i just won a euro-pro streamer off of e-bay, i figure i would go natural with keeping the XB clean , no harsh chemicals for my baby, i will post the results of the steamer when i get it and clean the Xb for the first time.

Haven't tried this yet: Mr. Clean AutoDry, has some mixed reviews.
anyway,
After washing and rinsing off, I immediately drive off. Since I live near several 45MPH and above roads, I drive as fast as "legally" possible :wink: . Water on the vehicle literally flies away towards vehicles (ESP annoying SUV's :twisted: ) behind me. I learned that trick while watching MotorWeek. Oh yeah, speaking of MotorWeek, JENNIFER KHASNABIS is hot IMHO.

I use the armoral carwash CONCETRATE. Works great and polishs the car perfectly. I dry it off with a cotton towel and then gaze into the shine! :shock:

I use turtlewax car wash. cali water blade and then finish up with a chamois

I use turtle wax gold series car wash, then dry off my car with the absorber. :D

i use meguiars car wash and wax. i want to try the mr. clean autodry. sounds almost to good to be true. meguiars works great.

I just discovered those Armor All Car Wash Wipes. They are the greatest...I use it after washing my xB. Just took 1 and wiped the car down while using a soft towl behind it. It looked great!!! We have very hard water so always fighting streaks and spots...but not anymore. 8)

I use the meguiars shampoo for my car and then i use the armor all tire shine for my tires then dry everything off with the absorber as well

I use Eagle One Car Wash Blend it is a red liquid and Eagle One Wax-As-U-Dry.....Awsome ____ oh and I use 1 Absorber towel to dry off the whole car 1 of them last me 4 car washes.... :lol:

Since purchase on 11/21/03 i never washed it..
I got a detailer spray and microfiber cloths at Pep Boys 3 colors for $6.
I use the blue for the wheels, green for the paint, yellow for the windows and interior to collect the dust. It grabs dust very well.

1- Use a magic duster to remove loose dirt.
2- if there are dew spots or water spots, lightly spray a mist of detailer and wipe with the green microfiber cloth.
3- I use the yellow cloth to wipe all windows and lights. It also works well to remove the scuff looking marks on the doors.
4- Use the blue cloth to wipe the wheels
5- for the tires i use Meguire's Endurance Tire lotion. It does not turn your tires brown.
6- Purchased a brush at Pep Boys to remove lint and dirt form the floor mats outside the car.

I do this religiously once a week.
Every day after work i use just the duster and a touch up on the paint if needed with a dry cloth.

When it rained few days ago, i just used more spray on the cloth to lift the dirt without scratching the paint.

My xB is ALWAYS **sparkling**

I recommend to have a nice coat of wax as a starting point. Put more wax once a month to repel all oxidation.
Also a coat of Rain X on the windows.

To remove Tar or oxidation use Meguire's Cleaner/Wax It removes pretty much anything. I found bug and tar remover is to harsh on the paint.

i take it to the mexicans who own the detail shop at the corner, hook them up with a 6 pack and mysteriously 1 hour later its all clean................................ dont ask me what they use cause i dont care as long as its clean

I use the Mr. Clean system and it works great. The trick is to wash your car in the shade, the soap will dry to fast and leave a light film otherwise.



Deputy Dawg 8)

I got that autodry thingy.............haven't used it yet though. I'm interested to see how it works..........cause I hate drying with towels.

KiL

i just use whats there at the carwash friday im going to go to autozone and look around and see what they have but anyone have some recommendations

I have been using a very hard grain sandpaper up to this point. When I get dirt on the car, it just scrapes it right off, funny thing, I have alot of scratches in the paint now, but hey, I guess thats the cost of doing business!!!!!

JK

You guys will laugh, but I have a damn good car wash near me. The people are friendly, fast and they do topnotch work. If you want your car waxed with a certain wax, you bring it, they will buff it on and off. I'm just a lazy MF thats all.

Gix

I got that autodry thingy.............haven't used it yet though. I'm interested to see how it works..........cause I hate drying with towels.

KiL

Did you use it yet?

sean

I have been using a very hard grain sandpaper up to this point. When I get dirt on the car, it just scrapes it right off, funny thing, I have alot of scratches in the paint now, but hey, I guess thats the cost of doing business!!!!!

JK

You guys will laugh, but I have a damn good car wash near me. The people are friendly, fast and they do topnotch work. If you want your car waxed with a certain wax, you bring it, they will buff it on and off. I'm just a lazy MF thats all.

Gixhahaha i do that too, let someone else do it! but now we just installed a nice concrete wash rack and a power washer at work so i plan on washing my car weekly for free there.

I got that autodry thingy.............haven't used it yet though. I'm interested to see how it works..........cause I hate drying with towels.

KiL

Did you use it yet?

sean


Yes.........I did. It works great. I really didn't expect it to dry without water spots like it says...........but........follow the directions..........and it works. I love it.

