There are a couple of situations when one might have a wet car, either because it has been rained on or when it has just been washed. I find drying properly to be extremely important, especially on a black car where any dried droplets completely ruin the finish.

I've not been into chamois in some time because I found that they reduce the size of water droplets without truly drying. I've been using a large, soft towel which works OK but I have concerns about it doing harm to the paintwork.

Is there any commentary about the best way to dry a wet car?

The method also calls for letting leather sit in sun with the heater on, then when warm using a natural horsehair pair, like something to polish fine leather shoes to work the product into the surface, continuing to wipe with clean water. Once clean apply step 2 and allow 6 hours to cure before adding to dry spots.

Leatherique kit with rejuv oils

meguiars all-purpose cleaer (sold in gallon form for professionals only)

Both methods using natural brushes and constant clean water rinse

Ferrari 360

Finally I got started on the carpets. I have never seen a 50/50 of shampooed carpet next to dirty carpet so I got out the tape and went to work.

The carpets are as bad as the paint and leather and engine and trunk and trim.

I used Meguiar's APC 4:1, a brush, elbow grease, clean water, a towel, and a wet-dry vac.

First I wet the carpet with a couple mists of water then saturated it with APC. A Meguiar's Carpet Brush and a lot of scrubbing produced a thick, gray, dirty foam. This was extracted with a shop vac. Then I sprayed more water on to the area, scrubbed again to remove any remaining solution, then vacc'ed until nearly dry.

Only the right side of the floor has been done.

I have a different package than this:

Redid the headlights with 220, 400, 800, 1000, rubbing compound, polishing compound, plastic polish, plast-x (same shit i noticed), scratchX, and three coats of wax.

After dawn, claybar, wash and wax:

Claybar changed the color actually

More pictures:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2650077/1

Why my hood is dulled out i have no idea. Maybe the heat from the engine but not likely...

oh yea...I have the TAN interior

Thank

I am assuming a special product or technique is required for such areas which tend to go chalky; any recommendations would be appreciated.

But none seem to specify if they are 'silocone' based or whatever. I would prefer longer lasting and better results than the cheapo aerosols I have been using (though they do do the job), but don't want to spend top dollar only to end up with the wrong product.

So I was thinking of having both cars professionlly detailed at the same time. Some places offer a discount for two cars.

I just wanted to know should I go for the maximum treatments or are they just rip offs. If I can do bits myself that aren't too time-consuming, then I don't mind doing them. But if these valeting companies have heavy duty equipment and products that will do a first rate job, I don't mind just leaving it all to them.

I want my cars restored to their former glory.

What treatments should I be asking for to get the job done ?

"The other option in cleaning carpet and fabric is to use cleaning foam. These products are effective and will leave your carpet clean, but unfortunately are not quite as powerful as a good shampoo. Two positives is that they are easier to use and quicker. It is a simple process."

My question is: Meguiars make no such product, so what foam is recommended? It seems the only convenient way to truly clean the carpets and eliminate all odors. Any other discussion on this topic is welcomed.

Here's the first interesting thing. I recently discovered that using Meguiars step 1 paint cleaner over damaged red paint seems to be a miracle cure. The paint buffs off to a factory-like perfection on top of which one can apply the usual polish/wax.

HOWEVER, yesterday I realised that a friend's car which I am supposed to be detailing has actually gone back to its former paint condition in just a few days.

So now I'm completely lost as to why the paint reacts as it does, whether the fading colour is merely oxidisation on the paint or something fundamental, why restored paint would then fade again within a few days, and what can be done about it if anything! It's a long shot but if anyone has any ideas I will be interested. I think claybar, cut & polish might be my best bet now...

So is alot.

Albert Einstein

*Please note, clay barring strips off wax, polish, whatever, you must reapply when done, factor this into how much time you have.*

Ok. Its time to start with some more guides. This will cover "clay barring" not known by many, but to those who use it nothing is better.

First I shall explain what clay barring is. Basically no matter how much you wash your car or wax it there is hardened dirt that cannot be removed, infact if you try to buff it with a buffer it can break free and then that same dirt can cause swirls. Clay barring is an extremely simple, yet brilliant concept. Basically you take a special cleaning lube (like meguiars quik detailer) spray it into the surface, and with moderate pressure glide the clay across the surface. What happens is the clay in gliding on a layer of lube 1/ 1millionth of a mm thick, but there is dirt, road tar, etc that is thicker. When the clay glides across the thick clay breaks it off, and then traps it into the clay. Now because the clay is much softer then paint it "absorbs" the dirt so you don't cause swirls or damage.

Now, this is the VERY FIRST step in both restoring paint and a true detailing. With my jeep which is kept outdoors and driven daily I perform this 4 times a year, however it would be best to do it in the spring and the fall at the least.

