finish. And if you have to use a car wash, possibly due to a physical issue or impairment, use a brushless. Car washes with brushes can destroy a car's finish in minutes leaving fine scratches, swirl marks, and in some cases removing antennas and windshield wiper off the rear windows. I just don't use them, for what its worth. The only carwash that can do more damage are the "fund raisers". This will kill a finish pretty quickly.

The other pointer I will pass on to any member who reads this is NEVER use the squeegees that you see dunked in a bucket of soapy grit that you see at gas stations. You know the squeegee you see when you fill up and decide to clean your windshield while your at the pump. These squeegees are loaded with dirt sand and all kinds of nice little particles that will scratch your windshield. I saw a guy put a 22" fairly deep and visible scratch in his new Tundra windshield by using the ole gas pump squeegee. There was no question the deep horizontal line was right where he scrubbed those bugs off..right in his line of view while driving.For what its worth.....carry a cheap roll of paper towels and a bottle of Glass Plus, its cheaper than a new w/s.

I hand wash my cars and truck in the shade and only with a terry cloth towel, in a bucket filled with plenty of hot water with a blue corral car liquid soap/wax. I just happen to use Blue Corral because it cheap and I wash my vehicles often. It cleans well and leaves a great shine, I have had nothing but great results. No residue on the windows or paint.

The first thing I do is throughly hose all the dust and loose dust off the painted surfaces.

Next, I start with the soapy terry cloth and clean the roof area, working my from top to bottom. Often washing the terry cloth in the soapy bucket of hot water to clean any dirt that I have just removed. I use extra care and a separate soapy cloth for the lower area of the car like rocker panel and edges of the wheel wells etc. These areas usually hold grit from the road that does not always come off with the hose at the beginning of the wash. Again washing from top to bottom, not the opposite. This is so you don't spread the dirt from the lower part of the car to the hood, roof and trunk areas.

I wash the wheels last and if there is an accumulation of brake dust, I use a non corrosive degreaser. (Simple green is corrosive and can damage your alloys) I don't recommend using it unless you water it down. Its not advisable to leave it on alloy wheels very long. You can find an orange smelling degreaser (I can't remember the name) your local auto parts store that is non corrosive which will work fine.

After the wheels are done, I pull my car into my garage and use a terry cloth towel for drying. Once the car is dry, I take it around the block for a quick lap shedding any excess water, pull back into the garage and use Honda Spray Cleaner/Wax on all the painted surfaces. I have been using this spray cleaner since 1999 and it works fantastic. Its easy to apply and really easy to polish off with a microfiber cloth or terry cloth towel. It really leaves a mirror like shine with out buffing and having "arms like Popeye". One can will last a quite a long time.

I use the armor all tire dressing for the tires or what ever is on sale. I try and use it sparingly as tire dressing usually ends up on the side of the car when you drive off. So spraynit on and wipe the excess off the tires. And to finish the job and I use Glass Plus for the windows and as a general cleaner on the inside of my car. If you really want to go over the top with detailing, you can use Areospace 303 plastic protector for the plastic areas such as the interior dash and other plastic surfaces. This has a UV inhibitor in it which works quite well. Its a little on the spendy side. You can find it a most boat marinas and it does not leave a greasy shine like armor all. I don't use armor all on the inside of my cars, it seems to attract dust, to each own......just my observation. This is also a great time to check tire pressures, fluid levels.

I thought adding a post for washing and waxing your new C might come in handy and the few pointers might save a member some grief.


Cheers!

David

 

Free? and with a 1.00 tip.......ya get what ya pay for

 

Brilliant...lol! We all have different priorities..I am going to try the super duper soap wax! lol!

Thanks for your contribution to the thread.

 

Water blade....might have to pick one up..

 

Exactly....I could not agree with you more. it's easy to ruin a cars clear coat finish....the quickest way is the ole we are raising money in parking lot washes. LoL!

 

Leaf blower works excellent to get the excess water off.

 

I use a large 5 gallon bucket and any fine dirt settles at the bottom of the bucket. Still a great point.