Audacs4

I recently received the Griot's Garage catalog and was browsing. I'm pretty religious about washing and waxing (using Turtle Wax liquid wax), but I've never gotten obsessive-compulsive enough to get into paint clay, vinyl treatments, and bizarre rituals involving Q-tips and sponges.

Am I missing anything here? What's a reasonable cleaning/detailing regime that will preserve my car, if not my fragile self-esteem?

That coiled hose looks pretty handy, though...

Jim De Arras

You need to buy a Chevy! ;-)

Ralo Jookey

is reasonable to me may not be to you. the whol point of doing this cleaning and what not is to keep it clean. you know-that showroom shine. be it in all areas of the car, engine,seats,that see through dash plastic thingy so you dont poke your needles, paint, wheels.

its all up to you. if you want perfection clean every "nook and cranny" inside and out. for paint i use a paint cleaner then i wax the car(self explanitory).

find whats best for you.

digital dog

The Griot's products are by and large quite good. Their Window Cleaner is the best I've ever used (be sure to get their disposable blue towels).

Clay works really well in prep-ing a car for wax. If your paint is in good condition (you don't need to polish to remove deep artifacts or scratches), clay does a quick job.
Griot's wax is pretty good although if you want THE best carnauba wax known to man (and you have very deep pockets), look Pinnacle Sourveran (8oz will set you back $69!) It goes on and off so fast and easy you can wax the entire car in about 10 minutes and the shine is amazing! Most of the Pinnacle products are excellent but very pricey. But your Audi will be very happy. A HUGE step past Turtle wax! If the price of the Pinnacle is scary, the Griot's best of show is pretty good.

Shredster

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This stuff is incredible!! I love it on my wheels... I use to wax them so that I could easily wipe brake dust off between washing. Now I just spray on and wipe off Plexus!! It leaves your wheels so smooth and polished for a long long time. I am addicted to this stuff (not a huffing addiction though hehehe). I call it 7th day wonder polish... don't limit yourself, spray it on the paint... it's awesome on clear coating!
Inbetween washings, I also use it on the paint just behind the wheels to wipe off grime and polish at the same time.<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/404723.phtml">https://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/404723.phtml</a</li></ul>

dkirk

I just tried some Meguire's #26. Easy to apply and the shine is great.

Ted K

for what it's worth. I've never been too obsesive either. I wax and clean regularly, and have been using the same products for some time. However, lately I have gotten more into it and use the following. The results have absolutely astounded me, and given that I am generally very hard to please, it's even more amazing. Interesting also that I just received the Griot's catalogue, and saw just a few items I plan on ordering:

First, I don't believe in using any clays. I hear from some pretty experienced people, as well as the guy who owns www.carcareonline.com (Check this site out, I really like the products, and get the majority of my stuff from him. He'll take time to talk to you to explain things.) and they all say that clay removes some paint and is nothing new. It's been used for years in paint shops to remove overspray. Clay your car enough times, and their won't be any paint left. NO FLAMING PLEASE, just MHO.

Griots has some towels that I like that have the words "wax" and "dry" woven right in. I like using towels to dry, to wipe off wax, and when spraying with a detailing spray, however have become concerned as I get these circular swirl/spider web scratches and I think it's being caused by the towels, which probably contain polyester even though they say they don't. Also, if you don't use a detailing spray, START. This is the single most used product I have. If you stay on top of your car, you can wash it half as much if you use this. Car dusty, mist it panel by panel with this stuff, and then wipe off. Buff with a flanel towel and it will look amazing.

Okay, here's my regiment:

Twice a year after winter and summer, I use a polish to strip off old wax and remove any scratches. This also moisturizes the paint and keeps it from cracking. Also, while wax protects your paint, most people don't polish (me included. I never new this step existed). It will make your car shine amazing. If there are surface scratches, I use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. I use it up to three times on each panel, depending if the scratches are gone. If there are none, skip to next step.

P21S gloss enhancing paintwork cleanser. This is also a polish, but less abrasive than 3M IHG. Really makes the car shine.

P21S concourse wax (in summer, about every month to 6 weeks) and One Grand Blitz Wax (in winter, maybe twice). The P21S is my favorite, however, it doesn't last as long as the Blitz, so since I don't wax as much in the winter, I switch for 5 months. The P21S though has the deepest shine you have ever seen, BAR NONE.

Lexol cleaner and conditioner twice a year on the seats and upholstory.

One Grand Show Off Quick Detailer, the nicest detailing spray I've used. Meguiars quick detailer is also very good, and the only other quality product in this category that I know of.

I wax my wheels each time I do the car, and wipe the brake dust off 2-3 per week. If it's dirty, and won't come off easily, I spray the wheels with Quick detailer. That usually does the trick (make sure they're not hot). If that doesn't work, P21S Wheel Cleaner.

For the dash and other vinyl, I am planning on using Harly PolyGuard. It is available from Carcare Online, and cost $9. It has a new car smell, and is supposed to leave a nicer shine than the Armor All I'm using now. I am also going to start using 3M Rubber Treatment and Tire Dressing on the tires as opposed to Armor All. My wifes new car had this on the tires, and it looks awesome, and lasts a long time.

I also have purchased several flannel cotton small towels from Carcare Online to use when buffing after waxing, and to also use with the detailing spray. Really nice.

And one other thing to be aware of. Try to apply wax, remove wax, and dry your car in straight movements, not in circles. Always work in the direction your eye looks at. This way, if you do scratch the paint, you won't notice it (i.e., your eye only sees scratches when perpendicular to the viewing angle. That's why circular scratches are visible from any angle). I therefore wipe the hood and trunk from front to back, and the Roof and sides up and down. So far so good.

Ted K

Yes, and I'm going to try this stuff. I hate the way the gage cluster scratches.

Ted K

Blitz in winter. Much, much better shine than Meguiars. And I thought they would bury me with a bottle in the coffin.

golddog

nice but lots of work. I've used the One Grand Blitz, and that is SO easy to apply and wipe off.