When I first got my A4 1.8, I was on the market for a great line of car care products. I did all the research; I even called the manufactures to find some more information. Well after all the time spent, I decided to go with Meguiar's line of products.

They have a great web site, you can go there and get a list of the suitable products for your car matched to the area you live in, they call it a Car Care Prescription, and it's free.

Personally I want my car to always look great, it's pretty hard when you have the brilliant black, and to keep my car looking clean, I wash it every Sunday morning when I still have some shade in the driveway. And as for waxing and polishing, I do that every 4-6weeks, (more on that later).

Meguiar's Gold Class premium car wash shampoo & Conditioner

Pretty elaborate name for soap. Don't you think? This stuff is great, smells great too! Put a small amount into a 3 gallon bucket, and spray it with water from the hose, it makes a lot of soap. It takes off all the crap and stuff and washes away quickly. If you have Bird S**t on you car just put a drop concentrated soap on to it. Let it sit for a while and wash it off. It wont strip off your wax. This is a great Product.

Gold Class Clear Coat Prep & Swirl Reducer

You should only use this once before Spring and fall, or when your paint is not perfectly smooth, After you wash and dry your car, feel the paint with the palm of your hand, If it feels a little gritty or rough it's time to use the clear coat prep. It removes oxidation and some light scratches, as well as some stains. They recommend you use it twice a year. It comes with its own foam applicator pad and goes on easy. It's not too abrasive so you may have to reapply on some of the deeper swirls. It removed all the swirl marks in one application on my friends A6. This is another great product.

Meguiar's Deep Crystal System Polish

This product brings that deep "wet look" back to your car. I apply the polish before I wax and it does a great job of creating that deep luster. It takes a lot of time to do. It's also really hard to take off. You need to really rub and use plenty of terry cloths.

When you removing the product change your point of view to make sure you got everything, "you don't want to wax over the dried polish". I recommend you do one panel at a time. This is a great step if you have the time.

Gold Class Clear Coat Car Wax (paste in a can)

I think this is the best car wax I have ever used. It even smells good, not that I go around sniffing cleaning products. The paste comes in a can and it includes an applicator pad. The pad like all the other Meguiar's pads, they are yellow and they're made of foam. When I first felt the material I thought they where too abrasive and rough. I was worried that they may cause their own swirl marks. I called and asked "better be safe than sorry" if it would be safe on my brilliant black paint, you know not cause those ugly swirl marks that show up in reflected sun light. First the pad is just abrasive enough when using the clear coat prep, to remove the oxidation. Second when using the paste wax, the wax fills the porous material and it goes on really smooth. The wax dries in not too much time and comes off easy. Just do one panel at a time and don't get ahead of your self. If it's a small panel like a door or fender, stop and let sit until it's completely dry, also your arm will have time to rest (it will be really tired after removing all the polish).

It leaves a clear protective film, that lasts a month to a month and a half depending on where its parked most of the day, indoors or out. It makes washing really easy. The water sheets of quicker and the dirt comes of easier. This is really great wax.

This may seem like a lot, but a nice CLEAN car is great to have. It's not obsessive if taken in stride. Wash one a week and wax once every 4 - 6 weeks. It keeps your car looking great. And don't worry about missing a week or two, it's not the most important thing in the world, you'll get to it later.

For me it's like a form of meditation (no really listen) I go into my zone and the outside fades away, It's really peaceful. And when you're done you have a great looking car. I forgot where I heard this, but a recent survey showed that people with clean cars get into less accidents.