An Illustrated Guide to Detailing Your Car

What’s the purpose of the newspapers for cleaning the glass? I’ve never heard that tip before.

@Danny (& staff) -

Using newspapers to clean your windows is useless. Many years ago, newspaper ink contained acetone, which worked as a solvent on windows.

But newsprint no longer contains this chemical, so this advice is no longer relevant.

I have to say, I never believed in the whole newspaper-to-clean-windows thing, until my wife told me to use them on the windows of our house. I expected ink to run off and the paper to fall apart.
I was amazed how well it worked. The windows were very clean with very little streaking. It still feels weird to use newspaper, but it works.

Where’s the step regarding cold beer?

@Wil
I agree,a thorough two bucket wash (soapy water one bucket, plain rinse water in other bucket), with tire, rim, and underside clean. Plus engine bay, door jam and sills and trim/seals. Make sure none of the water sun dries leaving water marks. Shammy (chamois) dry. Followed by clay bar, then a quick rinse wash. Shammy dry again, then wipe with micro fibre. Hand wax (synthetic wax) being careful to not touch any plastic (dont need to wax every time you wash). Windows clean (I use InvisibleGlass aerosol) and apply RainX (that stuff is liquid gold!).
That right there is 3-4 hours.

Inside the car, vacuum headliner, use the brush attachment to vacuum around the various switches and knobs as well as the perforated leather seats. Vacuum floor mats, carpeting, under seats, trunk, deck behind rear seats/ below rear window. Wipe dash, trim, all plastic with a dull finish cleaner. I use AutoGlym leather cleaner and leather care balm on my seats and all other leather trim on doors/dash. I give the steering wheel a wipe with the balm, let it sit for a few minutes, then thoroughly wipe with a clean microfibre so the wheel wont be slippery at all.
I never have wrappers, garbage, or receipts in my cars but in the off chance I do they are all taken out. Inside of windows get cleaner, as well as mirrors and screens.

If I’m doing ‘my’ full detail, like you said, basically a full day per vehicle. I do the regime once a month for each car, and the daily driver usually gets washed 2+ times per month and I spot vacuum after passengers with dirty shoes have been in, or after trips to the cottage (or wherever). Takes 2 seconds to spot vacuum when you get home and it makes the car look 99% clean all the time.

While washing the car, it’s good to check the oil level, coolant level (how’s the colour look too?), tread wear and inflation (PSI inflation is usually on a sticker on the driver door jam), washer fluid, if your transmission has a dip stick check that too, power steering fluid will have a dipstick to check as well, and break fluid will have an indicator on the side of the reservoir. Check all lights, turns signals, etc.
That’s all stuff literally anyone can, and should be doing.

Always follow the product’s instructions where they disagree with these. For instance the wax I have – Eagle One Gel – says to apply and then immediately remove. If you left it on for 20+ minutes it would be a real hassle getting it off and wouldn’t improve your results. Also, nothing beats modern microfiber towels for glass and interiors. Just make sure to use the right texture for the surface: terry for the interior, smooth for glass. Usually with microfiber you don’t even need a cleaner, just water. I have yet to find a cleaner that can cut the grime that develops on the inside of a windshield like just a wet microfiber towel.

I’ve found that newspapers don’t leave little fuzz like paper towels or rags tend to do.

Newspaper is awesome along with some Windex. The newspaper leaves hardly any lint, etc and does an excellent job cleaning. Plus, most people have a ton of it laying around.

Make a poster out of this. I’d buy it and put it in my garage.

@Dustin

Good catch… I had a ’72 Super Beetle.

I like to detail the truck with my kids. (now 14 and 12) They are great for getting the low hanging areas and really enjoy cleaning the truck. Their favourite part, applying and removing the wax. It’s really funny seeing my daughter on a ladder to wax the roof. They take a lot of pride in making sure they get every last spot. It makes for great family time.

I do this for a living. I’ll do that exact step by step 3 or 4 times a day while I’m at work.

I was lucky enough to apprentice in a body and paint shop for 4 years throughout highschool.

All of the tips so far are great…besides the waxing; this is simply overdone all the time and beginners with automated tools typically ruin finishes or burn through clear coat.

3M makes Handpolish/Handglaze (very plain looking clear bottle with tan/brown liquid) that can be purchased at any major automotive paint supply store. Simply apply this with very clean soft cloth until it coulds up and then cut the residue off with a new clean cloth. This will result in a finish that feels like glass.

Hope this helps.

Doing all these things will make any car look much better, but unfortunately, if you still have all those little nicks and dents from people smacking your parked car with their doors and grocery carts and such, you will still look kind of like a jalopy. Anybody got any good hints for that?

Yikes! If you clean the windows inside and out with glass cleaner you will destroy your window tint! You need a special automotive cleaner, as Windex eats the tinting on the inside of your glass.

I cleaned my truck up all day once, drove across town and it was already splashed with mud. It’s what happens when you live in a small dusty town. So I just focus the effort in making the inside look and smell awesome.

For cleaning glass, I started using a small bucket of warm water with a just a drop or two of dishsoap, and a quarter cup of vinegar. Don’t go crazy with the dishsoap. Maybe in a gallon of water? I don’t ever measure it exactly. Anyway, this cuts right through grease and the film on the inside of the windshield. I’ll use a small cloth to wash the windows, then a separate dry towel to dry them. Never have streaks unless the windows are warm from the sun. I do this on our house windows too. I’ll never by windex or other glass products again.

Newspaper is a very effective material to clean the car and it also does not leave fur like cotton.
Thanks for Sharing.