My xa is really easy to clean. the most annoying spots where water gets trapped are underneath the rear hatch, spoiler and underneath the front grill... does anyone else have trouble spots on there cars?

The mirrors seem to have pretty tight tolerences and so does the gas cap, and the shape of the handles helps out too :D

 

If your anywhere near the Philly area, its the water. Lots of minerals and crap in the water. I have noticed a significant difference with using the Mr. Clean car wash system. It does take a little longer to dry off, but because of using the filter water on the final rinse, it leaves no/minimal spotting. When i swing by your shop on Sat, ill bring you a $5 coupon towards the start up kit. The cheapest i have seen them for is $18 at Autozone in Bridgeport. For $13 you can have a spot free car, and no drying.

 

yea one of our good customers with a 04 TL Recommended that as well...
does the nozzle have a "run" setting as well or is more like a standard spray type of deal? I am asking because I like to have my water run down the side to minimize having the water sit on top of the car, which acts like a magnifying glass allowing the sun to burn the paint... yea i know it's a lot of water wasted and it's only a 13k car... but hey i like taking care of my toy...

 

Finish with an Absorber-a synthetic chamois. It won't scratch and like it's name, will absorb like a MF.

 

not sure what you do now, but this is what i do

after washing i use the absorber and then and drive the car around my block. after that i grab a couple terry cloth towels and wipe down all the water that has ran. you will also want to take the edge of the towel and slide it under cracks where ever it will fit.

 

i wipe down every door jams and under the hood
after driving a few miles (going back home) i wipe down the car with meguiars detailer thats when i hit all the remaining water spots

 

Mr. Clean's Auto Wash is like 18 bucks at BJ's Wholesale, but it has a regular filter/wash...not one of the demo filters. Also, you can use coupons with it, too. So that is the best bang for your buck...I'm waiting for my coupon in the mail...

 

Mikochu, you da man, Im gonna hit the BJs tomorrow and see if they have it. $13 and i get a whole new set up, sweeeet.

ONE, it has 3 different settings. One is a rinse ( just plain water, to get the car intially wet, and to rinse off the soap ). Two, is the suds dispenser. You turn the dial and it mixes soap with the water coating the car with the spray. Third is a fine mist, this is the purified water. It is a pretty strong mist, and the makers suggest that you use this mist to "chase" off the large water spots on the car, so it dries faster.

I used mine for the 3rd time today, and this time i also took about an ounce of soap from the bottle and made a wash bucket for my wash rag. Get the car wet first, then hit sections with the soap/water from the gun, and then wash with the rag with soapy water on it. Rinse, and then wash the entire car. When done, rinse with the PURE water and no spots. I really like this set up.

 

What stage do I clean the bug guts off?

 

IMO ... and this is the way i have been doing it for years. Get the car wet before removing anything, and keep it wet, esp on the painted parts.

I would do the first rinse to get the car/window wet, then use your bug remover. I bought one from Kmart last year called SPLATT, One Minute Bug Remover. Its flouresant green in color, and does a decent job removing bugs. You can use it on painted surfaces, it wont strip the wax. Followed by another rinse, then wash.