[diyplank]

Washing your car is like changing your oil; it needs to be done regularly to keep your car healthy. However, just as inferior oil can shorten the life of your car's engine, washing with a bad wash mitt or drying with an inferior drying towel will cause paint damage. The #1 culprit of paint damage (swirl marks, cob web effect, paint dullness) is a poor wash mitt or sponge. Even a good wash mitt can cause damage if it's not kept clean. Bad or inappropriate drying towels run a very close second to inferior or dirty wash mitts. Microfiber detailing towels, not old bath towels are the appropriate choice for drying your car. HERE ARE SOME TIPS:

***NEVER USE DISH DETERGENT TO WASH YOUR VEHICLE*** Why?: Because it is designed to cut through any substance to get rid of it. So doing so it will remove all the wax from your car. Also some detergents have abrasives in it.

***IF YOU GO TO THE CAR WASH DON'T USE THE BRUSH TO WASH YOUR VEHICLE!!!*** Why?: People use the brush on tires and wheel wells where it can pick up stones & debris. So when your using it on your paint you will be amazed at the scratches it leaves.

*HATE THOSE WATER SPOTS THAT ARE DRIED ONTO YOUR PAINT AND WINDOWS AFTER YOU WASH YOUR CAR* After washing your vehicle use a 100% cotton terry cloth towel, chamois, or microfiber towel. This will prevent these annoying water spots.

***HOW TO WASH YOUR VEHICLE***

*NEVER LET SOAP DRY ON THE PAINT, DO SMALL SECTIONS AND SPRAY THE SOAP OFF*
First step is to walk around your vehicle before you do anything and check any spots you wanna spray with a special chemical that is specialized for bugs, tar, etc. (When doing so, do not use a brillo pad or scotch brite pad to scrub these areas!!! Use a designed brush for this)Also some products used to remove bugs and tar have chemicals that remove wax.
After that spray your car to get all the dirt and loose debris off the car. Second do the spot cleaning mentioned above. Third, now its time for the paint. Start at the highest point and work your way down. If you started from the bottom up, when you get to the roof and go to spray off all those suds, they will run down over all the previously cleaned areas.
This is my routine: Roof, Hood, Trunk,(RINSE) Front, one side,(RINSE) back and other side(RINSE) Tires/rims/wheel wells/mudflaps last. Never start with the tires/rims unless using a separate bucket. If you start here your water will be filled w/ all kinds of stuff that could scratch your paint.

***DEGREASE AND DETAILING THE ENGINE BAY***
There is nothing I love to see is a super shiny engine bay!! This is by far the way to make your car look new again. Care is to be taken when doing this. Make sure to inspect for damaged wires and loose connections. This can cause problems. If your skeptical you can use a baggie or something to that effect to cover those sensitive areas. You can use a pressure washer or the traditional hose. If your using a pressure washer don't spend a lot of time spraying those electrical wires and connections, spark plug areas, distributor, etc.
Also I have heard some people start their engines to warm any grease or oil up so that it comes off easier. I don't necessarily like this. If the engine gets to warm and you go spraying it off with cold water this could cause a cracked block. I know it sounds crazy, but vehicles now a days are not cheap.
Here is how to do it. First you wanna do this before you wash your car. Spray the engine bay with water. Then take your degreaser and start spraying from the lowest point to the top. Let it set a little bit say 1-3 minutes. Then take your hose and spray that off. You should see the difference while your spraying. Then I take a tire shine a spray that on while its still wet. The water that is on there helps distribute the tire shine evenly for a very nice look. Don’t forget to get the underside of the hood.
Well hope this helps some people out. I know there was a question about the engine detailing on my first post, so hope I answered it. I did not mention any of the product names I use b/c I didn't know if that would be considered as advertising or not. Feel free to post and ask questions. If I can't answer them I will find the answer for you. I am still in a learning process with some products.
Thanks