I wash my car once a week with Meguiars Ultimate wash/wax, then follow up with Meguiars Ultimate Quick Wax. I then spray the tires with Meguiars hot shine detail tire spray. And once every few months i apply some zaino z5 or z2 paint sealant. After that I armor all all the interior pannels, dash etc. I vacuum out the car before all of this. Anyone else as have a similar routine? what products do you use. I pride myself with taking good care of my car. And for the most part it usually looks very good. Its in great shape for having 100K+ miles and being 7 years old. The neighbors think im crazy....they have no idea lol.
what is your cleaning/detailing routine?
- Thread starter gregk24
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I was with you until you mentioned the Liquid [censored] in a Bottle, errr I mean Armor All. What [censored]! So many things better than that. Go to www.autogeek.net and spend a few bucks. I much prefer Surf City Dash Away which is a cleaner and protectant. Plus some Walmarts carry it.
Surprised your not using Meguiars Natural Shine Protectant for the interior. I'm using that on the engine the engine too.
ONR wash once a week, about every 4-6 weeks a real wash with 1Z Perls.
1Z Cockpit for the interior, once a month
1Z or Griots leather- once a month
Poorboys Trim Restore, once a month?
CG Blacklight coverd by Collinite 915 twice a year, of course witha good clay and poslish if needed.
Wolfgang Tyre, 2 weeks, once a month
Collinte 876 for the rims
Griots Speed Shine to remove dust -
1Z Cockpit for the interior, once a month
1Z or Griots leather- once a month
Poorboys Trim Restore, once a month?
CG Blacklight coverd by Collinite 915 twice a year, of course witha good clay and poslish if needed.
Wolfgang Tyre, 2 weeks, once a month
Collinte 876 for the rims
Griots Speed Shine to remove dust -
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Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Surprised your not using Meguiars Natural Shine Protectant for the interior. I'm using that on the engine the engine too.
I saw that in walmart but it was cheaper than armor all so i didnt think it would be any better. I like armor all, people say it dries out the materials you use it on but i believe that was the old formula.
Surprised your not using Meguiars Natural Shine Protectant for the interior. I'm using that on the engine the engine too.
I saw that in walmart but it was cheaper than armor all so i didnt think it would be any better. I like armor all, people say it dries out the materials you use it on but i believe that was the old formula.
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The latest thunderstorm did a great job yesterday. It actually shined.
All kidding aside, when I hand wash I use Turtle Wax Zip Wash, and it has enough wax in it to make it shine, and does not remove my wax. A couple times a year it gets a good Carnauba Wax. Life's to short to spend endless hours at waxing and stuff. It's makes very little difference at trade in time, as the monkeys at the dealership will just take it to their shop and put shiny goo all over it. It's what most folks want to see when they are buying a car. Don't like slick interior pieces, so they just get wiped down with a damp cloth. I use a sunshade all year round, works better than any preparation I have used to prevent UV damage.
All kidding aside, when I hand wash I use Turtle Wax Zip Wash, and it has enough wax in it to make it shine, and does not remove my wax. A couple times a year it gets a good Carnauba Wax. Life's to short to spend endless hours at waxing and stuff. It's makes very little difference at trade in time, as the monkeys at the dealership will just take it to their shop and put shiny goo all over it. It's what most folks want to see when they are buying a car. Don't like slick interior pieces, so they just get wiped down with a damp cloth. I use a sunshade all year round, works better than any preparation I have used to prevent UV damage.
Wax in spring. Rain in summer, car wash in winter.
I take care of them mechanically and keep them rust free. I do take them through a wash sometimes and vac otherwise i could care less.
I wash it once a year. Usually in spring after the salt season
But I do spend about 2-3 hours cleaning off the layer of dirt and grime.
Other times I spot wash wherever bird poop lands.
Other times I spot wash wherever bird poop lands.
I bought Kitacam with an 8-year assortment of minor swirls, scratches and chips...so I'm not OCD about detailing...sooooo.....
2x/3x a week I pull a nice soft towel over the morning dew...that keeps dirt and soot from burning cane fields from collecting...
Easy-on easy-off FW1 spray wax is still beading that dew after 3 months...
I use that wax/polish on the headlights 2x/month to keep the plastic clear....
1x/month or so I vacuum the carpet...and wipe down the inside of the windows...
2x/3x a week I pull a nice soft towel over the morning dew...that keeps dirt and soot from burning cane fields from collecting...
Easy-on easy-off FW1 spray wax is still beading that dew after 3 months...