First you must wash and dry the car, no big deal there. Next in a SHADY, COOL!!!! PLACE you can begin. I cannot stress this enough, it must under all conditions be shady and cool, if not the lube cleaner will dry and the clay will ground into the surface.

Now when I say lube cleaner I'm referring to meguiers quik detailer. It is actually a ph balanced mild cleaner designed for waxed cars with small amounts of dirt (for example if it rained on your pride and joy after you waxed it) you can spray it on and wipe with a terry cloth to clean, or use with the clay.

Many companies make the "kits" but I prefer meguiers. Now the first thing you must know is that it comes in 3 forms, the first is the "aggressive" clay, this is a harder, thicker clay, it should ONLY, let me repeat that ONLY be used the very first time your doing this, or say you bough a car not that well maintained. It can be bought here

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-auto-detailin...Clay-Aggressive

Now, let me make it clear, the above listed product should only be used ONCE, or once a year if you wash the car only a few times a year.

THIS!!!! IS THE PRIMARY PRODUCT!!!

http://www.meguiars.com/?auto-detailing-cl...etailing-System

This is the quikclay detailing system, it includes the clay and the formula. Now this is probably the best deal in auto detailing. The clay itself never wears out, simple knead every few body panels and store in a zip lock, air tight bag. GENERALLY speaking, 90% of the cars on the road can use this as a starter, let me say that again, 90%, so basically everyone who has washed there car at some point or another should just skip ahead and buy this.

Ok, now for the usage and supplies.

Get a car

Get the kit

Wash and dry the car

*Now rub the back of your pointer finger down a body panel and feel the roughness*

a large terry cloth towel (or clean luxury bath towel, same thing)

a smaller terry cloth towel or absorbent microfiber towel

The box has directions but this is the low down. knead the clay up into a ball, and then work back into roughly a 2x4 slap, or whatever works best in your hand. Now, going a single body panel at a time (or half the hood/half the roof) spray the panel with the quik detailer, and I mean spray. roughly a full pull at 10" spaced every 8-14" you have to "feel" what the right amount is for your car.

Now when this is done begin running the clay up and down or side to side. I like up and down myself. Now when you put the clay on the car do not press straight down, always press (with moderate force pushing down mind you) at an angle to make it glide. It you’re doing it right it should glide freely, but in your hand it will feel rough. If the clay stops or smears, your using WAY to little solution.

Your done when the clay glides so freely that you feel NO resistance in the clay. Imagine rubbing wet ice on wet ice, this is what it will feel like. Don't be alarmed if you need to do this a few times. If you've gone over the same spot more then 4-5 times and feel resistance, wipe briefly clean with the large towel (do not buff) then respray and keep at it. Now when it does glide freely take the large towel and wipe it down getting most of the liquid, then take the smaller terry cloth or absorbent microfiber towel and wipe the rest clean and buff it to make sure none remains. Be careful and look carefully from all angles, it’s a sneaky bastard.

Now simply repeat this process for the whole car, you can even do windshields, windows, sunroofs whatever. When your done find that same spot you rubbed with the back of your finger and do the same again, you will notice that the paint feels smoother then it EVER did, even from the factory.

Now the quik detailer has both put in some natural oils to the paint to deepen its shine, but the clay barring has stripped off ALL wax.

What this means is that you MUST rewax the car once done. I know this can take up a good amount of time between the wash, clay barring, and waxing, but it’s worth it.

Now you have 2 options. You can either just wax the car, or you can do a full restore, it’s a good idea to do this at least once a year anyway.

You have 2 options. both involve cleaning the paint, yes, we just cleaned the paint, but this are products designed to replace natural oils and bring it back to its original color.

First option - Zymol paint cleanser. It works well for non-metallic paints in near perfect condition, if you have a newer car or are ocd about washing and care then you can use this.

Second option - applies to older cars with some water spots and neglected finishes.

This is what it is

http://www.meguiars.com/?auto-paint-cleane...m-Paint-Cleaner

Now for a side note relevant when this is all done.

Think of your paint as an open grass field, this is the smooth ideal paint finish how it came out of the paint booth. Now when it’s preclay imagine that same field with lumps and bushes. If you were to flood the level field it would take very little water, but with bushes etc it would take a lot more to cover everything up. This is what happens with the paint, when its dirty there are actually ridges and valleys which must be filled with wax, and create resistance when buffing. This means you use more, and have to remove more, and work harder doing it. The clay barring will make the entire process INSANELY easier to apply and remove any polish or wax, do not be surprised if you start using less.

Now back to the paint cleaning. The above mentioned paint cleaning product, using any app pad (also sold on meguiers website) apply as you would wax. a small amount of 1oz or so on the middle of the pad, applying in a circular motion working outward, a single body panel at a time.

