If you care about your car's paint condition then I would clean it myself. Going to those car washes will SCRATCH the HELL out of your car.. ever notice those "swirl" marks you see on cars from a certain angle when the sun hits it? Those "swirl" marks are created by improper detailing of the car. Ever since I got my brand new car, I wanted to make sure I knew how to take care of it so I read hours and hours on car detailing... this is pretty much where I learned ALL about car detailing
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/detailing/ ..I got a lot of my information from this particular thread from there
http://www.8thcivic.com/f...l-detailing-threads.html
Basically there are 7 steps to car detailing..
1.Wash
2.Clay ( removes contaminants that are stuck to the surface that regular washing wont remove)
3.Polish (If your paint has defects..)
4.Glaze (optional, gives paint more depth)
5.Seal (protects paint.. fills in little paint pores)
6.Wax (shine and protection)
7.Top Coat (optional)
This is what I do for my car:
1. I rinse all the dirt off..then scrub the vehicle using Meguiars gold class shampoo with a microfiber chenille mitt (a glove with dreadlocks on it).. rinse again, and dry it off with this super absorbent microfiber drying towel (got it from Chemical Guys.. checkem out online or if you're in socal you can go directly to them)..when I'm drying, I dab the towel onto the paint rather than pulling it along the paint to minimize my chance of scratching my car..
2. If you really want to have a smooth, glass like feeling to your car... you need to claybar your car! This only really needs to be done 2-4 times per year..I use Meguiars Claybar kit but Mothers' will do fine as well..
3. I don't polish my car since I have no paint defects in my car..
4. I haven't done this yet because I get lazy ...but if you have a darker color paint, use Meguiars #7 showcar glaze to give it that extra depth and wetness to your paint.
5/6. For these two steps, I use Meguiars NXT 2.0 synthetic wax... it's basically a sealer+wax combined into one.. I just apply with the foam applicator that comes with it and wipe it off with a microfiber detailing cloth
For my wheels: I spray with water and scrub with a tire brush... dry it off... then use Belche's tire bleach to remove the grime and dirt off the surface... it REALLY works.. when I sprayed it onto my tires.. all this nasty brown/green liquid came off.. after this, I dry again..then use Meguiars tire gel. I prefer using the gel because it's neater and easier to apply than a spray...
For my interior..I use Meguiar's natural shine protectant.
That's about it... when I do a full detail on my car.. it takes 5-6 hours...I enjoy doing it though.. it's kind of become a hobby for me! When you finish, it feels very satisfying and you feel like on top of the world when you drive your car