KiL

what autodry thing are you talking about??

what autodry thing are you talking about??

http://www.homemadesimple.com/mrcleanautodry/

KiL

I hated washing my own car because the drying took so long and I'm lazy. I also hated taking the car to the Car Wash because it took so long. I tried the Mr Clean thingy and it works great!

that autodry looks pretty coo.. i think i might go out n buy one tonight.

Umm, here's my method:

Bucket. Fill with hot water. squirt of dish soap.

Wet entire car with hose.

Big DuPont sponge. Dip in bucket. Wash right side of top.

Dip in bucket, wash left side of top.

Rinse entire top with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Dip sponge in bucket, wipers up, wash windshield and hood

Rinse windshield and hood with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Spray wife with hose. Wife retaliates by attacking with bucket. Refill bucket with hot water and squirt of soap.

Dip sponge in bucket, wash right side windows

Rinse right side windows with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Dip sponge in bucket, wash left side windows

Rinse left side windows with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Neighbor's annoying cat wanders by. Nail cat with water from hose. Cat disappears, hopefully for good.

Dip sponge in bucket, rear wiper up, wash rear window

Rinse rear window with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Dip sponge in bucket, wash right side below beltline.

Rinse right side with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Dip sponge in bucket, wash left side below beltline.

Rinse left side with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Dip sponge in bucket, wash front grille and bumper.

Rinse grille and bumper with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Dip sponge in bucket, wash rear below window and bumper.

Rinse rear of car with hose. Keep rest of car wet.

Dip sponge in bucket, right front wheel cover and inside of wheel well.

Rinse wheel and wheel well. Keep rest of car wet.

Repeat for other three wheels and wheel wells.

Get big towel. Dry car from top to bottom in the same order it was washed. Make sure that surface is dry so as not to get water spots.

Open all doors, rear hatch, and fuel door.

Dry inside the door openings, both on the door side and the car side.

Lower wipers, front and rear.

Open hood.

Dry inside hood where appropriate.

Sneak soiled towel into laundry basket.

Close all doors

Open bottle of stout. Drink.

That's it. How hard can it be? :)

George

Umm, here's my method:

Bucket. Fill with hot water. squirt of dish soap.

George

Wow, you must like the harsh chemicals of dish washing soap. That stuff eats your wax right off. Well unless you dont wax your car.

Umm, here's my method:

Bucket. Fill with hot water. squirt of dish soap.

George

Wow, you must like the harsh chemicals of dish washing soap. That stuff eats your wax right off. Well unless you dont wax your car.

Note I said "squirt", or in more precise terms about a teaspoon. In three gallons of water this isn't exactly strong. Dish soap (_not_ dishwasher soap!) is no harsher than "auto washing" soap. Whatever attacks tar and bugs will also attack wax. Fact of life. Wax isn't forever.

George

Umm, here's my method:

Bucket. Fill with hot water. squirt of dish soap.

George

Wow, you must like the harsh chemicals of dish washing soap. That stuff eats your wax right off. Well unless you dont wax your car.

Note I said "squirt", or in more precise terms about a teaspoon. In three gallons of water this isn't exactly strong. Dish soap (_not_ dishwasher soap!) is no harsher than "auto washing" soap. Whatever attacks tar and bugs will also attack wax. Fact of life. Wax isn't forever.

George

3 gallons! WHOA..that's one big ___ bucket. And no, wax isnt forever but using a wax safe car wash soap will prolong the life of the wax whether you use a drop or not.

Plus I find it hard to believe that dish soap is the same as a car wash soap. JMO

Plus I find it hard to believe that dish soap is the same as a car wash soap. JMO


Detergent is detergent is detergent. If you use one of the dish detergents that has no perfumes or dyes, it is almost 100% pure detergent.

I use dish detergent to clean my contact lenses. Why pay $5/oz from the pharmacy for lens cleaner when the same stuff is $5/gallon in housewares?

Hey, if it rinses clean enough for something that you put into your mouth or eye, then its clean enough to use on your car....

C.F.

man u cali guys don't know the half on washin cars :roll: j/k, come to ny for a winter and keep a car clean... it's hard

wash 1 once weekly
polish then wax monthly (paint prep every 2 mos before wax)
need a quick wax or quick detailer (at all times!!)

summers here aren't much better with sap season, pollen and all the relative humidity :twisted:

i had to invest in a meguiars kit, came with a little buffer and everything. They got a whole bunch of different kinds you can check out at there website www.meguiars.com

Do the research. Denny is right. The best thing to use on your car when you want to strip all the wax off is Dawn dish soap. If you just want to wash and add more wax, then use a wax-safe car wash liquid.

Just don't go to the car wash on Harbor and Chapman in Garden Grove. They don't get the middle of the roof of the car.

I have Mr. Clean too, but that spot-free thing is not perfect. I still end up with a few spots, so be prepared to wipe it too. And remember to THOROUGHLY dry out inside of your rear-view mirrors or you end up with water splats all over your front doors.

