i have never really tried cleaning my car on my own...i just bought my 2005 [non navi] TL a few months ago and its pretty dirty

i went over to Autopia.org to find information on basic stuff but it seems like every post is for someone trying to be a professional detailer..its overwhelming over there

im just looking to do a general cleaning job on my car

i just need recommendations on products to use for:

1. keeping the windshield clean..making the water bead off easy when it rains
2. soap/solution to wash my exterior w/ and a cloth/sponge/brush to use
3.interior cleaning product for non leather items
4.leather cleaning product for interior
5.tire and wheel cleaner
6. a decent wax



*tan leather/interior

**image taken from google but my car is the exact same


thnx if anyone can help

 

For washing solution, I use Eagle One nanowax with a two bucket system. One bucket for the soap solution and the other bucket to rinse out the mitt and dirt that way the soap bucket won't be contaminated with dirt and end up scratching your car. I also use a meguiar's microfiber wash mitt and a California platinum jelly water blade to dry up 95% of the car. I use meguiar's microfiber to finish up the rest of the drying duties.

I would also suggest investing in a california car duster to wipe the dust off your car every now and then. I do this almost every other day and it keeps the car free of dirt and makes it look like it was just washed.

Additionally, I use meguiar's clay bar kit, swirlx by hand as a polish since I don't have a porter and cable polisher and NXT 2.0 paste wax which I highly recommend. Many people on Azine recommend zaino wax, however, it's quite pricey so I went with the NXT wax. NXT gives it that nice shiny, wet look finish for a fraction of the price ($12 bucks on amazon).

For the interior, I would recommend 303 aerospace protectent, which I just purchased today. I'm pretty sure other on this board can vouch for it as it well. It's a great product! Quite expensive though, but well worth it at around $14 a bottle at a local shop i found on 303's website.

For the leather you can use zymol or meguiar's leather cleaner and conditioner which is what I personally use since it's cheap and works fairly well.

I got most of my detailing items off amazon with free shipping and it came out to be cheaper than getting it at autozone or pepboys. As you can probably tell, I went with a lot of Meguiar's stuff :-P

Hope this helps and nice color btw!

 

This is for a big detail and i do all this myself:
Meguiars gold class soap w/ 2 bucket method. Dry with an ABSORBER and MF towel.
Megs Clay Bar
Megs' Swirl X Cleaner
Megs Polish
Megs Carnuaba wax (not a very good wax, i will upgrade once i run out of this)
Lexol Leather Cleaner/Conditioner
Megs Interior Cleaner (shiny, but not too shiny and good for plastics, vinyl, rubber and i also use it on the mud guards and sidewall of the tires etc)
Megs aerosol shampoo cleaner for the carpets
Stoners invisible glass for the windows

For a quick wash i just use a the gold class wash, meguiars ultimate quick wax and dress up the tires. I just use the left over soap water to clean my rims and a terry cloth.

 

go to the top of any page here- click Off Topic then scroll down to Wash And Wax
Everything you need to know is there

 

It can be, but it's definetly worth the price of membership. Lots of different advice you can pick and choose from.

A quick detailer has worked for me, and I know of plenty of people who wax their windshield. A spray wax or polish would work well. You can also clay it first.

I like a couple of different ways, and you can experiment further from their recommended uses.

Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine - just like the name says. Use with the two bucket method (google), a garden sprayer and one bucket, or just the sprayer and some soaked microfiber cloths. Use a sheepskin mitt or grout sponge to wash with the buckets.

or

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss/Clear - either of these formulas will make you happy at the recommended dilution. Use with the two bucket method, or grab a foam gun for added variation (I've found that the Ortho dial-a-spray container in the plant section at Home Depot works fairly well)

or

Duragloss 901 - Napa. Good and cheap and use like the above.

Still looking myself.

303 Aerospace protectant

S100 wheel gel, found at every Harley dealer. P21S is almost exactly the same thing and more expensive.

I like Optimum Car Wax (spray) myself, but you'll find as many suggestions out there as are waxes. Collinite 845 is my next thing I want to try, and sometimes you can find it locally.


You're going to get inundated. Just be prepared.

 

exactly the answers i was needing

thnx everyone