Have your daughter do it, which also wears her out for a nap later :cheers:

You are one sharp dude Schnellman !

^ i saw a contraption similar to the leaf blower at Costco last weekend. It looked like it was specific to car washing. A yellow thing boxy looking thing.

Did she get a cookie?

I take the telescoping brush to the car wash with me, since I don't want to use theirs because I don't know where it's been! Soak, brush, hi pressure rinse, blast out the wheel wells, and then use their high volume air blower to dry the car and finish off the remaining damp spots with a microfiber. Takes about $6 on the meter if you move quickly.

^ I can never find one of those near me. I don't bother to go quickly. I use the first round to lather up the car thouroghly and wipe down the wheels. I keep brushes and towels in extra large zip lock bags to keep them from getting everything wet in the trunk. Then I go back and feed the meter again for a second round to do a thorough rinse and rinse out the Raggtopp cleanser.
I just dry the soft top and pull the car onto the highway to dry the paint. Pull over and then I spray the car down with a Griots cranauba gloss and I dress the tires too. Sometimes I spray down the wheels with Finish Kare 425 which keeps the brake dust from sticking too tight, rinses right off on the next wash, so less brushing needed.
I have to wait a little for the carnauba gloss to cure before using the 425 spray on the body paint. But once its on it's like teflon, a little pocket of air bubbles running on the paint surface. There's nothing else like it on the market.

My sixpence worth...or dimes worth for you Yanks.. I have been `detailing` cars for years..

Only use cold water to wash your car, as hot will strip your wax off. !!

Wash often, i use a mixture of mitts, for the main body, soft brushes for the wheels
and microfibre cloths and chamois for finishing...After getting rid of the excess water with an Autoglym blade Don't mix your cloths, keep the ones you use on your wheels separate

The detailing sprays or no water branded washes are ok for very lightly soiled cars
otherwise you will rub grit into your paintwork

BUT MY BEST ADVISE is to firstly get your paintwork de contaminated and glass smooth with the use of some claybar and work up from there.

If you haven't claybarred your car before...then you are in for a treat!!... Just do it, you WILL be amazed..!! Meguairs do a kit over here for around £20 British pounds...should be alot cheaper over yr side of the pond

There are plenty of downloads showing this on You Tube, some are very long winded.. But shouldn't take u longer than 20 mins for a Boxster...a panel at a time

Make sure you DO NOT DROP the claybar..if u do throw it away..as all the grit will stick to it. Wash the car first of course, and after claybaring finish with a good coat or two of wax.... In all my years have not found anything to beat `Autoglym`

Have fun....and let me know how you get on...you will be amazed :cool:

On a serious note, a trick that I learned from some Ferrari/Alfa owners years ago, is to add a drop or two of Olive Oil to the wash. I know it sounds ridiculous, but if it's just the right amount, it keeps the soap from stripping the wax, and it actually "feeds" the paint. Not something that I found works on dark colors though.

That works on Italian cars, but German cars prefer beer.

How about a shot of Schnapps Lol...one for the bucket, one for me....
one more for the bucket one for me...hic..:cheers:

I like to hear everyone's preferred washing methods. Like mine, they're a combination of experience, science, and voodoo magic. And with a hard-to-keep-clean triple-black, I need all the voodoo I can get.

+1 for the leaf blower. My teenage boys used to give me Sh-t about using the blower until they bought their own cars...now I'm a smart dude.

As for olive oil, I'm a doubter for it helping the paint. What the oil will do is keep the car from drying too fast, which minimizes water spots.

Okay, so far I've heard; wash it a lot, don't hardly wash it, use a brush, don't dare use a brush, dry it with a towel, dry it with a leaf blower, dry it by driving it, add oil to the water, don't add oil. Also, it can be washed by small children, half dressed twits, or ex-singers/breakfast purveyors with giant hats. Plus I have no idea what a clay bar is.

I think you guys need to come to some kind of consensus and get back to me.:D

The oil thing aside, here's my ditty:

Washing- first rinse the vehicle thoroughly, then use a mild soap (I like to use shampoo) and microfiber mitt for washing -
side to side, up and down, or circular motion notwithstanding.

Drying - I personally like the technique of using a leaf blower to get most of the water off,
followed with a high quality synthetic chamois to remove the remaining water.

Waxing- keep the paint "feed" regularly with a good quality wax, polish or detailer. As far
as which brand to use, recommendations will run the gamut. We all have our favorites,
so I'll let others chime in. At least you're not dealing with a dark color like black. Although,
red has it's own challenges by virtue of the fact that it's a weak pigment.

Wheel Cleaning & Exhaust Tips - I like to use Simple Green for cleaning wheels, exhaust
tips and other non-painted trim areas. It does not react adversely to aluminum or other metals,
to include painted surfaces. Beware of knock-off products that do.

Bug, Tar, Road Stains & Clear Bra edges - I've used everything from a simple degreaser, to
spray silicone to Goof-Off. I recommend testing any of these in an inconspicuous area first.

Black Wheels- My favorite detailer for this, believe it or not, is Pledge. By applying a light mist, and
letting it set-up - it will yield an amazing luster.

ClayBar - Because my vehicle is driven so seldom, and it's never subjected to the "elements", I've had no need to use Clay Bar. So, I'll let others give their advice on that topic.

You really have to try claying your car. The results are amazing IMO. On a Boxster, it really doesn't take long to do. When you are done, your paint will feel like glass. The clay removes the surface contaminants. Just keep the surface well lubricated and if you drop the bar, throw it away.

Mothers 07240 California Gold Clay Bar System : Amazon.com : Automotive

I have also been following Spinaker's advice on washing and waxing in a straight line:
http://986forum.com/forums/293689-post14.html

So I tried this and this is how the boxster came out, I may have used to much olive oil.



http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1362781324.jpg

@kashmir

LOL

JD, simple green is infact corrosive to aluminum. It is why simple green came up with an aviation formula. You can use it, but rinse very thoroughly...

From the simple green website:

Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green® on aluminum?
When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green® Cleaner/Degreaser, Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates, and Pro Series™ Simple Green® Automotive Cleaner have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green® product residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
Simple Green has also developed break-through water based cleaners that are safe for use on metals, plastics, rubber and high tech alloys. Extreme Simple Green® Aircraft & Precision Cleaner and Simple Green® Pro HD are available on both the industrial and retail markets, respectively. These products were initially developed for the aircraft industry and extensive testing shows that they are safe and effective on a variety of metals and other sensitive surfaces even in the most extreme circumstances.

Simple Green® Stainless Steel One Step Cleaner & Polish is another option for cleaning polished aluminum. This product is designed for light duty metal cleaning and polishing.

I user Jägermeister... After a few shots and couple sweeps with a California Duster the Jägermobile looks great!

Jägermeister

Lots of good information in this thread: http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/35847-best-wax-car.html
I follow Spinnaker's technique in post #9.

If you search the forum, you'll find threads on washing, waxing, top care, rear window care, interior care, cleaning drain tubes, cleaning radiator screens, etc.

DBear