I use that wax/polish on the headlights 2x/month to keep the plastic clear....
1x/month or so I vacuum the carpet...and wipe down the inside of the windows...
For my z, wash with meguiars gold class soap. Wash wheels with black magic no scrub. Rinse and wipe dry with the absorber. Mothers showtime for water spots. Compound if needed. Meguiars Polish. Mothers wax. Invisible glass all windows. Black magic tire wet tires. Wipe all interior with mothers vlr.
This is about 3 times a year. Through out the year ill just mothers showtime, invisible glass the windows and mothers vlr the interior.
This is about 3 times a year. Through out the year ill just mothers showtime, invisible glass the windows and mothers vlr the interior.
In my 30's I washed both cars once a week every Saturday am. In my 40's that slowed down to my car every week and wifely's maybe once a month. In my 50's now I wash my 2 cars (LS430 and a Miata) once a month and wifey's car every other month. We live in sunbelt and don;t drive the cars to work so they stay pretty clean. But I'm guessing when I get in my 60's regular car cleaning will slow down even further.
btw - I don't use buckets anymore instead I use a butcher's foam gun (filled with diluted Turtle zip wax) and a clean microfiber towel to wash the cars. I buy the towels in bulk at Costco and only use them once to clean cars then they get relegated to rag duty. Too easy to scratch a finish with a microfiber that has imbedded dirt in it. I use Meguires carnuba wax about once a year.
btw - I don't use buckets anymore instead I use a butcher's foam gun (filled with diluted Turtle zip wax) and a clean microfiber towel to wash the cars. I buy the towels in bulk at Costco and only use them once to clean cars then they get relegated to rag duty. Too easy to scratch a finish with a microfiber that has imbedded dirt in it. I use Meguires carnuba wax about once a year.
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We are only allowed to wash our cars once a month here, and for four months during the winter, there is no point anyway, so no OCD problems here.
First wash in spring do the engine bay. spray Simple Green heavy duty (which is purple) drive down to do it yourself carwash and get engine bay clean. Clay bar only for the first wash in spring. Use a Gilmour foamer and a two bucket wash. Go over it twice to make sure its really clean. Damp dry with waffle weave towel. Put on sealant. Went from Jetseal 109 to Collinite 476 mostly because of price. Use a high powered DA polisher. It actually works quicker with the paste wax as opposed to liquid. Maybe I slap some carnauba wax on there--its easy enough with the DA polisher, but it seems to attract dust. Use Chemical Guys Black on Black on plastic trim (its an XL) while the sealant or wax dries.
Use detail spray and many el cheapo microfiber towels to keep the appearance up after the heavy duty wash. Wash lightly a month later, Use spray wax, Duragloss Aquawax, to bring up sheen.A month later I do a light wash and just put some spray wax on.
Do a heavy wash and wax/sealant (but skip clay bar) about every 3 or four months during the good weather.
Go to town with double sealant application in Mid-November.
Forget about cleaning car during winter. Spray undercarriage with Salt-Away when it seems like there has been a big salt application on the road.
Use 303 products for cloth interior and plastic maybe three times a year.
Sounds like a lot, but its really not, especially with the DA polisher.
P.S. I'm not saying this is optimum. For example I'm not sure the Simple Green thing is all that great. I have no idea if the Salt Away really helps. Maybe its not such a good idea to wipe down the dusty (but waxed) surface with detail spray and microfiber towels. I think its reasonable, effective, and not terribly time consuming.
First wash in spring do the engine bay. spray Simple Green heavy duty (which is purple) drive down to do it yourself carwash and get engine bay clean. Clay bar only for the first wash in spring. Use a Gilmour foamer and a two bucket wash. Go over it twice to make sure its really clean. Damp dry with waffle weave towel. Put on sealant. Went from Jetseal 109 to Collinite 476 mostly because of price. Use a high powered DA polisher. It actually works quicker with the paste wax as opposed to liquid. Maybe I slap some carnauba wax on there--its easy enough with the DA polisher, but it seems to attract dust. Use Chemical Guys Black on Black on plastic trim (its an XL) while the sealant or wax dries.
Use detail spray and many el cheapo microfiber towels to keep the appearance up after the heavy duty wash. Wash lightly a month later, Use spray wax, Duragloss Aquawax, to bring up sheen.A month later I do a light wash and just put some spray wax on.
Do a heavy wash and wax/sealant (but skip clay bar) about every 3 or four months during the good weather.
Go to town with double sealant application in Mid-November.