No I myself like to apply this to the whole car and then let it sit for 30 mins or so. The most recently applied gets 30 mins, where I started could have up to an hour. The reason I do this is to make sure the paint absorbs as much or the natural oils as possible and the cleaning agents work there magic.

AGAIN, THIS MUST BE DONE IN THE SHADE, SUNLIGHT WILL BAKE IT ON!!!!

you know what, just do all this indoors if you can.

Now, take another larger towel or terry cloth, and buff lightly as you would any wax. you will notice a difference in the ease, once you have done the first sweep on the panel flip the towel, and do it again, then mix it around to a semi clean area (or a finishing towel as I use) and do the final buffing, again, observe at many angles with a single light source, its a sneaky little bastard and if you miss it, it will just laugh in your face on a hot sunny day.

Once your all done with that you can either wax, or to take it up another notch, you can polish it. See step 6

why why why

"The Pinnacle Car wash at Britain's Miracle Detail uses purified water, Australian towels, $130 buckets and Brazilian wax that costs $13,000 a tube. The entire 61-step, two week cleansing process costs $8,800."

If only Brittish people would spend as much time cleansing their teeth....

I went to the store to get some and they were out of my usual "hot rims" cleaner, so I picked some multi-piece foam up, upon first use I was very impressed with the cleaning power and went on to finish washing the car, after about 30 mins there was a fine film on the rims I had to wipe off, and then wash to get off to my specs, and worst of all. I used this stuff to scrub my tires as I always do, well it turned the tires orangish yellow. Like a cheap foam tire shine, almost seemed like the tires turned to metal and rusted, most of it I could wipe off with a damp towel and tire shine covered it up, however this was very disturbing to me.

Do not use this stuff, it has defects in it, stick with the tried and true hot rims wheel cleaner

Spin gold style for jeep for rough and tought dirt

microfiber for the M

and plush superterry for the millenia

So is alot.

Albert Einstein

Part 2 – Proper Rim cleaning and tire shine application

What you will need.

1 RAG terry cloth

1 RAG bathroom towel

Bucket

Car wash soap

Sponge

Meguiers hot rims wheel cleaner

Meguiers tire shine

Bristled brush (neglected rims ONLY)

First off, this should probably be step 2 as you must clean your rims BEFORE washing the car, and apply tire shine AFTER the car is washed and dried.

PLEASE NOTE this guide does not apply to chrome rims, nor do any of the products described as above, I take no responsibility for your failure to listen and comprehend a simply warning

To begin pour some soap into your bucket and fill with water like any joe would, dump in sponge and let sit. Now with the car in the same spot you plan on washing it in, use the nozzle from step 1 and adjust to a “mist setting” this is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Unless your car has basically been sitting out all night the rotors will be bitch ass hot, and at most, warm from the sun, applying a large amount of cool water to them can cause them to wrap, in which case you WILL need new rotors. After this is done and the rotors are cool to the touch move to “jet” and began to rinse down wheels/calipers etc. After this is completed spray on the rim cleaner, make sure to cover the entire rim with a decent coating, including the polished lip. Also make sure to spray down the tire with the cleaner as well as a little inside the wheel well. I recommend doing only 1 side of the car at time

If, and only if you have neglected rims (i.e. they brown or black and you can’t remember there actually color) get the bristled brush and without removing the wheel cleaning scrub down the rims.

For everyone that cares about their car, simply rinse down everything covered with the “flat” setting” some will remain on the rims, this is fine. Now take the sponge out of the car wash solution and begin to wash your rims, make sure you get every inch and clean it well. Now take your rag terry cloth and soak in the water. This is part that makes the difference, on all wheels there is a small lip that goes around where the tire wall meets the rims, this is where the little weights are attached in order to properly balance the rim. With the terry cloth, jam your finger in the outer lip and wipe it down, about half way around you will need to turn the cloth over.

On the inside lip, do the same, jam your fingers in there, and go about a quarter of the way around then flip the cloth, this will make an extreme difference in the overall appearance of your rims and make them look brand new. All to often when you look at a car you can see a fresh tire, and a clean rim, but there always seems to be a shadow effect when moving in-between, this will give clearly defined lines and add to the overall appearance of the wheel you have chosen. After you have completed the lip cleaning make 1 quick pass around each 1 just for good luck, then take the cloth and make sure you get around the lug nuts, the valve steam, and of course, the brake caliper itself (for open wheels) Once this is done rinse down the entire wheel, now go back to the sponge and proceed to scrub the tires. This is key to the perfect tire shining, without this you will be applying tire shine to a dirty tire and the dirt will just fall off. You wouldn’t wax a dirty car would you?

