Hopefully this will become a Sticky as I pray that all of you will participate and lend your tricks, tips and information on your ideas of the best products to use to maintain our cars.

Here is one of mine for the outside of your car:

http://corrosionx.com/rejex.html

Please feel free to add yours, thanks.

 

I always use Mother's(their entire line of cleaning products) to detail my max.

I also know for a fact to ALWAYS wash Black cars in a shade and to dry it with a microfiber cleaning cloth to discourage swirls.

 

detail/maintenance section?

 

I use meguairs gold class car soap to wash my car, i also use the same thing to wash the wheels, then i normally dry my car off with an absorber.

Then detailing the car I use meguairs clay kit, then meguairs next tech 2.0 paste wax. Works really well leaves a nice shine on the car. As for amour all on the wheels , i usually dont like to put that stuff on , because the second you drive the car , it gets all over ( and i have a white car). But ill do it here and there cause it looks good while the car is parked lol

 

+1

 

I use to turtle wax ice, but it really doesn't shine or last that long. I did like the way it didnt turn black trim white. I used it on my black Z and it swirled up even with micro fiber cloths. Don't like the ice stuff at all.

I use a "Mothers clay bar" and then "meguires NXT tech wax PASTE" now. This stuff works great, smooth and super wet looking when done. I also use "turtle wax tire gel". Goes on with a pad in the lid, drys shiny, and stays on the tire. On the glass I use "Invisible Glass" with a crumpled up newspaper. I then follow up with "rain X", two coats. For the interior, "Turtle wax F21" for the plastics, and "lexol" for the leather. This ritual serves me well in the rain/snow and sun here in Illinois.

 

I always wash my car with Optimum No Rinse. Saves on water and looks amazing. Ricardo Yellow is my preference for Clay Bar with tons of Meguiars Ultimate Quick Detailer as a clay lube, sidenote: Meguairs UQD is a great way to clean your car in between washs just be carefull not to grind dirt into the paint. Haven't had much luck with wax yet. I am curious as to what my fellow Super Black owners use as a wax to really make it pop. Any input? I personally didn't much care for Meguiars Deep Crystal #3 Pure Carnuba Wax. Haven't had a chance to use Meguiars NXT 2.0, not a big fan of the synth wax's but if I get an overwhelming recommendation for it I will give it a shot. Meguiars SwirlX is great for a cleaner polish, does wonders with our scratch prone paint. Also, one last thing, a pure polish is always a good idea to apply before wax if you have the time. I suggest Meguiars Deep Crystal #2 Pure Polish. It really makes the paint pop that much more for a show car finish shine. Hit me up with a PM if you have any questions, I have found detailing to be a very fascinating hobby.

 

And here i thought all of you were putting ur maximas through drivethru carwashes.

 

Cant figure out what ONR is, i know it will something I should have known....

oops, I see it above....never heard of it..

 

I highly recommend buying a bottle if you are into hand washing your car. You don't have to rinse it off with a hose, just dry it off with a towel. You could even spritz on some Optimum Quick Wax as you go and wipe that off with the towel when you are drying and boom you have just washed and waxed your car in 20 minutes.

Edit: Oh jeez. I sound like a salesman. Ignore the pitchy feel of what I just said. But truthfully great stuff.

 

I too use Meguiar's Detailer and I use the California Blade to take off most of the initial water that is left on my car after rinsing (this saves a lot of time and prevents any spotting especially when drying windows in the sun) not to mention that it saves you from having to squeeze out towels or squeegies.

I think everyone should use a California Blade and then use a Microfiber Cloth to dry what little water will be left-after that=Check the Bling!!

 

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this in another post, but I would like to have something recommended for the leather interior. I want to preserve the quality and luster and prevent cracking like my 95 Max.

Thanks.

 

The best stuff out there is Lexol, and it has been for years......Got my bottle at Farm and Fleet for half the cost at an auto store.

 

Zymol..... Absolute best I use to think Lexol was awesome but this stuff blows it away, not even in the same category. Smells great... Only bad thing is it's EXPENSIVE!! $31.00 for 8.5 oz yikes!

http://www.zymol.com/zymoltreat85oz.aspx - conditioner

http://www.zymol.com/zymolsprayleathercleaner8oz.aspx - cleaner

http://www.zymol.com/index.aspx

I thought you might like this video, this guy charges 5,000 pounds which is about $8,300 dollars today to wash and wax your car....

 

I use Mothers Car wash with a lamb wool mit for the car and a microfiber mit for just the wheels. I normally wash the wheels first and then empty my wash bucket and refill it with clean soap and water. I then wash the top half of the entire car before proceeding to the lower half. I then do a quick dry off with a leaf blower. Yes, this may sound a bit weird but it's the best tool for quickly air drying every nook and cranny in the grill, around lettering/badging, door handles, and especially rims/tires. I then use a shammy to wipe down the entire body and for doing the outside/inside of all windows. I also use Lexol for all leather surfaces.

