Wax a new car?

Your vehicle is a mass produced product with so many parts made as cheaply as possible and the steps to assemble them does not keep them clean. So from the perspective of a professional detailer your car rolls off of the dealership lot filthy and needs a huge amount of cleaning.

Also brand new paint needs to be treated and properly cared for it you want that paint to still look nice in years to come. It's way more than a wax job.

And with the amount of money you spent on a brand new car it makes sense to spend close to $1K on having it professionally cleaned. Alternatively you can DIY the job... There's endless auto detailing teachers on Youtube and Tiktok

 

My routine when I first received my Prime was:

Wash (2 bucket technique of course)
Clay Bar the wet car immediately - make use of a detailing spray to lubricate the clay bar
Wash (just lightly)
Thoroughly dry the vehicle
Klasse All-in-One paint prep
Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze

This part is optional:

(Leave car in the garage overnight to allow the Klasse Sealant Glaze to set with a sheet over it if possible)
Then apply Colinite 845 Insulator Wax

* Of course, use whatever products work for you.

I do this yearly - in between I just do standard washes and a light application of Spray Wax (like Mothers or Meguiars). If you leave your car outside all the time then twice a year is better.

Best drying cloth (imo) - Wooly Mammoth microfiber towel by Chemical Guys

I also recommend an auto detailing blow dryer to push most of the water off of the vehicle before using the microfiber drying towel. It's also quite useful for blowing water out of the Toyota badges on the side of the car and the door handles.

Now that my wife has her new Camry I get to have "twice the fun".

 

What are your thoughts regarding engine detailing, underside cleaning, windows and trim and tire detailing?

 

To be honest, since I live in SoCal underside cleaning and even engine detailing aren't usually my thing. If I remember, I'll try to spray the underside. I'm a little nervous to try cleaning the engine bay so I defer to those who have done it before. My old 85 Celica, that was no problem - a PHEV is another story.

Windows, I always use a safe cleaner like Invisible Glass because my tint job costs north of $1k.

To clean the rims, I have a soft Meguiar's tire brush and I try to remember to add a quick application of Meguiar's Hot Shine (it was on sale and seems to do a good job).