Why don't we use this one thread to share tips and advice instead of having to search pages and pages of threads.
BTW I think the Mr. Clean Auto Dry rocks.....

 

agreed, MCAD is the shizzle! sometimes, though, I wish I could soak the front end of my car like I do my pots and pans to get those damned dead bugs off more easily.

chris

 

try corn oil

 

anybody second that?

chris

 

olive oil is what the pro's use

 

well i show my car usually what i do before the show is

pull EVERYTHING out of the car that doesnt belong. floor matts, garage door openers, anything. now roll the windows up. spray down the carpet with a cleaning foam (i use turtle wax) and scrub scrub scrub. do the whole interior (if your foam will work with all your interior) !

next vaccum it all up, every where, you dont want to leave any wet spots. now wipe all the dash and plastic peices down with a terry cloth or microfiber cloth.

go outside now that your done with minor interior work and vaccum/and shampoo your floor mats. let them dry out and vaccum them again. now put them in your car. DONT GET IN YOUR CAR.

open one door at a time, and get news paper and invisble glass and spray on your inside windows. wipe down 1 window at a time with crumble news paper. be sure to get it all off.

now what i usually do is wipe down all the dash peices, and plastic peices again with a damp towel.

you have now finished your interior.


now to do your exterior, go get a good wax, car wash (*DO NOT USE KITCHEN SOAP*), shammy, tire shine, and a good degreaser (simple green).


pop your hood, be sure to cover your electrical and intake, spray tons of simple green every where but BE SURE NOT TO SPRAY IT ON THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR CAR IN DIRECT SUN LIGHT. let it sit for a minute, then hose it down with water until its all gone. shut your hood now.

spray down your car with water, i dont think i need to explain how to wash it.

when you get done, make sure you use a shammy to dry it. it leaves no streaks, water spots, or anything. always be sure your shammy is rinsed out so your not just dragging water. hold your shammy horizontal at the top end of the hood and go down with it from one side to the other. the hood is the most important part. now do this on the windshield. get the rest of the car cleaned off and then fold in your mirrors, lift up your wipers, and get another towel.

while your car is "peeing", use a normal microfiber or terry cloth to go inbetween the inserts of the grille to get all that water out- it will be dirty and you dont want your shammy to turn black.

now go back and clean up the other water your car has on it.

pull your car into a shaded area because its time for wax. theres many kinds of waxes and im not going to go into all of that because this is a simple write up, so i just use a 1step meguires gold class wax. its the best bang for the buck. its like $13.99 but it rocks.

apply to your applicator pad and swirl it arround arround arround but only do about 3-4 ft at a time. then wipe it off GOOD with a new terry cloth. be sure your swirling. and be sure your getting all teh wax off, dont be afraid to use elbow grease.

wax your car up and then wipe it down one final time with some prep towels.

add tire shine and wipe it down, wipe off your rims with a terry cloth or normal towel

and you have a show ready car

wow i cant belive i typed all that, that has some hints in it i use

 

your finished product should look somthing like,,,


and it looks great

 

ok, results so far...

corn oil - 1
olive oil - 1
Pam - 0
vegetable oil - 0
lard - 0

anyone else?

 

hmmm... i've been using bug & tar remover

works fine for me. is there something i don't know?

 

smoky xb had a good write up, its simple and too the point but just one thing. When wiping off the wax only use a microfiber towel, any other towel will scratch the paint. I have been a proffessional detailer for 3 years now and it never fails, just use a microfiber, its easier that way. Beyond that i cannot share anymore secrets with anyone otherwise i would go out of business hehe

 

next time you wash your car, run your hand over any body panel. If the panel doesn't feel as smooth as glass then you need a clay job......all you have to do is spray the quick detailer onto the car and wipe with the clay......this will take all the particles out that are imbedded into your paint....

 

olive oil also works but cost more ....oil is an emolsifier(sp)

 

Yeah, I've heard olive oil, altough more expensive, will be better than vegetable oil or the like. It is made from better fats and thus may actually help promote the health of your car...........




Oh, shamee is really chamois.... and it's French so shamee is not even the correct pronunciation. But, whatever. No one will understand you if you go around saying shamua, but then again, no one will find a "shamee" on the store shelf. Just thought I'd point that out.

How long do you guys let your various polishes/waxes/etc. sit on the paint before wiping it off? I guess if you don't let it sit, it's nearly impossible to wipe off and probably not worth putting on since it hasn't set in yet, but what's a proper amount of time?

I've found that those terry cloths I bought at AutoZone are garbage. Maybe they are all like this, but these in particular are all the rage when it comes to little lint pieces all over your car. I just went and bought black hand towels from Target 'cause I can't deal with little tiny lint particles sticking to the car... and the towels are black, so if any lint happens to remain, it'll be dark and less noticeable.

Anyone know what to use on the dash material for the Scions? The tC in particular. That rice stuff looks a bit funky. I haven't messed with it yet 'cause I don't know what will work and what will just leave a nasty grease spot.

 

I use the microfiber towels from Sam's or Costco,,on the dash I use Maguiars NXT..and a brush from Walmart to dust

 

Nice! Now that's what you call, "gettin' yo shine on"

-THE DON

 

for the dash of the tc, I just use a damp MicroFiber!!! it works the best!!! also, since the dash wasn't shiney when i got the car, i DONT use armorall or any other greasy products....just a clean dull look!!!!!

 

some people use a Swifter on the dash

 

[quote="SCI_TC_GUY"]for the dash of the tc, I just use a damp MicroFiber!!!/quote]



me too. works great!

 

that would be me. I'm also one of those that doesn't like a shiny dash. I like a shiny dash as much as I like a slippery steering wheel.

chris

 

i agree with the damp microfiber clothe for the dash for the wash i'm lucky enough to have a do it urself car wash right near my house with an owner that cares. he has ox hair foaming brushes not that cheap plastic brissle sh*t If i do it at home it's meguiers gold class car wash (with the black magic sponge) then microfiber towel then nice meguires tech wax (stuff leaves a glass look and is so smooth if done right