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I'm glad to read that you want to take good care of your new baby. Let's see if we can help you:
1. WASHING - Household detergents are not good for car paint. They're too strong (high pH) and sometimes leave a filmy residue. Dish soap will strip wax in one washing. Instead use a shampoo made for cars. Most every car care mfr offers one. Some favorites are Meguiar's Gold Class shampoo, Eagle One WET shampoo, and Mothers Cal Gold shampoo. All are widely available nationwide at auto parts stores or places like WalMart. If the wash mitt you are talking about is cotton chenille (looks white and shaggy) then that's an excellent choice. I recommend using at least two of them each time you wash, one for the upper parts and one for the lower. With two mitts you reduce the chance of dragging a dirty mitt across the entire car. Personally I use a third mitt exclusively to wash the wheels. If a mitt gets grungy, replace it. They're cheap.
2. DRYING - A chamois is fine as long as its soft and clean. An old grimey chamois should be cleaned or replaced. I also recommend having some clean cotton towels on hand to dry wheels, door jambs, under hood and hatch areas. Using towels prevents the chamois from getting dirty by accident or mistake. And towels are easily washed when done.
3. PROTECTANTS FOR RUBBER/PLASTIC - Armor All has been improved over the years but it has a horrible reputation for drying out plastics and rubber. Today I think the current version of Armor All "classic" is OK; its water based and uses chemicals that are safe for rubber and plastic. Please stay away from products called "tire shine" or "tire wet" or similar. They contain harmful silicones that will cause damage over time. Personally, I refuse to buy Armor All due to their past indiscretions. There are many great protectants on the market which allows me to blow off Armor All forever. Its a personal thing. If you want to use something other than Armor All, check out Lexol Vinylex (aqua colored bottle) or 303 Aerospace protectant if you can find it locally. Both are terrific.
4. WAXING - Here's where it gets a little more involved. First decision you've got to make is determining how much time and effort you want to put into paint care. Most non-OCD car owners want a simple "wipe on/wipe off" wax that's not too expensive. Most of these products clean and polish paint while leaving a protective coating. They're called "one step" products or cleaner/wax. Most of the stuff you see at WalMart or Pep Boys is a one step. These are compromise products as its impossible for one product to do everything great. But if this is what you're looking for, some good choices are Meguiar's Gold Class (nice shine but not too durable), Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax (a good all around product), Mothers Reflections (a resin based synthetic wax with a mild cleaning agent), and Eagle One WET polish (similar to Mothers Cleaner Wax).
Obviously you can get better performance and results using dedicated paint cleaners, polishes, swirl mark removers, and pure waxes, but these require multiple step applications and more $$. You could add a paint cleaner step before your wax application which will help remove oxidation, light scratches and swirls, and bring out a really nice shine. Its up to you though so let us know how involved you want to get and we can suggest some polishes.
5. LEATHER - On a "new" used car I'm sure the leather could use a good cleaning. If you want to use Lexol, that's fine but get both the cleaner and conditioner. Personally I use a small stiff scrub brush with the cleaner to get the seats really clean. I wipe off the slurry with a clean towel then take wet paper towels and wipe down the seat to remove any cleaner residue. I wipe the seat again with a clean towel to dry it before applying conditioner. This process gets the embedded dirt and grime out so all I have to do to maintain the leather is wipe it down with a damp towel. This deep cleaning process can be done 1-3 times a year as needed.
I hope all this helps. Let us know if you have more questions.
posted by 24.99.95...
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