Now that you have done all this, wet down the rims for some standing water and rinse as much of the rinse cleaner on the pavement into the grass, curb wherever or else you’ll be sorry, and now you may begin washing the car…*see guide #1*…now that the car is washed and dried its time to put the finishing touches on, take your bathroom rag towel and dry the rims, once these are dry provide to dry the tires, make sure to dry the tires with a good bit of pressure as well making sure to get any water that pools around the lug nut holes, n the lips or around the valve steam.

The best part, tire shine, once the tire is dry break out the meguiers tire shine, I use only the aerosol, although some prefer the gel it requires a tire brush to make it look perfect and is extremely hard to layer. I also recommend ONLY meguiers for tire shine as it is so far the only product I have found to be truly silicone based, what this means is that it simply won’t dissolve when a drop of water hits it, and should you go extended period, it will never cause a tire to become brown.

This is where art and skill come into play, most people will tell you do 2 circle passes and your good, yeah maybe for a Honda, but your not Honda people, so why would you do everything half ass. When applying tire shine set the nozzle to which ever tire profile you have i.e “M” for 225/45/17, then in a clockwise motion make 2 passes at about 6 inches, then make 2 more passes counterclockwise at 2-3 inches, once that is completed make a staggered run (up and down in about 10” intervals) after this is complete make a single pass going along the thread pattern, this way you will have a perfect line of where the shine meets the pavement and won’t be some idiot running around with interrupted shine.

The reason you do this is to layer and push in the product, what’s going to happen when you start driving is that the wheel will always be trying to throw the substance off, this is why you see idiots running around with tires where they just applied shine, yet its flat black. By using this shining method you have not only have a very very deep black, but when the sun hits the tires just right the little indentions where logos etc are will actually appear to light up as well as allowing it all to last longer.

Once finished you need to let the car sit for around 15-20 mins just to let everything set in place. For anyone with cross-drilled and or slotted rotors, when you start to drive the rust on the rotors (which is normal and should be there) will just pushed into the holes and or slots and thrown onto the rims, so basically you will have little golden spots on the rims, this is normal and are stupid easy to remove, simply get a towel or buffing cloth and wipe rims down after only 1-2 full stops (like pulling into a garage)

Now pat yourself on the back, your rims will be shining like those on a BHR car

*bonus – for anyone who has open rims, as well as powder coating or painted calipers, apply the tire shine to the caliper, make sure to not get any on the rotors of course, however by adding this you will bring 10x more depth to the color to make it look as if it were painted with several coats like actually paint, this will also protect against the paint chipping off since the silicone shine won’t be affected by the water based solutions. By doing this your calipers will look much brighter and bring out whatever color you have chosen, as well as being semi-reflective allowing more people to see them from a greater distance.

So is alot.

Albert Einstein

*in assistance with styleteg*

In edition to whats listed below, a product known as "tuff stuff" does wonders for light stains all over the car, just do not get any on glass.

by Ross Johnson (StyleTEG)

The basic areas of cleaning your car's interior are broken down to carpet, fabric, vinyl, and console. During the winter seasons, sometimes the only thing we car enthusiasts can detail is the interior due to the bad weather. Even in the summertime, an interior that looks like it came right off of the showroom floor will make everyone love your car.

The first step is basic cleaning. This means getting as much dirt and dust out of your car as possible. The best way to do this is using some diluted Simple Green and a soft bristle brush. I find that old toothbrushes are great for this. To get light dust off of the dash and other areas, I only use water. Most of the time, dust is most prominent on the dash and in the vents. A quick wipe-down of the dash with a wet cloth will clean up most of the dust. Using a damp toothbrush works well with hard-to-reach areas like the vents. The pedals of your car can also be quite grimy. These often require heavier cleaning and are the only part where I spray cleaner directly on the surface and not on a towel. A thicker brush will loosen up the mud stuck in between the pedal crevices.

Most cars have quite a bit of carpet in them. While the floor mats are designed to keep the factory carpeting as clean as possible, very often spills, dirt, and grime will find their way past them. Luckily, it is fixable! The most effective way to clean any carpet is steam cleaning. Unfortunately, most of us don't have access to a steam cleaner, nor want to deal with the hassle of renting one. Luckily, there is a good way to get most stains out!

Shampooing the carpets will get almost all stains out and leave your once-worn carpets looking great again. Do a heavy vacuuming before shampooing to get as much loose dirt out of the car as possible. Before shampooing your carpet and fabric, it is best to attack the heavy stains individually. For this, use a good spot remover like Eagle One Zap Spot Remover - this will help break up the stains and allow them to be vacuumed up in the final steps. Next, get a carpet shampoo and mix the correct amount with water as marked on the bottle. This will create a sudsy solution not unlike car wash shampoo. Using an upholstery scrub brush, work the shampoo into the carpet and fabric, using the brush to agitate the dirt and raise it to the surface. For best effectiveness, try and use the suds only, and apply as little water as possible. Wipe off excess suds with a terry-cloth cotton towel.

