I just bought and '07 IP and Stone Coupe and want to buy some nice car washing materials (soaps, cloths, etc.). I am having the exterior and interior protection put on today so I have a couple of days before I wash again.

B

 

By some microfiber cloths, and some Zaino products and call it day. Also the Meguires products such as their Tech Wax products work well too.

 

Would you recommend Meguiar's or Taino?

 

For washing, you'll want a good car soap, 100% sheepskin mitt (or MF mitt), a couple of wash buckets, and a couple of dehydrating towels.

For waxing/sealing, you should have a few MF polishing towels and your product of choice. You can't go wrong with Zaino Z2/Z5.

 

Would you recommend a shammy or MF cloths for drying?

 

A few months ago, I switched from a Chamois to a drying towel like this and I find the drying towels do a MUCH better job and are easier to use. I wish I would of started using one sooner.

 

MF cloths. It'll glide over the paint vs chamois will tend to get stuck and grab onto the paint. very irritating.

no matter what products you get to seal the paint (zaino, wg, dg, etc) make sure the paint is clean. a good clay would probably be best to start with after the wash. then seal it with a sealant like zaino, duragloss, menzerna, klasse, wolfgang, am i confusing you? welcome to the world of detailing

 

I use a sheepskin mitt and then a CA Waterblade to get the excess water off the car. Then I go back with microfiber cloths to completely dry the car. Works well.

 

First of all never wash your car in direct sunlight....major no no! Do not use
those water blades from Ca. Carcover.....the smallest rock will cause a
scratch that's impossible to remove. Micro-fiber mits are the best when used
with the dual bucket system. Don't laugh, I use a leaf blower to remove the
excess water from the body/wheels.....it works good! Micro-fiber towels work
great because most of the water on your G was blown off.......your done!!
If your like me it still need more perfection I'll use micofiber towels and
a good detail spray like Adam's and wipe down the car once more....look'in
good!

 

What is the dual bucket system? You are not worried about blowing something onto your car after you washed it?

 

The two bucket system is recommended because one bucket holds your clean soapy water, while the other holds your rinse water. The bucket that holds your rinse water will have quite a bit of dirt at the bottom when you are done from rinsing off your sheepskin or MF mitt. It basically keeps the dirt and grit out of your clean soapy water, and therefor prevent swirl marks.

More info here.

 

I like to try and remove a lot of the dirt and grit with my hose before immersing the mitt in the rinse bucket.

 

Here is some more GREAT information on washing/drying from George's Detail University forum.

http://www.detailuniversity.com/foru...esson-1-a.html

 

Here is a good thread

https://g35driver.com/forums/care-detailing/147922-ask-professional-detailer.html

 

I've used nothing but Zaino products from day 1 and I have no swirl marks in my paint and the leather still looks almost new (not bad for a 4 year old car) I clay it 3 times a year and apply 4 coats of the Zaino Z-2. I touch the leather up with there leather cleaner and conditioner every other month (their leather conditioner smells like leather, not chemically or fruity). I also hit the car up with the Z-6 Spray after washing it, helps keep dust from sticking to the car. I use simple green (much better for the environment and will not stain your driveway) to clean my rims from brake dust (not much of a problem now after putting on Hawk APS pads). I also really like the z-16 Tire gloss as it stays on for a long time and does not spin off the tires.

They have a kit that has everything you'll need to get started:
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=20

Get some good quality MF towels for the exterior, cotton diapers cut down work great for cleaning the dash and console (virtually lent free) and a white t-shirt followed by newspaper works best for the windows.

Hope this helps!!