I'm interested in hearing about everyones method of cleaning their new cars. Post your step-by-step method of how you make your cars shine new.

I have a pretty simple method and it works out pretty well =]

1. I hose down the entire car really good, i try to get off alot of the loose dirt and grime.
2. I use Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner and lather up the entire car with a rag.
3. Hose off the Meguiars and then repeat step 2 again.

I like to soap down the car twice to make sure its really clean.

4. I clean the wheels with another rag and the remaining soap and water.
5. Hose off wheels
6. Use a microfiber cloth to dry the car
7. Use some Spray on Turtle Wax and wax up the car really goodd.
8. Finally I spray some Armor All on the tires and call it a day =]

My Method changes every two weeks though. Every Two weeks I like to also clean out the interior and also use a stain lifter/deoderizer to clean my seats. I also use a product of ICE to clean the dash.

sounds efficient and easy, I'll give it a try

Takes me a good hour, sometimes more to wash my car but comes out perfect. First of all I divide the car into 4 parts, I wash them by panels:

1. The rear quarter panel, doors, then front fender
2. Same for the other side
3. Whole rear end and bumper
4. Whole front end

I start off by using NuFinish which I think is hands down the best car wash soap, I make less passes with this then other brands. I will wash a whole side and then rinse with a mist. A clean car should have all the water running off down together, hard to describe really but if the water doesn't look smooth like glass then the car is still dirty, so I wash up again and continue until when I mist all the water runs off like glass and theres no spots where the water doesnt cover. It should look like there was a sheet of water on the car.

Anyways, when thats done I allow the car to drip off as much water as possible, this is why you have to make sure the water comes looks as one sheet, it literally dries most of itself. I usually wait like 5 minutes, then I use one of those sham-wow imitators I picked up at Dollar Tree, let me tell you everyone who washes their own car SHOULD have one of these, it literally dries the car with NO streaks. I use that to get the remaing water all over the car and off the chrome then I put on some Ice liquid polish and tire shine.

This is what I did this weekend. The entire process took 2 hours. It's not my usual routine, only when I reaaly want to go all out.

1. Spray the front of the car with NAPA Bug and Tar remover to get all the bug bodies.
2. Spray the tires with Bleche-Wite.
3. Rub the softened bug bodies with a wet sponge, then do the same with the tires.
4. Hose off the entire car, high pressure in the wheel wells, tires and bugs.
5. Using a microfiber washmitt and Turtle Wax Zip car wash, soap up the entire car, including using a soft brush on the wheels.
6. Rinse then dry with a chamois.
7. Clay bar all around.
8. Wax with Zymol Cleaner Wax. Buff with microfiber cloth.
9. Clean wheels with Duragloss Rain Repel glass cleaner.
10. Apply Meguiar's Hot Shine to tires.

It was the first time I've tried Zymol, and I really like the results.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/indyman/PICT5458.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/indyman/PICT5455.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/indyman/PICT5454.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/indyman/PICT5452.jpg

Looking good. One little tip. Get some sealant wax to go over that cleaner wax and it will make look like it is wet 24/7. I like to use NXT 2.0.

My weekly ritual is this,
1.Hose off the car,wheel wells and rims and tires
2.Wash the car with Meguiars Gold Class shampoo with a microfiber mitt starting at the top and work my way down and around.
3.Tires and Rims last with another was mitt
4.Blow off car with a CLEAN leaf blower especially around the grille,windows,doors and rims and all the little nooks and crannies that water hides in
5.Dry the car off with a waffle weave microfiber towel
6. Hit it one more time with the leaf blower and get the last stubborn bits of water and dry again
7.Spray the tires with Meguiars Hot Shine, this is a real good product for tires, gives a long lasting shine with minimal sling and the can has an adjustable nozzle for low profile or bigger tires
8.Finish it all off by spraying it down with either Meguiars Ultimate Quik Detailer or Ultimate Quik Wax and wiping off with microfibers

I wax my Bu' once a month with either Meguiars NXT 2.0 Tech wax or the Gold Class paste wax, using the Quik Detailer or Quik Wax after every wash really keeps the Bu' looking her best and extends the wax protection and shine ;)
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/185/img3382y.jpg

My weekly ritual is this,
1.Hose off the car,wheel wells and rims and tires
2.Wash the car with Meguiars Gold Class shampoo with a microfiber mitt starting at the top and work my way down and around.
3.Tires and Rims last with another was mitt
4.Blow off car with a CLEAN leaf blower especially around the grille,windows,doors and rims and all the little nooks and crannies that water hides in
5.Dry the car off with a waffle weave microfiber towel
6. Hit it one more time with the leaf blower and get the last stubborn bits of water and dry again
7.Spray the tires with Meguiars Hot Shine, this is a real good product for tires, gives a long lasting shine with minimal sling and the can has an adjustable nozzle for low profile or bigger tires
8.Finish it all off by spraying it down with either Meguiars Ultimate Quik Detailer or Ultimate Quik Wax and wiping off with microfibers

I wax my Bu' once a month with either Meguiars NXT 2.0 Tech wax or the Gold Class paste wax, using the Quik Detailer or Quik Wax after every wash really keeps the Bu' looking her best and extends the wax protection and shine ;)
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/185/img3382y.jpg

hey malo, i see that you also use the Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and a list of other Meguiars products. I've been thinking about going all Meguiars, as in the spray for the tires and the detailer combined with my Meguiars shampoo. Did you try any other product for the tires and the wax and was Meguiars the best product? Armor All doesnt really last long for me, after about a day it loses its sleek look.

