The most significant thing you can do to enhance any car's appearance is to keep it clean. My MINI gets a bath almost every weekend througout the summer. Additionally, I protect its finish with Zaino, a high-quality polymer wax proven in comparisons to beat even the most expensive waxes. Another important incredient is the Mr. Clean AutoDry which filters my hard city water and truly dries with no water spots. I love to try new cleaning products (within reasonable cost), and once awhile come across something revolutionary. I try to find produces that not only look great and perform well, but that can stand up to New England weather. Below is a list of my current detailing products, updated constantly as I find better products.

WASH Zaino Z7 Show Car Wash or any other quality high-lubricity car wash soap such as Prima Mystique. Genuine wool wash mitts hold dirt away from the paint surface like no other material. Sonus Professional Bucket with Grit Guard, and saves my back and knees when I use it as a rolling seat for work on low areas. Ultimate Hose Nozzle, 5/8" rubber hose, quick disconnects and GoodYear shutoff valve (last two from home depot). Mr. Clean AutoDry Pro for filtered water on the final rinse. The AutoDry in one hand and a wash mitt in the other is all you need for a 10-minute car wash, but I no longer use it for washing as the soap leaves a film that is not compatible with applying other products. The Sonus Der Wunder Drying Towel for drying. Waffle-weave microfiber drying towels absorb a lot, but unlike The Absorber and chamois products are safe to drag across your paint. WAX Zaino Z2 Pro Show Car Polish for near-top durability and decent looks. This may change soon with my upcoming wax tests! Klasse All-In-One and Klasse Sealant Glaze for durability in the winter--see my tests. Paradise Skinny microfiber applicator for hand application of wax and polish. I also like the Sonus Der Wunder Applicator but its pad is a bit too thick. Concours Buffing Towel amazingly soft microfiber towel for buffing off wax and quick detail. Paradise Monster Fluffy is simply the softest microfiber anything I've ever felt. For buffing off dried wax and applying QD. And a great pillow! WHEELS Sonus Rim Bright amazingly zaps away brake dust while safe for painted rims. A good alternative is P21S. Zaino Z16 Perfect Tire Gloss unlike the silicone sprays, wheels are not too glossy, does not attract brake dust, and doesn't disappear with water. Meguiars Versa-Angle Wheel Face Brush for cleaning most of the rim. Meguiars Wheel Spoke Brush the only brush that effortlessly gets between spokes, even between the rim and brake caliper allowing you to clean the inside.

INTERIOR Meguiars Quik Interior Detailer Interior Wipes for general dash and interior cleaning. Vinylex cleaner and protectant is perfect for the leatherette seats and many other items such as the rubber floor mats. 303 Fabric Cleaner is simply the best fabric stain remover there is, also great for laundry stains. GLASS Prima Clarity Glass Cleaner the only product I've found to compete with 1Z that also lets you breathe. Apply with newspaper or MF glass cleaning cloth. Zaino Z12 Glass Polish used once in a while to grind away everything that can't be cleaned from windows. PPG Aquapel Glass Treatment repels rain from the windshield and lasts for months. PLASTIC AND RUBBER Black Wow for exterior textured plastic trim. Custom formulated by a MINI owner, last much much longer than any other treatment product I've tested. 303 Aerospace Protectant UV-protects all vinyl, rubber gaskets, etc. Magical uses include trim cleaner, and brake dust repellent for rims. Plexus Plastic Polish cleans, polishes, and protects all smooth plastics. Makes the plastic over the spedometer seem invisible. MISC Porter Cable 7424 random orbit polisher with SFX polishing pads and polish for polishing out scratches and swirl marks. Simple Green to remove tar, bugs, etc and first season wash (removes wax). Meguiars ScratchX polishes out the occasional but horrifying scratch in the clearcoat. Nevr-Dull Wadding Polish only for bare metal and real chrome parts. Removes rust from driving lights! Also polishes gas door and exhaust tips. Clay Magic Clay Bar Kit a decent inexspensive clay bar for removing contaminates from paint. Car Duster for days after washing, a quick dust makes it look just washed again. PaintScratch touch-up paint pens.

Here is a quick summary of my various cleaning processes:

QUICK WASH (Weekly)
-Wash wheels
-Pressure rinse
-Wash with Mr. Clean soap and microfiber mitt
-Rinse
-Final rinse with Mr. Clean filtered water
-Let air dry

WAX (6-8 weeks)
-Wash wheels
-Wash with Zaino Z-7 car wash and microfiber mitt
-Remove grease spots with simplegreen
-Rinse, and again with Mr. Clean filtered water
-Hand dry with Absorber
-Air dry for 15 min
-Apply Zaino Z-2 Pro with microfiber applicator
-Cure for 15-30 min
-Buff off with Concours microfiber towl

SPRING POLISH AND DETAIL (Yearly)
-At least 1 week before: Touch up paint
-Wash wheels
-Wash with dish soap
-Rinse thoroughly and again with Mr. Clean filtered water
-Claybar
-Quickly wash and rinse again to remove clay lube
-Random Orbit Polish of scratched areas
-Random Orbit Polish entire surface for swirl marks
-Quickly wash and rinse again to remove any remaining polish
-Dry with Absorber
-Apply Zaino Z-2 Pro mixed with ZFX
-Cure for 15 min, buff off
-Apply second coat of Zaino, buff

For some great detailing tips, see Autopia's Detailing How-Tos.

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updated 8/15/07 ©Josh Wardell