Plasticar

This is exactly why you should avoid charity car washes, no matter how cute the cheerleaders are. They almost always use dish soap, which strips all your hard applied wax.

Parsec

I never though of that, although that makes sense considering Dawn is a lot cheaper than even cheap car wash detergent like Turtle Wax. You make a very good point and I will avoid them in the future.

ELEVENS

Depends how cute the cheerleaders are

Otto Man

Maybe I'm wrong but I got the impression "jgottsman" was asking about routine cleaning, not once a year.
With that being said, get a GOOD WOOL Wash Mitt and use a high quality liquid car wash with a gallon or 2 of water. Do small sections at a time never letting soapy water dry. Rince with light pressure. Dry with the fluffiest towels you can afford....IN A STRAIGHT Back and Forth motion, Lightly! THIS IS IMPORTANT!
Wax or Polish every 6 months. This is a whole new chapter!
If you had painted your calipers black you would not have too much of a problem.
Avoid "Wheel Cleaners" on your wheels. They will eat you wheel paint off over time. Short (15 seconds) exposure will be OK.
All from my experience over the years
Hope that helps
Chris

ATC69

Dry with 100% cotton made in USA (imports are not always 100%, even though they say so), or micro fiber towels.
Otto Man is right about the wool mitt.

antirich

Just wondering, can anyone recommend a good cleaner for the steering wheel? I LOVED the original matte finish, but in a short time, that finish is going away from oils in the skin ( as expected). Have a feeling it'll look like an old Honda steering wheel when I'm done with the car in 3 years.

Anything out there that can keep or restore that original matte finish? Or at least, not put a shine on it?

Parsec

This is the best stuff money can buy (although it's really not that expensive):
http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einzett-cockpit-premium.html

It is specifically designed to keep the matte finish on luxury European cars and it's made in Germany too

idale

Cheaper getting it from the US distributor (save 99 cents!): http://www.1z-usa.com/einszett_cockpit_premium.html

The only thing I don't like about them is that they're here in Austin but I can't just go up there and pick up so it has to ship within town.

BirdmanQ5

I usually buy a pack of microfiber cloths and some windex, and start with the windows. Once I've left them nice and streaky, I contort myself into a position you would only see in cirque du soleil and attempt to wipe the pano roof.

I then use a damp cloth to wipe down the console, ridding it of dust and cookie crumbs. Dust tends to build up around the corners of the windows by the side mirrors, so I jam my cloth in there hoping to clean it up.

I then realize that my mats are covered in **** and my doors are oily and streaky like they were opened by friends after a trip to mcdonalds.

I lie down, try not to cry, cry alot, and then decide that my car is so filthy that all hope is lost.

I then take it to a detailing place on P4 of a parking garage who cleans my car inside and out for $30.

antirich

Cool, thanks. Just placed an order :-)