how do you clean your car

[galaxygrey]

how do you clean your car?

I know sounds kinda of dumb, but i just wonder what products you use and how you clean your car to shin like a new pin. Inside and outside.

I want to clean it, with out to much hard work. so what are good products, cloths and shamy to use inside and out.

I also wonder, if they wax the car when you pick up for the first time from the Honda showroom, or do you have to do that yourself.

THX

[notty]

The dealerships do a shitty job detailing so I always do it myself after picking it up. As far as carwash I use Rain-X Wash and Wax with carnaubu. Nothing even comes close to how good this stuff is. There are thousands of different opinions on what wax to use but I always have used Meguiars. It's easy and produces amazing results. It's up to you to find the one you like.

[SiliconX]

Originally Posted by galaxygrey

how do you clean your car?

I know sounds kinda of dumb, but i just wonder what products you use and how you clean your car to shin like a new pin. Inside and outside.

1. Vacuum interior.
2. Clean and use protectant on plastic surfaces (dash, etc).
3. Clean interior glass (if needed)
4. Wash exterior (by hand with 2 bucket method) incl scrubbing wheels/tires
5. Dry exterior with waffle-weave microfibre cloth
6. Apply dressing to tires
7. Clean exterior glass

I use Pinnacle/DP/Cobra products from Autogeek.

Originally Posted by galaxygrey

I want to clean it, with out to much hard work. so what are good products, cloths and shamy to use inside and out.

For a minimal investment, you should pick up a couple plastic buckets, a decent washmitt, some decent-quality carwash soap and a waffle-weave microfibre cloth. Products from companies like Meguiar's and Mothers are good quality products you can find anywhere.

Originally Posted by galaxygrey

I also wonder, if they wax the car when you pick up for the first time from the Honda showroom, or do you have to do that yourself.

THX

Not actually sure if they wax the car at the dealership, but I always tell them I don't want them to touch the exterior of the car, period. I don't care if it's covered in dirt, I want that first detail to be done by me, which involves a wash, clay bar, and then a sealant topped by a carnauba wax.

[galaxygrey]

cheers....guys 2 votes for Meguiar's wax right thats on the shoping list, I going to wax her this weekend well sunday.

I'm off work on sunday, so I take a trip to crappy tire and see what they have.

[Zeuceone]

do you guys also vacuum the roof lining and inside the headrest...

[Will06SI]

I use Meguiar's gold class soap,wax,and interior protect,i also wash with a sheep skin mitt,and dry with 2 waffle weave towels,the windows get stoners glass cleaner.

[notty]

Originally Posted by Zeuceone

do you guys also vacuum the roof lining and inside the headrest...

Actually, yeah I do!!!

[Janizary]

For my own exterior care I use the following:

Washing
-Good bucket with grit filter on bottom
-2nd bucket for mit rinse (i.e., rinse in this bucket, soap in first bucket...keeps the mit relatively free of grit)
-Good quality car cleaning gel (mothers, Meguiars NXT, etc.) that does not strip wax
-Lamb mit
-Mr. Clean Auto-dry (just for the filtered water, wash solution is worthless)
-California Water Blade (for bulk water removal)
-The Absorber (works great for that water that seems to constantly drip out of the grill and other niches)
-Quality micro-fiber towelettes and full-sized towel
-Cleaner/degreaser for wheels and tires
-Tire and wheel brush
-Couple of soft bristle tooth brushes for anything that gets into seams, etc.
-Clay Bar now and then
-Bug and tar remover (just in case...here in Vegas there is CONSTANTLY new blacktop being laid and tar resealing going on...)