Once you have gone over the whole interior, get a bucket of warm water and dampen a terry-cloth towel with it. You don't want the towel soaked, just damp. Use the towel to wipe down the whole interior, and remove the dirt and extra shampoo.

Using a wet-dry vacuum (most coin-operated washes have these), vacuum down any areas that were shampooed to suck up as much water as possible. Finally, do a final drying stage using a hair dryer. Be careful not to hold the dryer to close to any fabric as it may cause burn marks.

The other option in cleaning carpet and fabric is to use cleaning foam. These products are effective and will leave your carpet clean, but unfortunately are not quite as powerful as a good shampoo. Two positives is that they are easier to use and quicker. It is a simple process. First, spray the cleaner onto the fabric. It will start to foam. Once you have enough on the area, use a brush to work the foam into the carpet. Allow adequate time for the foam to dry. While it is drying, it will loosen the dirt embedded into the fabric, and raise it to the surface. Once the fabric is completely dry, use a vacuum to suck up all dirt that has been broken loose.

If you want to go the extra mile, then you can protect your fabric and carpet as well. 303 brand or 3M Scotchgard are quality, fabric protection products. After all, the best way to be stain-free is to prevent them all together. These products help water bead on top of the fabric, much like wax does to paint. This prevents the water and dirt from soaking into the fabric, and will keep stains and dampness to a minimum. To apply, make sure the fabric is completely dry and free of dirt. Spray the area lightly with the product. The idea is to get the fabric damp, but not wet. Two light coats is much better than one medium coat. Not only will this keep your interior looking great longer, but it will prevent the fabric from fading and keep it looking factory fresh.

Leather is a very luxurious material that provides extra comfort due to its soft nature. With the comfort and class that leather provides, it also provides slightly more work to keep good care of. Leather is a very porous material - after all, at one point it was on a cow, and much like our own skin the pores were used to sweat out water. Now the leather works the other way as well - it will absorb dirt and perspiration into its pores, which will eventually cause it to harden, and shrink.

The two-step leather-cleaning process starts with mild cleaner. You want to only use leather-specific cleaning agents on leather. Any harsh soap may damage the fragile leather. Spray the cleaning agent onto a clean towel, and work it into the leather.

It should create a slightly sudsy solution. On really dirty applications, and to get into cracks, use a soft bristle toothbrush.

Once the leather has been cleaned and rid of dirt, it needs to be conditioned. Leather conditioner should leave the material very soft, and replenish its natural oils. Many leather conditioners have a nice scent as well. When it doubt, it is always better to make two light passes with cleaner and conditioner than on heavy pass. I have found that Lexol leather products are the safest and most effective products available.

After all the fabric and carpet has been cleaned, vinyl is the biggest area to tackle. The vinyl in your car is important to take care of, and most modern cars have lots of it used in the interior. The area that needs the most protection and care is the dashboard. The dash gets exposed to lots of UV light, which can quickly cause damage and fading. Cleaning it and keeping it protected should be done twice a month. To clean it, use a mild soapy water solution. I use warm water, and let a bar of Ivory soap sit in it for a few minutes. Dampen a towel with the solution, and wipe down all areas of the dash. Follow up with a dry towel. Any areas that have stains or are particularly soiled, use leather cleaner to remove.

Once the dash is clean and dry, its time to use protection. What to use comes down to personal preference. What you should stay away from are any products that use silicone oils and/or petroleum distillates. These chemicals, often found in cheaper vinyl dressings like Armorall, will cause your dash to dry out and crack. While most products don't list every chemical used, the best way to avoid these harmful chemicals is to only get high quality vinyl products. The products I like, and that are the safest, are Lexol Vinylex, Aerospace 303, or Eagle One Protectant Lotion.

What product you use depends on how you like your dash to look. Vinylex has a very high-gloss shine - if you like a deep, shiny dash than there is no better product to use than Vinylex. If you prefer a rich matte feel, Aerospace 303 is your choice. It gives the vinyl factory richness, without the blinding shine that other products can produce. Eagle One Protectant Lotion is somewhere in the middle - not too glossy, but still with some shine. It is also very easy to apply without accidentally splattering it all over, due to it being a lotion and not a spray. Finally, some people prefer to use a leather conditioner. While this doesn't provide as much protection, it does leave the dash looking and smelling nice. A good combination is Aerospace 303 with Lexol leather conditioner on top.