Forget about cleaning car during winter. Spray undercarriage with Salt-Away when it seems like there has been a big salt application on the road.
Use 303 products for cloth interior and plastic maybe three times a year.
Sounds like a lot, but its really not, especially with the DA polisher.
P.S. I'm not saying this is optimum. For example I'm not sure the Simple Green thing is all that great. I have no idea if the Salt Away really helps. Maybe its not such a good idea to wipe down the dusty (but waxed) surface with detail spray and microfiber towels. I think its reasonable, effective, and not terribly time consuming.
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Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
We are only allowed to wash our cars once a month here, and for four months during the winter, there is no point anyway, so no OCD problems here.
How do they enforce such a thing? I would think that would be very difficult to enforce with respect to washing in one's driveway unless one had serious busybodies as neighbours, and even more difficult to enforce with a self-serve car wash.
We are only allowed to wash our cars once a month here, and for four months during the winter, there is no point anyway, so no OCD problems here.
How do they enforce such a thing? I would think that would be very difficult to enforce with respect to washing in one's driveway unless one had serious busybodies as neighbours, and even more difficult to enforce with a self-serve car wash.
I wash once a week or so lately, which is less than I used to.
It's simple.
Exterior:
Krown car wash with a soft wash mitt
Use a separate wash mitt for rims/tires
Use an Absorber to dry the car, with Eagle-One Wax-As-U-Dry.
Sometimes I clean the jambs, sometimes they don't need it.
Done.
Once a year claybar, and once or twice a year NuFinish.
Interior:
Vacuum about once a month, use a California dash duster about once a week, soapy water and rag to wipe down dirty surfaces like plastic trim around door openings.
No shiny garbage like tire dress or anything that ruins the interior trim. Just clean. If anyone used Armor All on my interior I would snap.
My car almost always looks clean, except maybe a day after rain, or a day before rain (I wont wash my car if its supposed to rain the next day)
It's simple.
Exterior:
Krown car wash with a soft wash mitt
Use a separate wash mitt for rims/tires
Use an Absorber to dry the car, with Eagle-One Wax-As-U-Dry.
Sometimes I clean the jambs, sometimes they don't need it.
Done.
Once a year claybar, and once or twice a year NuFinish.
Interior:
Vacuum about once a month, use a California dash duster about once a week, soapy water and rag to wipe down dirty surfaces like plastic trim around door openings.
No shiny garbage like tire dress or anything that ruins the interior trim. Just clean. If anyone used Armor All on my interior I would snap.
My car almost always looks clean, except maybe a day after rain, or a day before rain (I wont wash my car if its supposed to rain the next day)
I wash as needed, usually every two weeks. I use Mother's California Gold Carnauba Wash and Wax. Most importantly I use the two bucket method with a grit guard in each. That's the absolute best way to ensure a swirl-free car. Dry partially with leaf blower, remainder with an Absorber chamois, use second dedicated Absorber for jambs.
I use P21S 100% Carnauba wax twice a year (spring and fall).
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner and varying tire shine as needed.
I use P21S 100% Carnauba wax twice a year (spring and fall).
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner and varying tire shine as needed.
Spring / Fall Detail
-Meg's Sratch X or Ultimate Compound to touch up problem areas
-AutoGlym Super Resin Polish (SRP)
-AutoGlym Extra Gloss Protection (EGP)
Interior and Glass with my Spring/Fall Detail and as required
-AutoGlym Vinyl & Rubber Care
-Auto Glass Cleaner
Weekly /Bi Weekly (April - Nov)
- Wash with AutoGlym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner
- Meg's Ultimate Quick Wax / Detailer (as required)
- Meg's All Wheel & Tire(as required)
- Meg's Tire Dressing (as required)
Winter - car wash bays
-Meg's Sratch X or Ultimate Compound to touch up problem areas
-AutoGlym Super Resin Polish (SRP)
-AutoGlym Extra Gloss Protection (EGP)
Interior and Glass with my Spring/Fall Detail and as required
-AutoGlym Vinyl & Rubber Care
-Auto Glass Cleaner
Weekly /Bi Weekly (April - Nov)
- Wash with AutoGlym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner
- Meg's Ultimate Quick Wax / Detailer (as required)
- Meg's All Wheel & Tire(as required)
- Meg's Tire Dressing (as required)
Winter - car wash bays
I wash weekly and wax monthly, love detailing my cars and keeping them looking their best
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Hey Malo83....how do you compare the Lucas Slick Mist vs the Meg's UQW?
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