Excellent Chris……thank you…

what if i use a microfiber cloth on dry, slightly dusty motorcycle? will it be one of the mistakes in cleaning? thankyou

Some tips, not necessarily automotive related:
– Asphalt can be removed with acetone or wheel cleaner. On rubber, use wheel cleaner. On metal, use acetone. Do not use acetone on painted or coated surfaces or on plastics, ESPECIALLY ABS.
– UV protection spray or cream works great for coating plastic so they don’t get damaged from UV exposure.
– Hazy glass? Have a set of windows that get constantly get dirty from road dust? Use dish soap then apply glass wax. Windex is expensive, so use diluted dish soap. For road grime or dust with lots of oil on them, laundry detergent works great. Use HE detergent and one with less foaming.
– Mix cheap toothpaste with gel bleach to make a whitening scrub for the floor.
– Armor-All protection spray is only good for places you want smoothness. If you need grip, don’t use it on that spot. It even says on the bottle — Do not use on handles and knobs.
– In a serious pinch, Pam works like relatively high-temperature lubricant. Just make sure to degrease after you bought the proper product and apply it as soon as possible.

You say that a sponge is not good for the paint. What ist with a extra car sponge ? It’s that the same thing ?

take the tags off the microfiber rags they will just scratch the car and the paint

Great tips, much appreciated. One thing to note is opening your windows (electric) straight after you washed your car. It has happened in my family a few times that the motor for the electric windows stopped working because of this. You would know you can open your windows when you bring it down very slightly and bring it back up again and see that there is no residue or droplets. Saves you money and also helps keep your windows clean after you washed your car because wet surfaces “lock” dust onto that surface.

So, Mr. Miyagi was wrong after all.

Mmmhhh

hi chris my name is ryan and i have a 02 trailblazer i have a question it unrelated to washing ur car im getting a radi installed in my trailblazer and i picked up a back up camera for it how would i install it

I use this high end wheel cleaner that smells like rotten eggs. I always say it smells like HowToBasic’s kitchen. Guess I should stop using it, huh.

This might be more cumbersome, but maybe move your towel from vertical v. horizontal because vertical scratches might not catch the sunlight as easily?

Hi Chris, Lots of good information provided. I use microfiber for cleaning but a chamois for drying. I will keep a eye out for the microfiber dryer towel. My car is black so it is more difficult to keep clean and scratch free. My most memorable cleaning error was as a poor student driving my Renault R8 in winter conditions. To save money on windshield anti-freeze I used engine coolant anti- freeze. It was something like applying Vaseline to the windshield. Could not see a thing and it really took a while to get it off! As another subject that you partially addressed, seagull shit on a black car, I would be interested to know what wax product offers the most protection. Any thoughts

Cool.

Thanks Chris

But i thought soapy water was good for the paint