Thread: Products?
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Old 04-09-2007, 09:12 AM
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boltuprite
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It doesn't take a small fortune to keep your car showroom shiny. Just a bit of elbow grease and time.
Car Wash - As long as you don't use dish soap or laundry detergent. Buy a bottle of soap specifically designed for car wash. Should run you anywhere from $7.99 upwards for a jug. (I use stuff called SUNDANCE which I buy at my local Canadian Tire).

Regular waxing with a good car wax. Don't get sucked in to buying high end products like ZYMOL, when a good quality wax at 1/2 the price will do just as good a job. At the moment I am using Turtle Wax Endurance and I get great results with it.
If your car's finish is neglected or dull I would recommend buying the Mothers Clay Bar kit (comes with Clay Bar, Applicator spray and Mothers Gold Wax), and clay bar the entire paint surface before waxing. The directions are in the package

For the interior (vinyl panels) Armour-All is fine except for that the fact it does attract dust after application. What I do is apply, buff then go back the next day and wipe the dash down again with a moist lint free cloth.
Any leather surfaces should be treated with a good leather protectant (not Armour-All as it is for vinyl). Seats and carpets can be cleaned with upholstery shampoo (Turtle Power-Out foam works very well for this)

Wheels, again if they have been neglected you will need a good wheel cleaner that cuts through the brake dust. (or if you have a steamer they work great). Once cleaned, (if alloy) I polish them with Mother's wheel polish. It's a white paste, just rub on and wipe off and buff. Not only does this shine the wheels it also helps keep the brake dust from bonding to the alloys.

For tires, the spray on foam cleaners are a waste of money as they don't last. Instead pay the little bit extra for the kind you wipe on. It will save you in the long run as the shine will last for weeks not days. Again I recommend Meguires Tire Endurance or even Armor-All Gel tire shine.

all told, if you spend about $40.00 to $50.00 on cleaning products and wax you will be all set. That's about 4 or 5 trips to the car wash, and yo u get the satisfaction of doing the job yourself. To me, one of the joys of car ownership is washing waxing and cleaning.

Last edited by boltuprite; 04-09-2007 at 09:15 AM.