For years I have been on forums explaining my system for making my vehicles look better than they ever did when brand new.
The "3" is no exception.
First off, I NEVER, NEVER use any soap to clean a vehicle.
I have not visited a car wash in over 40 years, and I would put any vehicle I have owned up against the best of the best.
Of cource, I am one of the lucky ones who for years has not had to be regimented by that ole nine to five routien, so my time is my own, and I can devote the ten minutes a day to keep my vehicles looking like the Mazda pictured below.
Once a year, a good coat of wax, and after that a simple damp rag to remove any accumulation of dirt or dust.
Then, the product that keeps these vehicles looking like this.
Once the car has been wiped down with a damp rag, dried with a clean soft towel, then comes the spritz of windex.
The windex is what brings out, and keeps the fantastic shine.
The vehicles get wiped down with the damp rag just about every day.
The windex treatment is once a week.
After it rains, the dirt from the rain is easily removed with the damp rag, then dried to the brilliant shine.
No car wash, and definetely no soap.
Soap does nothing but eat wax.
Why do you see so many people at the car wash?
Simple, their cars get dirty quicker because the constant washing with soap removes the wax.
Without a good wax coating, the finish is like a magnet too dirt.
Sure the vehicle looks nice when it leavs the car wash, but days later, it already has lost that "clean look".
As for chrome (which our Mazdas have none) there is no better thing to clean and shine it than windex.
With today's economy, this treatment will save you some bucks.
No need to spend 12 bucks at the car wash.
Take ten minutes and keep your vehicles looking like new.
It is amazing how the wheels came out.
I have sworn by this system for many, many years now.


Bob.

 

It doesn't matter what color your vehicle is (although black really stands out), ten minutes and you can have this shine all the time.
For you dudes and dudesses,that live in winter climates, waxing twice a year will make it a lot easier to keep it clean.
Even in the winter, if you are close to a hose, a good rinsing will remove most of that winter crud.
My Dakota took one hour to wax when I did it.
It was done about 6 months before this picture was taken.
This finish is strickly a windex shine.
All my toys are a labor of love.
Ten minutes a day on each, and the results speak for themselves, plus, no public car wash, EVER.



Bob.

 

Used to to have the same shine with Clindow I believe it was. Never washed the Peterbuilt. Took it into many Truck Shows and drove off with the Trophies though
But it is different when you are in and out of mud and into a lot of rain. The mud around here does not come off with water, nor does the residue from driving through the rain. So actually wiping a dirty vehicle down to me is not an option since it will scratch the paint.
I use Dawn Dish washing Detergent just before I clay bar to get the wax off and in between waxing I do use Meguiar's Car Wash. it will actually enhance the wax. I also gave up on Window Cleaners in general because of Ammonia, which eats the wax although Stoners window cleaner is ammonia free.
If I am doing a quick detail job I use Meguiar's Detailers mist instead of Glass cleaner.
This is after a hard winter, about 2 weeks before I waxed it and after 100 miles in the mountains it was dusty, from the front wheels back

This is after Waxing it 2 weekends ago


BTW Bob, not disagreeing, just offering another way of doing it.
Also the Shine on my 6 year old F150 is still better than the day it came off the new car lot

 

I've always used windex in the door jams while I'm cleaning the windows, but never knew if it was harmfull on the paint.
Therefore not using it on anything else.

Thanks for the tips.

Also, has anybody heard any reviews on the new Turtle Wax ICE Car Polish?

 

I have had so many tell me that windex hurts the paint.
In over 40 years that I have been using it on the body, I have yet to see one bit of damage to the finish.
Just the opposite, the finish always has a shine with a lot of depth.
Never used them, but I would guess some of the products used for a "quick" clean and shine do work, but I am sticking with what I know really works.
One point about being told windex ruins the wax, I have yet to see one bit of evidence from these people that say that.
On the other hand, my three vehicles above prove windex does a great job.
Bob.

 

I used it on my truck, both the liquid clay bar and the polish. The Clay bar to me had something to be desired, the polish is what you see on my truck in the above picture, over a year old in that shot.
What I really like about it is it tells you it is safe and to use it on plastic.
I was going to wash and wax the truck this weekend but the rains came. I am going to wax it with Meguiar's Gold Class first and then put the Ice over it. The shine with both is phenomenal. But I will be using a normal clay bar, even going over it 2 or 3 times there was stuff that a regular clay bay got in 1 try.