I just bought my 01 Berlina Black, it only has 10k miles and it has been taken care of, so i want to keep on the tradition.

This is my first "nice" car, so i am unfamiliar with the washing and waxing prodecure. Could anyoone help me with choose products, and the procedure in cleaning my car, time and elbow grease is not a problem, i wanna do it right the first time.


So any products/tips for exterior and interior cleaning would be well appreciated, thanks again




-XtymourX

 

i used to wash my cars with either a bit of detergient or dishwasher soap, since they were either hatchbacks or what not so they worked for me heh

 

Dish washing soap will strip wax off your paint, so only use it when that is what you want to do. Since you just got the car, then you should do that, then you can inspect the finish for any other treatment b4 starting a fresh coat of wax. Once polished and or waxed, only use a quality car wash soap. They are gentle

 

 

my thoughts for you:
start this project at first light of day (as early as possible to avoid sun)

1. inspect the car carefully (i like to inspect the day before i do the work)... to look for small scratches, swirls, etc.- if you have them, then you might want to start off with a polish. i like 3m swirl remover for dark cars (i especially like it cause they have my car in the ad!)- more info on that product:
http://properautocare.com/3mperswirmar.html

i should mention that polishing is the most difficult detailers job (other than touch-up- which i dont consider to be a detailers job, but many do)

2. test the car to see if it needs to be clayed- good instructions are here:
http://autopia-carcare.com/autopia/inf-clay.html

3. if the paint is in really good condition (if it has been maintained properly), you might not need to polish or clay. in any case, after washing, polishing and claying (and rewashing) you need to protect the paint- although my preference is for synthetics, since this sounds like a new project for you i would suggest that you start out with an easy to use wax (p21s is my fav here- rub on to a small section - front to back, not in circles- and remove each section immediately).

some product thoughts:
with keeping it simple in mind-
interior- 303 or vinylex for all vinyl and rubber
lexol or townsend for leather (you need a cleaner and a separate conditioner)
you can do the interior the night before you do the exterior if you like- do the interior top down so you get as much light as possible

use a good car shampoo with good sudsing and good sheeting action- lots of them out there... you will need microfiber towels and a good sheepskin mitt, imo.
great info on washing, with product tips:
http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=9

be sure to do a good cleaning job on the wheels- i use a separate bucket of water and a wheel brush.

i am trying to keep this simple, but you can see there is a lot to learn...
read some of the stuff and post back questions!
my final hint- if you can find a member in your area who can help you through this the first time, that is the best way to go cause you have someone to ask questions while in the process. dont expect your helper to be an expert, but they will in any case make a big difference!
once you have done the process, it becomes very simple.

 

ok so let me review...

1. polish (if needed)
2. claybar (if needed)
3. wash
4. wax

or is it wash, polish, claybar, wash again and wax

one more question though, i have one of those dealership stickers on the trunk what is the best way to remove it?

i live in socal, but flew to arizona to purchase, and the car is from kansas

thanks again

 

the order that i would do it in:

1. wash
2. clay (this step will also reduce the amount of polishing required)- if reqd
3. wash
4. polish- if reqd
5. wax

you didnt say what the dealer tag is- but i will assume that it is like a bumper sticker:

this is actually step #1, because anything that doesnt come off this way will come off with the clay or polish step:
do not use any tools... simply heat a little with a hair dryer and peel as much away as possible by hand.
soak the remaining parts with wd-40 (try to keep it off of rubber and plastic), or a citrus product like goo-gone- or 3m adhesive remover.
perfection is not requied, cause the clay and polish will get anything that you dont with the other products.
good luck and post back results (btw, we love to see pics around here!!)