To apply your vinyl dressing, apply a small amount to a towel or rag. The key to a good-looking dash is to apply the product evenly. You don't want some areas soaked in it, and others just barely touched. Make several light passes over the entire dash, and do one area at a time until it reaches your desired saturation level. Once you have gone over the whole dash, let it dry for an adequate amount of time. Then, follow up with a terry-cloth cotton towel, and give the whole dash a light buffing. This will remove any excess and leave you with an even finish.

Once finished with the dash, continue on to all the other vinyl areas. Most cars have a lot including the headliner, shifter boots, door panels, sun visors, and door posts. Doing an even job on all the vinyl in the car looks absolutely stunning.

Next, it is time to treat the plastic areas. This includes the center console, the clear plastic bezel over the gauges, and the vent surrounds. Your best bet in keeping plastic clean and in good condition is to use a good plastic polish/cleaner. 3M makes a great polish and cleaner product, as does Plexus. Apply the product just like you would car polish - put a small amount on a towel or cotton swab and work it lightly into the plastic until it buffs out. Wipe off any excess with a terry-cloth cotton towel.

For areas like the gauge bezel, you want to only use a good plastic polish. The use of other cleaners or solvents may scratch the plastic, leaving a cloudy haze and making it hard to read the gauges. When polishing this area, work only in a diagonal up and down motion - no circles! A scratch is most visible at a 90-degree angle - if you polish in a diagonal fashion, any scratches will be barely visible when driving.

The polish will leave all of the plastic looking rich and shiny again. Plastic polish can also be used to remove scuff marks on plastic or vinyl surfaces. Common places where this works well include the plastic shield over the steering wheel, the front kick panels, and the door sill covers. The plastic polish should remove some of the scuffing and reduce the visibility of it. While some scuffing is too extreme to remove entirely, it can certainly be helped.

Finally, all glass should be clean and free of oils. A great technique used by detailers for years is newsprint - that's right, your normal, everyday black-and-white newspaper! The ink in newspaper, when used with a light lubricant, acts as a fine glass polish. This polish lightly removes weather damage and embedded dirt, which then clings to the paper itself providing even greater cleaning action. Using a light glass cleaner such as diluted Windex and newspaper does wonders. Make sure, however, that you never use this technique on the inside of a rear window. This is due to the thin wires of the defroster, and any abrasives from the ink could damage them.

Now the inside of your car should be looking great. The vinyl should be clean and protected. The plastic should have depth to its original color, and the carpets should be spotless. The only thing now is to wait for the next person who gets in your car to ask, "Wait, how old is this car?"

So is alot.

Albert Einstein

Part 3: Engine bay cleaning.

This is the shortest and simplest of all guides, it will contain the proper way to clean the engine bay of a millenia S, and a safe way for all others, in addition I will explain how to clean neglected engine bays on older cars.

I take NO responsibility for any damage caused by using this guide, when all steps are followed properly and warnings are adhered to this is exactly what the professionals do, however, there is little room for error, should you chose for example to do this without the engine bay cool you can crack the block and will require a new engine, do this at your own risk and make sure to follow all steps to the letter. Please note that I have posted 2 methods, under the first there is little to no danger and worst case is that you pull something out and can easily plug it back in, under the 2nd it is much faster, but remember, do it at your own risk

What you will need

Turtle wax car wash wipes

Terry cloth app pad

Mothers "back to black"

Bathroom towel rag.

Meguiers tire shine/tire shine gel

“tuff stuff”cleaner…or any strong household cleaner

“gunk” engine cleaner *optional, see last steps

I recommend doing this after the car has been running and then cooled for a few hours, ideally you want everything to be luke warm. The first step is to simply brush off the super lose dirt with the towel, remember to remove the engine cover until the end, as well as any grease or oil you spot. From there (and yes by hand) take the car wash wipe and proceed to wipe down the entire engine bay, every cable, cord, fuse box, cover vin plate, head light cover, part of the grill which stays inside, even on the sides where water runs off, everything. This is extremely annoying, and takes probably 20 mins, but due to all teh electrical connections and unknown computers in a modern engine bay it truly is the safest. Now on anything such as piping that still isn’t completely clean, apply whatever strong household cleaner you have and clean as directed.

Once this is done find all the metal that you have painted from engine dress kits etc. In a stock millennia S engine bay I recommend the intercooler piping. Take the tire shine and apply a single coat to whatever is painted from you or the factory (no chrome pats such as intakes etc) after this its time to put the final touches on, the back to black. Please note that this is not a wax, and is not only for black, it is a product made for “mothers” that is only meant for plastic such as bumper trim etc. Shake bottle extremely well, get your app pad and apply like there is no tomorrow to the following items, anything plastic. In my engine bays I do the engine cover, airbox, fuse boxes, cables with protective coverings, front plastic that covers headlights etc, basically anything that’s plastic cover. Wait 10 mins or so, then buff those pieces.

