Does anyone have a recommended brand of wax, cleaner, rim polish, etc etc that they use? I've always just bought cheap stuff for my Wrangler, but with the WRX coming in about a month, I think its time to start formulating a beautifying plan =)
also, if anyone out there lives in an apartment, how the hell do you wash your car? Just go to one of those self-serv pressurized car wash places? I lived at home for nearly forever and recently moved out, I was just wondering what others do to clean their cars. Also, that being the case, what do you do in the winter (midwest here) when its hella cold outside?

I use Mothers or Meguires. They both have a 3 step cleaning system - pre-wax cleaner, glaze and wax. After you wax the paint just feels like a baby's bottom! Also pick up a clay bar made by either company. Use it once in a while to pick up hard to get off grime.

I buy a pack of terry clothes. One set to get all dirty - clean rubber, plastic with. And use another set just for wiping the car down after the wash.

Wheels don't get any special treatment, just regular car soap.

Terry cloth is a big no no on paint, it will scratch faster than a dirty wash mitt. Your best bet is go to K-Mart, Wal Mart or that type store and buy some single layer baby diapers. A 12 pack will cost you 8-9 bucks, but its worth it. We repair & paint cars at work for a living and have used them for 25 years and not a single scratch, terry cloth that's another story. You may think terry cloth is soft but the fiber are actually very course and will scratch paint. We use Meguires and it works the best. To keep your wash mitt clean toss it in the washer after every car wash. To dry it get a California Water Blade & a synthetic Chamois.

[This message has been edited by Scooby2 (edited February 18, 2001).]

I use the Meguiar's stuff aswell on my MY99 Rex. My WRC blue paint is still immaculate after two years. It's also easy to apply (I originally wondered thought that this may have meant it was also easy to wash off but it performs well).

Follow the 3 step cycle that Ken mentioned (Wash, Clean, Polish/Protect). I used a 4 step (separate polish & protection products) until Meguiar's came out with the "Gold Class Wax". Still do sometimes, depending on how energetic I'm feeling!

Regular washing, polishing & protecting is particularly important if you aren't going to garage the car. I also carry a bottle of "Quick Detailer" and a polishing towel (or a nappy if you have a baby) in the boot when I drive to work (seldom) just in case a bird or insect (leaving those tiny yellow blobs) craps on the car. Clean this stuff off ASAP or it will etch in, and is a royal pain in the butt to get out and not marks.

By the way, keep your polishing towels soft (so they don't scratch your paint) by putting them in a tumble dryer after washing them.

Good luck.

"Remember Daniel San...Wax on, Wax off!" http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/wink.gif

I find it interesting to read what scooby2 said about terry cloth. Meguiars recommends the use of 100% cotton terry cloth with all of their hand application products. The reason that they recommend the use is that terrycloth pulls particles off the surface and up into its knap. A smooth cloth will just rub the cloth along the surface of the paint. They do however say to only use 1005 cotton though. Blended fiber towels do scratch. I use Meguiars paint cleaner from its three step, followed by a coat or two of #9 Swirl Remover which is a very nice polish. When applying by hand I like it better than the #7 Show Car Glaze. The show car glaze is just very difficult to apply by hand. I follow all of this with another couple of coats of #26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax. If you have a dark colored car this combination gives a fantastic, deep, reflective shine. If you ask anyone who has seen my car, they tell you what kind of results I get. I hope that this helps, but if you want really great advice Check out Meguair's Web Site (http://www.meguiars.com/)

Kent

Templar- Try using the 3M hand glaze instead. Easy to apply and remove and then follow up with the Hi Tech Yellow Wax ( I personally prefer liquid vs. paste wax ). This combo will give you an excellent shine not to mention cover up the swirls that cant be removed by the swirl remover. I do the same steps you do too just with Wax Shop Safe Cut polish , 3M Hand Glaze , and 2 coats of Hi Tech Yellow wax. If you use a clay bar then polish hand glaze and wax you wont have to polish the car as often because the finish holds up really well. I usually polish once every couple of months but wax about every week to every other week.

Chris www.hometown.aol.com/awdimprezars (http://www.hometown.aol.com/awdimprezars)

I'm a Zymol guy, myself. Partly, because I just love using a wax that smells like suntan lotion!

Oh. Griot's Garage has some really, REALLY nice stuff, too. And a soft terry towel is just fine, as long as it's all cotton. Some towels have a cotton face only, and those will scratch. But all cotton and not too abrasive like less expensive towels, will be hunky-dory.

Oh. As others mentioned, the clay bars are the cat's pyjamas.

With rims, just keep them clean of brake dust, and they'll be fine. I know that some companies market wheel cleaning products, but I have found that just soap and water are all that I need. 'Course, I'm not one of those Armor All tire types, either, though it does look nice.

Other than that, the usual caveats apply about not washing in direct sunlight, letting the body cool before washing, yada, yada.

Kevin

[This message has been edited by gtguy (edited February 18, 2001).]

I have had extremely good success using the Meguiars three step process on our Subarus. It takes a while to do all three steps, but the results are impressive. I have tried Zymol and Grand one wax as an experiment on different parts of the hood on the SVX, and those waxes/polish didn't give me the result that Meguiars had. Lots of swirl marks, and not a ton of depth. Funny, because Meguiars wasnt' so hot on my VWs, but Zymol was...

Glen

Oh yeah, also check out this weblink, its about car detailing from Jan's VW archives, and of course applies to Subarus too.
http://www-pal.usc.edu/~jan/vw/Body/Detailing

Glen

detail clay!!!
before you use anything on the paint... hit it w/some detail clay and spray...

removes all the grit!! it's fantastic...

j.

Hmmmm. Maybe I'll give the Meguiar's stuff another try. I also intend to try a package from Griot's Garage. Man, that catalog is better than Playboy.

Tools, wax, buckets and stuff....droool.

Kevin

What's the website for this "Griot's Garage"?

http://www.griotsgarage.com/
there ya go

when I use to detail, I would use Turtle Wax compound, then Mothers carnuba cleaner wax, then finish it off with 3M Perfect-It and it was like glass


later
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I also think terry cloth is fine, as long as it is 100% cotton. I really like using a sheepskin mitt for washing. Very gentle but works well and holds lots of suds.
Some catalogs, like Griots and AutoSport are now saying that the best method of removing wax from your paint is with a micro-fiber cloth. This is the same stuff that is used for cleaning sunglasses, so it will not scratch. The micro fibers are said to get under the wax and lift it off the paint easier than cotton. I haven't tried it but I might.

Nobody answered his question about where to wash it... I'm very interested myself, having just moved out too http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/smile.gif

-tim

Just find a friend that has a drive way and ask to use it for a while. I hate the drive up car washes now that I have a white car. You need to scrub a little to get all the crap off. No matter how much time or money I spent there I always had a brown film on my car when I was done. But I have a drive way and a garage now so life is good.http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/smile.gif
Ben