Well, I am turning 18 tomorrow and have had the GT for almost 2 weeks now.

My problem is keeping it clean. I live in a rocky area, and whenever I clean it, the dust from back roads cover it in a matter of days.

This is also the first car that I have really been **** about keeping clean and detailed. I was just wondering if I am doing this stuff right.

1) Wet the car
2) Wash the car using soap (Cherry stuff from Advance Auto Parts) and water
3) Wash off all the soap with water
4) Dry the car with my microfiber cloth towel (blue)
5) Then I use a white towel and get all the brake dust off of the rims
6) Use Bleach-White and clean the tires
7) Then I use Meguairs Gold Class Tire Spray to give it that wet black look
8) I use the Meguairs Interior wipes to remove dust and dirt from the plastics
9) I use the Megauirs Leather wipes to do the same for the seats

Is there anything I am missing.

I never really waxed a car and I am sorta scared to, because I think I will mess something up.

I do have a bottle of Meguairs Quick Wax spray because when I first read it, I thought it meant after a wash, spray it on and wipe off. Now that I read it again, it says you should only use it after you fully wax the car and wash it again.

If thats the case, maybe I should just take it to one of those, touchless Car Washes, get "The Works" which includes Wax, and that clearcoat stuff and then just dry off the car after the wash and use the Meguairs Quick Wax and procede to do the tires and then the interior.

What do you guys think?

Anything else I could do to keep my baby clean?

 

First of all congrats on the new GT!! I'll chip in with what I do on my Mustang (05 Sonic Blue V-6).

1) I wash mine by hand when I get the time but if necessary I'll go with the touchless wash. California Water Blade makes drying easy!

2) Claybar every 4-6 months--just keep the surface well lubricated with detail spray and run the clay bar over it...work in small sections & dry with a clean microfiber towel. Be careful not to drop the claybar--if it hits the ground its ruined (picks up all the dirt from the ground & will scratch).

3) Polish--use a good quality polish and be sure to use polishes & waxes in the shade...polishes & waxes are not the same, polishes improve the shine while waxes protect the surface from the elements. If you use a waxer be careful as you can burn through the paint--practice on an old beater car first. Work in small areas like you did with the clay bar and buff to a shine when the polish hazes over--spread the polish relatively thin so it will be easier to buff off...2 coats work good for me.

4)Wax--pretty much same as above--be extremely careful with polished & waxes around the plastic trim parts as they are extremely hard to remove...blue painters tape works great to cover them up. 2 coats are good. After this you can use detailing spray and spray waxes to maintain the surface when needed.

5)Sealant--Just a little extra protection if you've got the time & want to make the effort.

6)Leather, interior, glass, rims, tires, plastic/trim

Check out some of the other threads here for good ideas too. Any other comments folks?

 

for a beginner, mcquires has a really good three step system, i think it is called Deep Crystal Shine or something like that. it is avialable at any local auto parts store.

first wash and dry, then the three step system (all done by hand with just the product and microfiber towels)
step 1 is a paint cleaner
step 2 is a polish to give it a little shine
step 3 is a wax to protect the paint.

if you just follow the instructions on the bottle it really is pretty easy and since you will be doing it by hand (no buffer) it is pretty hard to destroy your paint. just take your time and it will come out looking better then new.

 

Yeah, thnx for the tips fellas. I will wash it this weekend when I take it up the mountains. During the week, I live and work in the city so I don't have time for it. But when I go up the mountains I get time to toy with it.

It sure is a fast way to rack up miles though. I have 750 already and its not even 2 full weeks of owning it.

 

For car washing , I use a grit-guard in my wash bucket. It helps trap grit in the bottom of the bucket so you don't pick it up when you put your wash mitt back in the bucket. Next time you wash your car, dump all but a few inches of water out of the bucket and see how much crap is in the bottom. I also use a cordless leaf blower before I dry to blow all the water out of the places water hides on the car. As far as waxing/polishing use good stuff. It's heavily debated as which is best, so we won't go there. I personally use Zaino. Have a look at the Zaino site. There is good info there about the basics of waxing/ polishing even if you don't choose thier product. You may also want to Google a car detailing forum, tons of info there.

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

 

One hint I have not seen here. use 2 buckets, one with soap and one with clean water. Soap up your wash cloth, wash car, rinse in clean water the wring it out. Then put it back in the soapy water. Repeat. No reason to dirty up the soapy water.
Another thing I do when very dirty, run it through the touchless car wash and then come home and hand wash it, gets a lot of loose gravel and dirt off. No reason to rub it into your paint.

 

Happy Birthday!

I find it best to wash the tires & wheels separately -- usually before washing the car -- using a bucket of strong suds and an older wash mitt. I use a spray-on, hose-off wheel cleaner like FX Wheel Cleaner if there is stubborn brake dust. I do use either Mothers Tire & Rubber Cleaner or Bleche-White for the tires. Rinse well, and rinse again after washing the car.

I like a sheepskin wash mitt for the paint.

There's a lot of good reading in this Detail Guide which you may find of use.