That’s basically it for the safe method, even if you don’t care about how clean your engine bay is, the cleaner it is the better everything performs, cleaner engine bays stay cooler in the summer and are easier to heat up in the winter, in effect, all the dirt is like a blanket around everything, causing it to hold heat or not let it in. Should you ever decide to sell your car a clean engine bay is 99.9% of the time a sing that the car was well taken care of.

Method 2.

Lets say you have an older car and don’t have to go anywhere for awhile (I recommend doing this on a weekend morning or at night when you get home)

The best way is to have the engine just running for a little bit to get everything WARM, and when I say warm, I mean like room temp, nothing above, this is extremely important as you can actually crack the block. Take off the engine cover and with your hand feel around as much as you can, make sure its cool, infact, if you don’t know much about cars or don’t know what doing, just do this when cold, the only reason to do it warm is to assist in loosening some of the dirt.

Now with a hose (no nozzle at all) wet down the engine bay, from there spray “gunk” all over, then let sit for 5 mins or so, after this, after with no nozzle on the hose rinse down the engine bay, fairly well at that, but not in the same spot, always keep the hose moving.

After this is done you will need to towel off as much as you can, what I personally do is actually get a leaf blower and use it as the worlds largest hair dryer. But you can just towel dry, from there, proceed with above steps for applying mothers to all plastic pieces and the tire shine to painted, non chrome metal pieces.

VERY IMPORTANT, after you wash the engine bay it is best to leave it open in a sunny area for ATLEAST 5 hours before starting the engine. IF done before you risk water or so pooling around the plugs and causing a misfire. It is best to do this in a driveway when your going to be outside and can just watch it and have it open.

*update* Due to my ownership of multiply cars I would like to add the following, its best to simply disconnect a terminal of the battery and cover completely with electrical tape, this way you can freely wash everything without fear of doing damage. In edition, if you MUST go, let it dry for an hour, then get a leaf blower to air dry, then start the engine and let it idle to get rid of any other water, it may take 1-2 tries to get the engine started, also, please note, ALITTLE smoke is normal, this is simply because you've displaced grease which may be on something much hotter then where it was before, if something is clearly on fire. I would turn the engine off

So is alot.

Albert Einstein

Due to popular request I have started this guide, it will cover the basics, and in time, if anyone really needs it I will expand on it.

Please see other guides for anything other then exterior paint washing

Part 1 The wash

What you will need.

5 gallon bucket

Multi-shot hose nozzle

meguiers liquid crystal/gold class/soft wash gel car wash

wash mitt

sponge

chamois

clean terry cloth

about 95 mins

The most important process in keeping your cars paint healthy is the basic wash. To begin you must note that NO car wash will ever be up to par as a hand wax, they will also inflict damage over time and general actually work dirt into the paint.

step 1, the nozzle. Most people will just use a hose, but to do things properly different settings of spray are needed. you can find a hose nozzle for 5 dollars at home depot or whatever; my personal 1 has the following settings.

jet,mist,shower,center, soaker,cone,flat

now of course the very first thing your going to do is park the car in the proper lighting, this would be the shadows, or anywhere on an overcast day, you always want to do this because the heat generated by the sun will cause water to dry faster and inflict water spots, as well as causing the soap to bake to the car if left unattended. Now once you have found the spot you have to rinse off the car, this is done in 2/3 steps.

step 1 (summer only) whenever starting the car must be cool, and at most, luke warm to the touch, if the paint is hot spraying water will cause it to expand and contract, and over time can lead to paint chipping, what I do is set the nozzle to "mist" I then lay down an extremely fine mist over the entire car, you will be amazed at the amount of light steam coming off and wonder why you ever didn't mist.

step 2 (all season)

this is where you will remove most of the light dirt, what I do is set the nozzle to flat, I do this because it spreads the water out over an entire body panel at a time, now going from top to bottom rinse down entire car very well, the reason you use this setting is because its not as harsh, should you use "jet" you risk grinding dirt in and causing swirls so to speak. once you have done this then move to the jet setting. this will only be done inside the wheel wells and along the plastic bottom areas once this is complete go back to jet and rerinse the entire car on center.

