Just a few little tips for anyone who wants to avoid spending a fortune on the outside of their car. I have run a detail shop in the past, and worked in the car business for 15 years.
- Touchless wand washing every single time. Never use anything to rub the finish. Ever. That is where all scratches and swirls come from.
- Pre-soak the hell out of it, soap and rinse. Most people ignore the pre-soak because it isn't high pressure. Without pre-soak it won't get clean enough for the next step.
- Let the car air dry and use use Norton liquid ice on the car. Mist it on, wipe it off. Use a clean BRAND NEW micro fiber rag each time. Make sure you remove any tags from the rag as well they are scratch monsters. It will get rid of all film and water spots. I also use it on the glass, and it works just as good as rain-x. Liquid-ice is what almost every single dealer uses to touch up their shop room cars. This stuff is frikking amazing, and a bottle should last you a couple years:
I have been using this same process on all my cars for over a decade, in all colors, even black. Never once has the car needed to be polished, they still look brand new at 3-4 years old, with vritually no scratches or swirls. If you use this process from day one on a car, you should be able to go a decade without polishing it.
I cannot emphasize.... NEVER rub the finish with anything except a final polish. NEVER, EVER use the brush hanging on the wall of the car wash. I use that thing to clean mud off the frame of my Jeep, and so does every other guy. And then you go and sand your car with that dirt and mud.
Dealers will try and sell you all sorts of coatings and products, the one that is 100% worth the money is a full 3M wrap on the front.
Lastly, find a good car wash with heated cycles all around. I have mentioned it before, and I really don't want it getting too busy, but the Servpro wash by Heninger Toyota is the best in the city. I promised the gal there I would help them drum up a little business. I would hate it to get so slow, they shut it down. It is the self-serve carwash of the gods.