Wash
What you should have:
one or two buckets
hose (optional, read on to see why)
GOOD car wash soap
Lambswool/Chenile washmit
Microfiber towel prefered to dry (absorber is crap, target sells a huge Microfiber towel for drying that is quite nice)
Have you ever watched a normal person wash a car? They start with the front bumper, then the hood, then the doors, then the roof, then the rear bumper, trunklid, etc. Please slap them.
When you take a shower you don't wash your crotch and then go to your arms and legs, so why wash your car like that?
Start with the Roof, windows, hood, trunklid, upper fenders. Rinse the wash mit after every panel or every half of a large panel. Then do the upper doors, lower fenders, vertical part of the trunklid, and the headlights. Always end with the dirtiest part of the car: bumpers, lower doors below bumpstrips. Work DOWNWARD. This pictures may or may not help explain this. Also, the lines provide a bit of a guide to the wash mit movement (linear, please).
And of course rinse the suds off, but I generally wait to rinse the whole car unless it's very warm and sunny.
Dry
Now you'll probably notice that there is more water then you want on the paint. Your towel is going to get sopping wet before you know it.
The trick of the trade, and I'm sure enough people here know it, is to take the sprayer nozel off the paint like so:
What happens? The water sheets because water is wonderfully cohesive. It's not perfect but it reduces the amount you have to wring out the drying towel from a few times to maybe not at all.
Washes that I like in order from like most to like least:
Duragloss (carquest)
MeguiarsNXT wash (pepboys)
Meguiars Gold Class (target has it cheap)
You've probably heard a great hype around microfiber WAFFLE WEAVE drying towels. Honestly I think the majority of the time they are overpriced. You can find a Meguiars branded one at Pepboys that looks very nice, and is comparable in price to the VROOM branded target regular MF drying towels. Whatever you prefer. They'll both work.
Comparison (top is target($7) big plush microfiber drying towel, bottom is a pakshak waffle weave microfiber($18))
Whatever, I'm not buying anymore drying towels over $10 but if you have the money go ahead. It won't hurt.
But Corey why do you take so much time to wash the car?
The dirt from the lower portions of the car can and will scratch your paint. Everybody has seen swirls. What people do not know is that on close inspection they really are light, crossthatched scratches caused by improper washing (for the most part). The only reason they look circular is how the sun is catched by them. Look at them and you will see that they are usually pretty continuous.
So you wash the dirty portions last to help prevent this. The combination of the right wash order, the nap of the wash mit (as opposed to the nearly flat surface of a sponge), the good wash solution, and the microfiber drying towel should help prevent sratches.
Quick detailers/quick waxes
This step is really up to you, but if anybody thinks I wax my car everytime I go to a meet you're mistaken. It only looks just freshly waxed because I always use a quick detailer after I wash my car. I don't know, it gives it a slick feel, and it really makes it look a lot better than just a wash.
My favorite at the moment is Mother's FX Synwax Spraywax. It's quick and easy. It says you can use it wet but I prefer to use it dry (just seems to work better). Try it either way and do what you like more.
Tomorrow I'll cover wheels and tires. Basically, what do you all want covered?
Please don't quote since I may read this and make changes to wording to ease readability.