OH YEAH, totally off topic but I was watching tv yesterday and saw a Billy Mays ad for a car scratch remover by Simoniz called "Fix It Pro", anyone try this product? It must be good if Billy Mays is behind it =p but yeah i have a few scratches around my car that i would like to get taken care of if anyone can reccomend a product

MM, I also use Mothers, Showtime spray Detailer and FX Spray wax which also give excellent results. Plus i have a bottle of the Wax Shop Slick Stuff HD spray detailer and a bottle of their Glaze wax, i've tried just about all the waxes and polishes you can get at your local parts store but Meguiars and Mothers give the best long lasting shine for the money :D

Looking good. One little tip. Get some sealant wax to go over that cleaner wax and it will make look like it is wet 24/7. I like to use NXT 2.0.Thanks for the tip. I'll try that next time.

My weekly ritual is this,
1.Hose off the car,wheel wells and rims and tires
2.Wash the car with Meguiars Gold Class shampoo with a microfiber mitt starting at the top and work my way down and around.
3.Tires and Rims last with another was mitt
4.Blow off car with a CLEAN leaf blower especially around the grille,windows,doors and rims and all the little nooks and crannies that water hides in
5.Dry the car off with a waffle weave microfiber towel
6. Hit it one more time with the leaf blower and get the last stubborn bits of water and dry again
7.Spray the tires with Meguiars Hot Shine, this is a real good product for tires, gives a long lasting shine with minimal sling and the can has an adjustable nozzle for low profile or bigger tires8.Finish it all off by spraying it down with either Meguiars Ultimate Quik Detailer or Ultimate Quik Wax and wiping off with microfibers

I wax my Bu' once a month with either Meguiars NXT 2.0 Tech wax or the Gold Class paste wax, using the Quik Detailer or Quik Wax after every wash really keeps the Bu' looking her best and extends the wax protection and shine ;)http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/185/img3382y.jpgMalo,
Get yourself one of these and you won't have to worry about the spray pattern.
http://www.rt66parts.com/images/ACC_2001-2T.jpg

I use Meguiar's product to clean my Bu. I love the results. I'll post some pic later tonight.

Here are some pic of the Bu after she got out of the shower.

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/edu3110/black2.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/edu3110/IMG00085-20100414-1239.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/edu3110/IMG00090-20100414-1241.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/edu3110/IMG00087-20100414-1240.jpg

Those Detailing Applicators are slick, especially if you're using Gel Shine they work awesome. Little to no mess I just make sure to only use one product per applicator "forever" since they're that cheap foam that is almost impossible to clean fully.

On a side note, I'm going to a full spring detail on my 'Bu, finally get some good pics before and after, but along with a play-by-play (which I plan on posting), does anyone have any interest in a write-up on a full detail from start to finish? Since it's the first winter she's gone through, I plan to go all out (please god, give me ONE weekend to myself) if possible.

If so, I could take pics during. I just want to see if anyone thinks it would be silly to take pictures step by step with alot of detail or if a simple list of steps I went through and a before/after shot would be enough already :-)

Edu3110, car looks real good man.

Those Detailing Applicators are slick, especially if you're using Gel Shine they work awesome. Little to no mess I just make sure to only use one product per applicator "forever" since they're that cheap foam that is almost impossible to clean fully.

On a side note, I'm going to a full spring detail on my 'Bu, finally get some good pics before and after, but along with a play-by-play (which I plan on posting), does anyone have any interest in a write-up on a full detail from start to finish? Since it's the first winter she's gone through, I plan to go all out (please god, give me ONE weekend to myself) if possible.

If so, I could take pics during. I just want to see if anyone thinks it would be silly to take pictures step by step with alot of detail or if a simple list of steps I went through and a before/after shot would be enough already :-)

Of course there is interest! If your willing to do it and share it with us who could use the info and some tips it would be nice. Will you be pulling out the big guns (buffer) on the detail?

All out will definitely include buffing if it's needed -- which it most definitely will be after this last rough winter where i was too busy to use any abrasion on the paint when cleaning! (My theory is that its better to rinse the salt off then do nothing if you dont have the time or ability[read: space] during the winter to use a towel, mitt, sponge, etc... while cleaning.) It looks pretty bad right now to me but there is still a good triple coat of wax from the fall so im not too worried.

I'll be doing the interior and exterior, and have to decide what i want to do then as i had mentioned figure out when! I may wait until after I get a chance to take off the front bumper as i have a scratch and want to change my headlamps to silverstar So I'll kill two birds with one stone and take the bumper indoors for work on the paint there rather than wet sand upside down (stupid parking lot concrete stopper caught my bumper.) THEN, once back on i'd be doing the full detail. By spring i've backed up too many projects and such to decide what to do first.

I've never been good at knowing what to use to get the best results. So, please, yes! Post up a how-to for the rest of us.

And now that I have a new car (first ever) I want to keep it in good shape. Ma baby looks good when she's clean!

Using the same steps as i listed in post #5 with the exception of using Surf City Garage Shine On Sealer and Glaze System instead of the cleaner wax, I was able get much better results. Check it out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/indyman/SDC10831.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/indyman/SDC10833.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/indyman/SDC10834.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/indyman/SDC10830.jpg