Detailing Your Vehicle

[bentauto]

I agree with Mike, I have been using waterless car wash products for years. The water does bead off and you don't have to detail your car as often.

There is a trick us detailers always use. Take a cigarette wrapper and put it on your fingers. Rub part of the car before you clabar it and then after. You will feel a big difference!

I have tried every car wash on the market. I wasn't fond of Green Earth. I really like UltraLuster Wash. They have a site online too.

I have used all of them. I particularly like UltraLuster Wash. It has an acyrlic polymer base and when you detail your car it lasts for a long time. I started a blog about waterless car washing if anyone would like to check it out...

Waterless Car Wash Online Blog

[BDDave]

The last time I waxed my Prius, I put wax on the plastic trim pieces (around where the mirrors mount and between the side windows) and now they have turned a very dull color. Is there anything that can be done to restore their original shinny black finish?

[Tideland Prius]

The mirror mounts aren't shiny to begin. They're unpolished black plastic. Peanut butter will remove the wax. Back To Black will restore the black plastic shine.

[Blackbird]

Originally Posted by Rae Vynn

I want to say Thank you for thinking of the environment. Personally, so far, I've made use of the rainwater that fell on my Prius, and took out a large microfiber towel and just dried off the marks (I have a Super White Prius).
According to Grist (environmental news) taking your car to a carwash is environmentally friendlier than washing it yourself under normal conditions.
First, a carwash has waste water handling, and the waste water isn't going down the storm drains straight to the [insert nearest body of water here]. A carwash has the soap in the correct proportion to the water, and is using, probably, a low-sudsing formula. Carwashes have to adhere to local environmental regulations, as far as what types of cleaners, etc.

If you park your car on the lawn when wash it, you recycle 100% of the water you're using .

Moti

[Tideland Prius]

Added new links to the first post

[Verde]

I've tried a lot of products and techniques for washing/waxing/detailing my cars. Here are a few tips that work well for me:
1. I use a number of products from Griot's garage (griotsgarage.com). They have a range of useful items and have expressed concerns about the environmental impact of some types of products. For example, their wheel cleaner is explicitly environmentally 'friendly' where most other brands clearly are not. It takes a bit more labor to use, but it's worth it.
My favorite products are: Speed-Shine (useful for a wide variety of applications), Waterless Spray-On Wash (instead of using water to wash the car), Car Wash (another environmentally friendly product), and their Clay Bar. And I use their Paint Squeegee and Micro-fibre drying towel for getting the water off the car. BTW, I have no personal or financial association with Griot's.
2. For washing, I use a technique that I first spotted at this site: The Proper Hand Wash - Jason's Automotive Detailing Spa. Read down to the 'Foam Gun' product and use. It's incredibly simple and radically simplifies the process of washing the car. And it minimizes the amount of grit you end up dragging over the car. Ditto on the non-relationship with Jason's.
3. I'm not much of a believer in carnuba wax for anything but a show/weekend car. My Prius (and most others I suspect) is a daily driver and so I use an acrylic product to protect the finish. In theory it produces less of a shine than a well-applied carnuba, but it is a lot tougher, is simple to apply and lasts much longer. I use Klasse. A product that's been around for years. If you want a better shine, try using Klasse after clay and polishing (optional) and then coat it with a layer of carnuba wax.
4. Clay'ing your car is about the greatest invention in the history of car washing. Used with a proper lubricant (I use Griot's Speed-Shine) it removes all of the surface grit, sap, goo, bugs, etc., that otherwise are near impossible to remove. It is a simple must-do first step (after washing) before you wax your car.
5. Polishing is really a chore. You don't have to do it very often, but it makes a big difference - particularly if you have a dark colored car. I'm at a point in my life where I wouldn't consider doing it without a machine. An orbital (not rotary) polisher is a must for this task. Porter Cable or Griot's make some good ones.
All said, I'm pretty sure that your local car wash is more water-efficient than washing your car at home, just as a dishwasher is more efficient than hand washing your dishes. I'm not a slob about it and try to minimize water waste, but I know I'm being inefficient. I consider car maintenance to be a hobby, not a chore, so I rationalize it that way. It's your call.