Products
"What is the best wax?" and "What is the best method to apply?" are commonly asked. Here I will discuss what products I like for various jobs.
*Washing - Dawn soap for a complete make over, Meguiars Gold Class for heavy dirt and grime, #00 for maintaining.
*Polishing - I prefer Meguiars #7 for my polish, I use #9 before it to remove any swirls and scratches, it works nicely. 3M also has nice products, so does Zaino. I'm not even going to get into exotics.
*Glass - Costco sells a product called Sprayway glass cleaner, it works very nicely even on those windows with spots that won't go away. It only takes about a year for your glass to look like *** so stay on top of it!
*Interior Dash & Trim - I love Meguiars Vinyl & Rubber protectant, spray it on a terry cloth and wipe it on the surface, it leaves it with a brilliant shine and a nice smell. Always vacuum your interior and avoid air fresheners, they are worthless!
*Carpet - Meguiars Heavy Duty Carpet Cleaner works amazing. I had a paint stain on my seats (I print t-shirts on the side, so I work with a lot of inks) and it came right off my seats and carpet.
*Tires - I like to wash my tires with dawn soap on a terry towel and spray them with Meguiars #40 Vinyl and Rubber cleaner and conditioner. I then follow it up with Meguiars Hot Shine tire spray to give it that wet look.
*Wheel Wells - I like Simple Green on the wheel wells, all though a pressure washer is clearly the best way to go about cleaning them! Avoid using too hard of a blast though. Don't want to rip them apart!
*Wheels - Meguiars has a product called Hot Rims Cool Care, it works very nicely. After I spray this on and wash it off (wait about 30 seconds) I like to take dawn soap and a terry towel and really get in there and clean the rest out by hand. Don't ask me about the best way to maintain polished aluminum or chrome, I have no idea sorry!
*Engine - Meguiars Extra is best for the engine. It is a degreaser and will not corrode your metal (Simple Green has a tendency to do this). Simply spray it on a COOL engine and rinse it off. Repeat as necessary, scrub any tough spots with a tooth brush.
*Exterior Trim - Mothers Back-To-Black has served me well, I like to use it on the weather stripping and what not. It is easier to use than Meguiars Trim Detailer and is much more forgiving if you don't remove it all.
*Head Lights & Tail Lights - Meguiars Plastx is a great plastic cleaner designed specifically for things like this. Very easy to use and really does make the plastic clear (only works on smudges and what not on the outside, obviously).
Products to Avoid
*Harms-It-All aka Armor All, this stuff is just full of silicones waiting to shine for a moment and then crack the hell out of your dash a year from now. If you are using it STOP. Stop using it on everything! You will regret it later.
*I have not had good luck with Eagle 1 products, some people have but I do not recommend them. Do not be fooled by the cool packaging or pictures on the cover, your car will not look like that.
*Zymol - The cleaner wax is junk, I don't know about the rest of the series, never tried it, never will.
*Turtle Wax - Has gone down the drain in the last few years, don't bother with them.
Tools
*I love my Porter Cable, I bought it at
http://www.properautocare.com, it is listed as "The Ultimate Detailing Machine" and it really is just that. It is the best car care investment I've ever made. If you buy one make sure you get at least two yellow pads, an extra white pad or two and one black/grey pad. Don't get the cheaper one, the velcro plate that comes with the more expensive one is unsurpassed and makes using the product a breeze.
*Tooth brush and soft bristle paint brush are very handy for getting in tight places and getting products like Mothers Back-To-Black in tight places (like the honey comb grill or the scoops on our Mustangs).
*Meguiars Yellow Foam Applicators - For the person who has to do things by hand. These are the best pads, to clean them just wash them in the wash and ring them out and let them sit until dry.
*California Wiper Blade - Some people like this (I once heard someone say it is better than sex) well I think differently. I hate it, if you get a spec of dirt in-between the car and the blade kiss your hard work good bye. Trust me, I own one and hate it.
THE BIG RULE
Remember, I am just one person with one FAQ. You do not have to take my word for it on anything. If you love your car enough anything is worth trying at least once. I am simply sharing my experiences and opinions in this FAQ.
Well I hope you guys have found this to be informative. If you guys want me to add more things (such as my own personal order and so on) I am more than willing to. Please keep in mind that you use all this stuff at your own risk and I will not be held responsible if something goes wrong. My methods are pretty fool proof (being an obsessed amateur detailer myself) and I have yet to harm my car (other than being a moron and dropping the hose on the fender, but that is a different story!).
I didnt write this, MichaelB21 wrote this from another board I think this is sticky worthy though
TP