Now you’re ready to wash, but wait, what soap do you choose? there are many brands to choose from, all you need to do is use a NON-wash/wax soap, and something meant for cars. I myself have 2 I use, the first is meguiers gold class liquid crystal wash, it comes in a big tub for like 10 bucks and has lasted even me over a year. this is the soap you want to use if your car is ungaraged or is not washed often. If your use is garage and not subjected to frost, 24/7 dirt, and is washed at least or less every 2 weeks, then I recommend the meguiers "soft wash gel" this is a gel type car wash with a thinner studding compounds in order to not subject cleaner cars to raw chemicals which normally would be absorbed by dirt.

after you have chosen your weapon against the environment pour in 1-2oz of soap per gallon used and fill up a bucket (about 2 gallons for a millenia, 3 for a jeep, 1 for a bike etc) Now you must choose what to wash with first. If your car isn't wash often then get an actually sponge, its harsher to the paint but is needed to get the car to an easy "maintenance clean" level If your car is washed often then you need a wash mitt of some kind. again, these are something like 2 dollars. If you use the sponge you will however need another sponge for the lower areas.For normal maintance I perfer the white cotton spun clothes.

Now, this is the method for washing which you will repeat for each body panel, below I have listed the proper order for washing most cars, and what I follow for the millenia.

First, rerinse the bodypanel on flat, then with standing water, dip the wash mitt in, and begin washing in a circular type motion covering the same area no more then twice, in general, except for the roof and hood you will need 1 dip per body panel (DO NOT) let the water drain off of the sponge or wash mitt, you want to get as much water from the bucket onto the car as possible in order to maintain a surface of water so that a dry sponge does not come into contact with the paint, after you have done this, you may proceed with an optional step, that being misting that body panel to help it sud slightly, but is almost never needed. now before placing mitt back into bucket rinse off on flat to remove any large pieces of debris such as grass blades, leaf chips etc, this will appear very clearly on the mitt.

once this is done move the nozzle to "shower" then in even rows proceed to wash off the panel, then once you have finished the rows just spray it randomly. NOW THE KEY. once you have finished rinsing, make sure you have as much standing water on that panel as possible(this will prevent thin layers of water from drying and forming water spots as you continue with the car.

now simply move on to the other panels, as a general rule, for every 3 panels I finish I spray water again over the entire car to make sure there is plenty of standing water on the car. Below is the order from first to list of the body panels to wash.

the only exception to this is the rear bumper, because of the way the millenia is designed I have noticed that no matter what, water will pool on the bottom below the trunk lid closing, you will actually need to OPEN the trunk, and wash the entire bumper, then on the setting "soaker" you will need to rinse that 1 area, then close trunk and proceed washing the rest of the bumper.

Roof and windows, hood and windshield, trunk lid/spoiler, rear glass, bottom of trunk lid (see step 6a), rear quarter panels, rear doors, front doors, front quarter panels, front bumper.

once you have completed all of this take your sponge and wash the bumper plastic around the car where lots of road grime builds up (Millenia only) as well as the inside of the fenders where its painted (a commonly missed area, when doing this use a junk rag and not the sponge you use for the rest of the car)

Now that you've washed the entire car and made sure to keep lots of water on it its time to dry, this is BY FAR the most important step in maintaining a factory shine as well as healthy paint. Water spots ruin everything, they will discolor paint, not allow it to breath, and when washed can leave "rings" of where they were which then must be buffed out with a rotary buffer.

for drying you will need 2 things, first is a large microfiber cloth, these basically absorb the water better then towel, the 2nd thing needed are 1-2 CLEAN terry cloth towels made for car buffing (meguiers.com sells a set of 5 for like 15 dollars) Please please please use the large microfiber towels designed for drying, they are not all the same and using a different purpose or grade can ruin your paint

now for the drying, set the nozzle to "soaker" then do just that, starting from the top and working your way down (duh) apply the thick gentle stream over every inch of the car, you will notice 2 things happening, first it will remove any trace of soap which may have been spray of pushed into another panel, and it will remove the beads from the paint, this is how old skool car cleanings that got lazy used to do it, you will watch as the water simply sheets off the car. Now in an even, uninterrupted row dry off the car, (like mowing a lawn basically) I will say that this can be a slow process and you want to make sure to apply "soaker" only to the panels your drying at that time. now, once you have completed 1 panel you will notice micro fine beads (if your car is properly waxed they will be bigger), on a black car these will dry into water spots, most can't tell, but a true car lover knows every inch of his paint and it will drive them mad, on say a beige jeep, I never notice, however, once you have dried that panel with MF towel take your clean terry cloth towel and in a circular motion LIGHTLY dry the paint, you will notice the water disappear and actually improve the shine. this will also provide MUCH greater depth to the paint is it is no longer obstructed by mircospots (think of a foggy mirror)

repeat this for the entire car; again, you will need to open the trunk in order to dry the pool of water, which will form. Make sure to dry inside the door handles as water will leak down and cause spots, make sure to run the terry cloth along any tight jabs and body panels breaks to get water trapped in there, remember that for the gas tank water will also pool in there and will need to be dried.

Now your car has been cleaned by BHR standards

should you desire to clean your rims, wax the car, interior, or engine bay, see the other entitled threads