Best car cleaning products.

[SteelCityNitro]

So now that the car is running awesome it's time to make it look good too. I was wondering what eveyone prefers for cleaning products when it comes to their rides. I did buy some car wash supplies but was wondering if there are any miracle products out there anyone raves about. For me I swear by BLECHE-WITE TIRE CLEANER, made by Westley's. This stuff takes all the crud off of your wheels and leave's em shining like new. Mother's wax products work well too, but a little expensive. I've found that the Armor-All products are awesome too.

 

[NCNitro]

If you are talking 1:1, I use is Mothers Caranuba wax, armor all, eagle one wheel cleaner, and the best metal polish ever is wenol

 

[MustangMan]

What type of car or truck? Knowing what type of trim it has, cloth or leather interior, etc. I can make some recommendations.

In general you can start with these:

Stoner Invisible Glass for glass (clean with a microfiber towel)
Meguiar's Odor Iliminator
Turtle Wax Interior Wipes

Mark

 

[MudWild680]

I use Lucas quick mist for a quick shine.

 

[SteelCityNitro]

Mustang, it's a corvette

 

[SMaxxin]

For a long time I just drove my truck though a car wash, nice and easy! After buying a new truck I decided I wanted to keep it looking new so I wash and waxed it......As soon as I was done I threw the wax in the trash and I swear I'll never do it again!

 

[MustangMan]

A Corvette? Sorry I can't help you...:

Seriously though, Corvette paint is decent, especially the C5 and newer models. I've seen a lot of rough C4s though. If the clearcoat is in REALLY good shape, just perhaps a bit dull or has hard water spots on it, find a good bodyshop you can trust or perhaps a pro detailer, and have them wet sand the clear.

This will do a few things. First, it will smooth the surface and get rid of all the factory "orange peel" in the clear. Orange peel is the natural condition from spraying and it leaves a bumpy surface. Wet sanding makes the surface smooth, increasing the clarity of the reflection.

Wet sanding will also remove deep scratches (in the clear), surface haze, water spots, swirls, etc. When done right the paint will look like a pro shot it and you'll be ready for your first car show.

When this is done it also sets the surface up for proper future care. It's really noticable on a dark colored car, but is still very nice to do on silvers, grays, whites, etc. It should only set you back about $200. I know it sounds extreme, but it will make your car stand out without a complete repaint.

For the interior (leather I presume) Meguiars makes some really nice leather care wipes. Pull one out of the package, wipe down the seats, steering wheel, etc. and it will clean and condition in one step.

Those Turtle Wax interior care wipes I mentioned earlier will do great on non leather surfaces like door panels, dash, console, and I even use them to clean dust out of the headliner (drive with windows open due to broken A/C right now) and the carpet as well.

Lastly, for wheels, don't bother with any sort of "no touch" stuff. You need to get in there with a good brush and clean the brake dust and crud off. No spray is going to do it for you. Pick up some detail brushes for the A/C vents, radio and A/C control crevices, and a brush for your wheels.

Oh, and use a bucket with a dirt/grit trap in it, or the two bucket wash method (look it up), DO NOT use household soap like Dawn, it will strip your wax off, unless that's what you want to rewax the surface. Use a good quality car wash soap. Turtle Wax and Meguiars get my nod there. Don't use a wash rag or standard rag to wash either, instead, use a nice soft wash mitt that will hold a lot of suds.

HTH...
Mark