Jack88

I asked over in the D4 forum, but I'm curious if it's any different here in the D3 forum. I just got done getting the car all cleaned up after a couple of days rain. I like to wash it myself by hand whenever I can(I can't do it once it starts to get too cold.) I start with cleaning the wheels, including inside the rims, wash the exterior, underhood, trunk, then interior. I do wonder how many others here do all this. How do you guys do it?

Jehu8

If doing inside and out I start with the interior vacuum and wipe down, then move to the wheels then the rest of the exterior using a two bucket method and/or a electric power washer. Use quick detailer while drying.

If im doing a seasonal mini detail I do the above in the same order but add leather conditioner to all leather pieces, go over every plastic nook and cranny with some jelly substance that picks up dust( cant remember the name right now). Clean the windows and rear view mirror then shampoo carpets if needed. On the outside start with the wheels, then I wash the car twice starting at the top working my way down. Using automotive glass cleaner on all windows then i take a razor to the windshield. Clay bar the car and the windshield. Wax the whole car including windows. I dont wax the rubber, taillights, headlights, fog lights shroud holding fog lights and wheels. Use tire spray on tires and the fog light shroud. go to sleep.

Cboogie

Wow!!! Nice. I need your routine to do this to mine. Only had mine 4 months but it is now time to winterize it with a nice wax job.

I usually spray mine down with the quarter wash soap rinse and soap then go through the touchless spray wash and get the works. I then take a damp towel and wipe it down and then go over it with a microfiber cloth.
I then hit the wheels with the damp cloth to clean out dust. Spray tires let them dry while wiping down inside and then move car forward and spray tires again.

I then vacuum the carpet and winter mats that came with car. Vacuum trunk finish wiping interior. Auto glass cleaner in and out.

Then final damp towel to hit the wheels to get any over spray.


Usually in late spring after all the slush is gone. I remove my seats and give a deep vacuum and carpet shampoo (next april with be the first for this car)


Do you have a list of products you use?

TSHong

I have mine hand washed and vacuumed at least once a week. I'm in a wheelchair so I'm not going to wash my car. Even if I was able bodied, I would have it washed. I would wax my car if I could. Do do the sides, front and rear sometimes but I can't reach the hood and roof.

sbcrazy

I like to put the car in lift when washing it. Helps to get the lower parts and inner fender liners.

doddski

Mine normally gets washed a couple of times a month.
Went through a stage where it was some weekly for a while.

I start with rinsing for the panels
Spray wheel cleaner on all the wheels - rinse off after 5/10 minutes or so (no scrubbing required - win!)
I like to hand wash using hot water, I find it works a whole lot easier and better.
Go top to bottom, starting with the front of the car.
Pay attention to the suspension, clean that too / what can be reached easy.
I chamois down the car, then open the doors and boot and dry all the door jams down.
Tyre shine!
Then I move onto the rest of the interior with a wipe down.

Leather condition every other wash or if it needs it / can be bothered.

I enjoy cleaning my car, I like it and the result at the end of all the effort.
I only trust one other person to wash my car only because he is more pedantic about it than I am lol!

hifiglie

Here in the Springfield Ma area we can buy a monthly carwash pass which comes in handy. Mine goes thru once a week min and hand wax about every 3months which includes a thorough interior clean as well.

volvopentaman

Usually every week in the autumn, even 2 times a week, IF the weather is rainy, or they have put road salt.

I start by pressure washing from the roof downwards, and give a bit more thorough wash from halfway of the doors downwards to get all the mud and grime away. I especially wash the wheels, tires and tire-wells, and on my volvo (that does not have plastic underlining like the A8) i wash even the bottom of the car lightly with the pressure washer to get possible road salt off.

After that when the car is still wet, i take a 10L bucket of hot (45-60ēc) water with shampoo (sometimes just hand wash liquid or hand-dish washing, as long as it gives as much foam as possible. I wash the car with a SOFT brush from the roof, trunk and bonnet first, then the sides all the way to halfway of the doors, inside the door sills, and last the lower part of the doors and the tires and rims last with an old dish-wash brush. This to not get any mud or other dirt particles up on the car.

Then i rinse with pressure washer or just rain water.

After this operation i wax with Autoglym Radiant Wax Polish and lastly with Autoglym Ultra deep shine.

More seldom i vacuum the car, and at the same i usually (2-3 times a year) put leather care on the leather in the car. I don't vacuum it so often, because I'm very meticulous with keeping dirt otside the car when I or my friends enter it. So there is no need for continous vacuuming.

Cboogie

My kids just look at my car and dirt gets on the mats they are magic :P They are not allowed to eat in my car. When we get take out the food goes in the Trunk(Boot if you call it that) so no food smells get in the cabin.

I have to vacuum weekly. the Shop vac does the job no extra money spent there

My wife treats cars like a driving trash cans with wrappers and papers stuffed in every crevice she can along with crumbs. She is not allowed to drive my car at all and when she gets in she must throw away everything not necessary before she gets in.

She does not understand why I'm like this, but then I show her the grime and disgusting mess she has in her car. The time it takes me to clean out her grime in her car I can full detail my entire car with hand wax.

Junius

Every Sunday morning, I rinse my car first with cool water then I wash with turtle was soap, from side to side. I also wash the tires and wheels due to the nasty brake dust that happens to dirty the wheels every 3 days or so. Then I rinse the soap off and dry the car and wheels with soft car towels. After cleaning the windows inside and out along with vacuuming/ cleaning dashboard and crevices, I use tire shine on the tires 2 times in a row to get complete shine. I continue to get all the missed water spots while allowing the tires to dry. After, I clean the dust from the engine compartment and check all fluids and tire pressure, then done. All and all, takes about 2 and a half hours. Once every 2 or three months, I hand wax the car with turtle Carnauba wax, and go in for a complete detail once or twice a year.