Exterior finishing:
-Some 3M #39009 just in case I find any scratches that need a good buff out
-Random orbital buffer for buffing out swirls/scratches (because doing it by hand is for the birds)
-Paint cleaner
-Zaino (Z2/Z5/ZFX...omg, must have ZFX if you don't want to watch water boil...and Z6 or Z8...I prefrer Z6 due to ease of use and overall general use)
-RainX for mirrors
-Non-amonia spray on window cleaner
-More micro-fiber polishing towelettes
-Meguiars hot tire and appropriately sized applicator
-Random rim polishing agent
-'The Buffer' rim polisher attachment for electric drill (gimmicky, but works great)

Interior
-Duster/pickers for dash, vents, seams, etc.
-Shop vac for general vacuuming and debris removal
-Cat hair remover (little rolling thing you use for clothes) 'cause it works great on the new Si seats and cloth door panels...which seem to be hair magnets.
-Zaino Z14 plastic cleaner/polisher
-Zaino leather protector for any leather/psuedo leather surfaces (wheel, clutch knob)
-Small plastic bristle brush for scrubbing scuffs/dirt from suede seat bolsters, etc.

I enjoy washing and cleaning my cars. Since I can get 7 or 8 cars in my 'driveway' a few friends and I usually get together once a month and have at it on our various cars. In a few short hours we can wipe out 6 cars top to bottom working in teams.

[jasongg06]

You may want to try the detailing part of this forum as there are many ongoing threads about car washing/detailing and discussions of the products used.
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=62

[galaxygrey]

Originally Posted by jasongg06

You may want to try the detailing part of this forum as there are many ongoing threads about car washing/detailing and discussions of the products used.
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=62

Oh ok...Thank-you, I did learn a lot of things though.

[Special Ringpop]

EDIT: Copied from another thread.

Here's my recommendation if you're just washing. If you want me to do an "interior" list or a "waxing" list, let me know. Be advised, this will be a read:

EXTERIOR:

1. High quality car wash solution:
   You want a car wash that is pH balanced, ideally, or, in the very least, specially formulated for cars. I still know many people who wash with Dawn. This is not a wise idea, as it will remove whatever wax coat you have on the car, and will dull the finish over time. My recommendation for car wash solution is Meguiar's NXT Car Wash. It's moderately priced, and it works fairly well. It also claims to keep dust off your car, but that's a crock of crap :).
   
2. Two Buckets:
   I didn't buy into this at first. I told myself, "My car never gets dirty enough to warrant using two buckets. This is wrong. Your sponge is going to pick up stuff from your car that was on the road or other places, and to put it simply; it will damage your paint, even if you can't see it. When you use two buckets, you soap up your sponge with the wash water bucket, sud a SMALL section of your car (roof, door, rear quarter, rear bumper, etc.), then put the sponge in the rinse water. Rinse the soap off your car before it can dry. For safety sake, swish the sponge in your rinse water, and repeat. This helps remove crap from your car being put back into your wash water, where it will probably end up going back on your sponge, and rubbed into your car's paint, which will make you sad in pants. Trust me, I learned. It's a bit more work, and people judge you, but what the hell do they know, they probably drive SUVs.
   
3. High quality wash mitt:
   A high quality sponge or wash mitt is incredibly important. Others may have better recommendatiosn than I in this area, but I use an incredibly soft microfiber sponge. Microfiber is microscopically woven, and will lift stuff off your car, and likely not scratch your paint. Like I said, this is just my preference. Others may have better ones, but the moral of this icon is that you should snub your nose at the .97 Wal-Mart sponges (or any super cheap one in general).
   
4. Westley's Bleche White:
   This is not necessary for most people, unless you're OCD about your car like I am. This is a whitewall cleaner. Your tires are going to get dirty no matter how good you treat your car; accept that now. This stuff, you spray onto your sidewalls, let it soak for one minute (use a tire brush to agitate it and do a better cleaning job) and wash it off high pressure. You will see the filth come streaming off your tires. This leaves your tires with a nice, natural black clean finish, and is a perfect primer if you use (which you should) tire shine. I highly recommend this.
   
5. Tire Brush:
   This goes along with the Bleche White I just mentioned. These brushes are shaped like the sidewalls of your tire. I highly recommend this (it doesnt need to be the "best" or most expensive brush, but this will greatly increase how well Westley's Bleche White works. You spray the cleaner on, use this brush to scrub the sidewells (being careful not to slip and scratch your car, like I did once ).
   