I got one of those Mr.Clean Autowash thingy. Don't laugh just because it's Mr.Clean :oops: but it actually work really great, especially there are almost NO water spots. Though only thing I hated was the soap runs off like water so as soon as you spray soap on the car, you gotta start scrubbing......besides that, its great!

cleaning my car takes hours

1. wash w/meguiars soap
2. dry w/ absorber & an air compressor to blow water out of the cracks
3. let it fully dry in the sun
4. meguiars 3 stage wax (first is paint cleaner, then deep polish, then final wax) this sucks cause it's like doing a regular wax job 3 times. but hey it looks good when it's done
5. tire gel (i forgot what brand it is)

and before all of this i usually do the interior first

Just was is an "absober" anyway? Are we talking just a towel or something.....or is this something special?

Sean

I use turtle wax gold series car wash, then dry off my car with the absorber. :D

Yeah, I have found that this is the best way to go. Especially if you have really hard water like I do down here in TX. Takes about 5 min to dry it from head to toe. Even makes the windows clear as can be no streaks or spots left . Plus, how can yyou go wrong with NASA technology, well except for that whole COlombia thing. RIP Astro's

I clean the outside first, with Zymol car soap. I usually use a small towel with help with washing.

I clean the wheels with a tire foam, making sure to clean the inside fender at the same time.

Then I dry it off with a larger towel, making sure to get more crevaces. Next I let it sit for about an hour, then move the vehicle into my garage and apply a coat of Zymol wax.

Once that dries, I buff it off with an electric buffer with a new bonett. Then I take a small towel and clean off any excess wax.

I clean the windows with windex and newspaper (will not leave streaks), and and apply a shine gel to the tires.

I then clean the inside by vacuuming first, then wiping down all surfaces with a mild water/soap combo. I spray my rubber mat out and let it dry at this time.

After cleaning everything, I give the car a nice liberal spraydown with Ozium, a gylcol spray that eliminates odors and give the car a nice sterile smell :)

How do you get shoe scuffs out of the door sills?

New tip - we used one of those compressed air cans (for dusting computers and such) on the rear view mirrors and all of the crevices. The plastic part on the bottom of the door sills hides a lot of water, so blow it out really well. You can buy a four-pack at Costco for a good price (can't remember how much). Don't put your back door up or put your rear windshield wiper down until you dry out the wiper arm completely. Otherwise water will pour all over your back door.

OCScion has some neat stuff that you can wash your car with while it's dry. Good for touch ups. When you hookin' me up baby?

why do you guys use such crappy detailing materials? treat your car to what it deserves and keep that paint brand new and swirl free!

zaino (http://www.zainostore.com) is the best. An equal, or slightly lower comparable brand is klasse.

this review (http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/detailing/4649930-1.html) says it all.


-----------
methods of washing a car and applying wax.

on the hood and other horizontal surfaces, always wipe from the front of the car to back.

on vertical surfaces, always wipe up and down.

When washing your car, start from the top and gradually move towards the bottom so you don't drag dirt up to the top of your car.

use those 100% cotton towels from mervyn's that cost like 8 - 15 bux a towel to try your car. Before you use it, cut the edges off and wash it in the washer w/o detergent or fabric softener.

-or-

use an electric leaf blower


------swirl marks are made on by pulling a karate kid on your car. don't gimme any of that circular wax on wax off shiznit. your car doesn't want it either.

---NEVER trust anyone to wash and wax your car. They don't love your car, it's just a job (vs career) for them.

-Park in a garage when you can, if you can't, carry a bottle of spray detailer to clean the car whenever there's sap, or bird crap or whatever.

Don't wipe down your car if you have a lot of pollen or dust on the car. spray it off and then work from top to bottom with the soap. Try washing your car in the shade.



-------------Water Marks on windows? Use acetic acid(vineagar) soaked toothpick.

I take a 200 grit sand paper with a bucket of warm water, and scrub her clean. Afterwords, I use Miguires wax and apply with steel wool for a nice glossy finishes. Theis method is highly recomended by the pros. I think I saw Dale Jr. using this method.

Is that the same Dale Jr in the commercial where he shows you how to use duct tape for quick repairs after a minor accident?

Duct tape can fix anything! I'm going to try to fashion a spoiler out of it later this week.

Back to washing... i heard its not good to wash a brand new car due to scratching new paint etc... so when is it safe?

3 to 4 weeks. Might wanna use a clay bar on it first, to get all the goobers out that stuck to it while it was unprotected.

I use nothing but Meguiars #26 Carnauba High Gloss Wax. This stuff is amazing. I only use hand method as I dont trust any orbital buffer etc. Use foam applicators to apply the wax and use terry cloth to remove the wax when done. ALWAYS be careful not to apply to much pressure with ANY applicator to avoid swirl marks.

For the windows I use Armor All Glass Wipes.. very handy and no streaks.


R E C O M M E N D E D

Get yourself the CALIFORNIA DUSTER!!!! Especially the peeps with dark cars. I bought the large and the small one for the interior. Use it everyday... when you start your car to warm it up (I hope you DO warm it up) the dusting will take no more than 3 minutes. This along with the Meguiars wax, my car can stay spotless and clean for up to 2 weeks.

Not to be off topic but... in the little manual it says that the car should not be warmed in idle. Anyone else read that or am i just trippin.