6. Wheel cleaner:
   This is another not necessary item. They make tons of different kinds of these, and I don't think they work all that well. You spray them on the rim of your car, or behind it on the inside lip (where all the brake dust accumulates on the inside circular lip of your rim), and you let it sit, and then spray it off. Personally, I find using an old rag to "shine" the rims and clean the brake dust off (the 17" wheels are big enough so you can stick your arm around to remove the nasty brake dust). This would probably be most beneficial to someone who doesn't clean the crap off their rims often.
   
7. Wheel Brush:
   This goes along with the wheel cleaner. This, again, is like the tire brush. It will help you reach into the rim area where the brake dust accumulates, and help you "brush it" off, much like you do with your teeth (provided, not the same brush, I hope...) Not necessary if you clean your rims by hand, but nice nonetheless for those hard-to-reach areas.
   
8. The "Absorber":
   This you need. This is around $10, and it is a synthetic chamois (shammy) to dry your car. It comes premoistened, and sucks up the water from your car like a sponge. When it dries, it becomes rigid and hard. All you need to do is rewet it, squeeze it out, and then you're good to go. When it stops sucking up water, it's full. Squeeze it out until it's light colored again, and continue drying. This is an invaluable drying asset.
   
9. California Waterblade:
   I swear by this thing. This thing is like a windshield wiper. It sheets water off the car 100% and leaves it dry. I use this immediately after I wash the car to get 90% of the water off, then use the Absorber above to completely dry it. Note: be extremely careful to rinse this off so that no grit or dust gets on the "blade", because you can cause considerable scratches if you recklessly use this.
   
10. High quality microfiber towels:
    These will be a great asset when removing wax. Some people use them for drying, which I wouldn't disagree with, as they absorb water well, but when you wash them, make sure you use VERY little detergent, wash them alone, and DO NOT use a dryer sheet on them, as it will make them less absorbable.
    
11. Tire Shine:
    I live by Armor-All Tire Shine Foam. You spray the white foam onto your sidewall of your tires, and let it sit for 15 minutes. It makes them shine, very nicely, but not greasy looking. And it lasts. It lasts a long, long while, long after other brands have sucked up every bit of thing the wheel touches like glue. It keeps the tire looking shinier than stock, but without the greasiness or "vacuum action" the other brands do.
    
12. Quick Detailer:
    This is not an exchange for washing a dirty car. Use this after it rains, or your car gets wet, or a bird poops on your car, or if its lightly dusty, using a microfiber cloth. You spray it on, then wipe it off. I recommend against using the kind where you spray it on, buff it to a haze, then remove it. Just get the kind you spray on and wipe off. Read the instructions, as this is a vague point, and you may buy the wrong kind if you aren't paying attention, like I have done.
    
13. Invisible-Glass:
    This glass cleaner is the end-all, be-all glass cleaner. I use crumpled up newspaper to apply it, as it leaves absolutely no streaks that way. When I'm done, I run a clean microfiber cloth over it, to make sure I got everywhere.

[grbrjdawg]

Meguiar's everything, they have the best products ever I've used most of everything else and I know a few detailers! Their gold glass wax is nuts!

[execlusive05]

does any1 use the new Liquid ICE wax and soap?? i heard its a extremely good product

[Special Ringpop]

Originally Posted by execlusive05

does any1 use the new Liquid ICE wax and soap?? i heard its a extremely good product

Aside from Zaino which appears to be the Zeus of waxes, I swear by Meguiar's NXT tech wax (liquid).

A year later and a Minnesota winter, and my Civic Si looks like it was just waxed, and the water still beads. In my opinion it is the best wax you can buy under $100.

[galaxygrey]

Originally Posted by Janizary

-Cat hair remover (little rolling thing you use for clothes)

I got a dog, so I gonna pick one up today.

Originally Posted by Special Ringpop

EDIT: Copied from another thread.

Here's my recommendation if you're just washing. If you want me to do an "interior" list or a "waxing" list, let me know. Be advised, this will be a read:

Sounds good, but it would be too much hard work for you to do interior and waxing write up.

Great read thanks,

[bh_ninja]

u said u didnt want too much work... well i recomend eagle 1 nanowax spray... its pretty good and simple to use... :) actually all of the products are pretty good.. nano protectant i use also..