 

My method is to first rinse the car off, then I start from the top down, then the hood, trunk and sides and last but not least-I do the tires and then wheels but I alwasy dry the car by using the California Blades, then a soft towel to pick up what little excess that is left.

No squeegies or wringing towels out for me and definitely no leaf blower because that'll promote drying and spotting of windows IMO (I could be wrong though) but a good microfiber cloth to wipe the car down with a nice blast of Meguiar's Detailer gives the bling-bling and I use my Glass Wizard to do the glass and it's a wrap.

 

need some help on the windows, need the best spray to use and what type of cloth

 

Buy a Glass Wizard and you will not need chemicals and it comes with a set of applicator cloths that fit over the Wizard and it comes with a small spray bottle that you just simply fill with tap water-spray a little onto the glass and use the wizard w/cloth wrapped around it and your windows are totally spotless.

It is amazing.

 

Is this what your referencing? http://www.glasswizard.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1

Cool I saw this somewhere and it sounded good but looked like a gimmick I'll order one, I like the idea of just using water.

 

Eagle One glass cleaner my friend. Any microfiber cloth will do just make sure it is a clean one and you will be fine. Can't say anything against the Glass Wizard because I have not tried it myself but if it is anything like the California Duster (which I use quite frequently on my BLACK car with ZERO issues) it should work just fine as well just might have some problems with the sticky stuff. Just re read your post and if you are referring to drying rather then cleaning just ignore my post.

 

Yeah, that's it and it isn't a gimmick-in fact, I was amazed at how well it worked with water.

At first I was skeptical because you don't use chemicals but when I tried it on my bathroom mirror and it came out spotless, I was like "wow". Now I use it for all my glass in my house and car.

The handle takes a little getting used to but you pick it up really quick, I'll continue to use it even if no one else likes it. No more expensive window cleaning chemicals for me

 

I have a Glass Wizard that I use on my Maxima. It's best attribute is the fact you don't have to wear your arm out by gripping a towel and pushing against the glass at the same time. It's a little larger in size then I expected though. I have also seen a very similar model of them in the Automotive section at my local Target for about $30, after the fact of ordering mine on the web. Target's model seems to be a little better made, looks better, and a better quality mitt than the one listed in the web link above (which is what I got).

I find the best use of my Glass Wizard is to get rid of the film that develops on the inside of the windshield and back glass from the "release" of the new car smell/chemicals that occur for the first 6 months or so. I still use a small microfiber towel on the side windows. I have never used glass cleaner inside a car for the 24+ years I have been driving. No matter how much a product states, they still leave streaking behind. I have always used water, some elbow grease, and then buffing with a dry clean towel.

For the outside, between regular car washes, I use a Rain-X/Glass cleaner on the windshiled to get rid of the bugs and such. And a California Duster for the light pollen/dust on the paint.

After a regular wash with Meguiars Gold Class wash, I do a full treatment of the regular Rain-X on the windsheild according to instructions. For the tires I use Eagle One's Tire Gel, after I scrub the rubber with a plastic bristle brush. It works well and smells like Grape bubblegum, at least that is what my 12 year old tells me.

http://www.eagleone.com/pages/products/product.asp?itemid=1131&cat=5005

 

After reading all this, I get this urge to go clean my Max again. I dont know if its just me but I get such a great feeling washing my Max and keeping it Shiny. This washing my Max has turned into a relaxing hobby for me. Just the other day I spent over $100 in products to clean the Max.

 

I could spend hours and hundreds, if not thousands on car care products! Now I know how my girlfriend feels at the MAC make-up store! I've been cleaning cars as a hobby and for relaxation since I was like 12 or 13! I've gone through many products, but currently on my Maxima I use Maguire's NXT Car Soap, it leaves a nice shine after drying. For the Interior and I just started using Klasse Plastic, Vinyl, and Leather Cleaner and Protector. It leaves a nice matte new look, no greasy mess! I help my Dad run his janitorial company, so I use the strong hose vaccums for the carpets. For waxing I use Klasse All-In-One, which my Dad would buy at the local body shop equiptment store and he would put on his '81 Candy Red Corvette we use it also on his Italian "Garage Emperor" which is right infront of my Maxima in the picture! For The end I use Klasse's Glaze Sealant, which give black especially a nice deep shine! you guys should check out Klasse products, there a little pricier than stuff at Pep Boys (Although they have really good stuff there), buy cannot be compared!

 

I use the Mr. Clean kit with the no rinse filters. They work great, except the cartridges are a little pricey. Always use liquid car wax, not paste.

 

I am interested to know if replacing the cabin air filter is as easy as one would expect. Also, did the carpet snap in and out?

 

 

Zaino, w/ micro fiber towels only!

 

I picked up my car a week ago....

This weekend was Zaino weekend.

Clay bar, multiple coats of Z2.....

It really looks much better so far. more to go.

I use Zaino exclusively on my Corvette, so it was the product of choice here.

 

another vote for zaino!!! I am very impressed with the results. Much more depth then anything I have ever used

 

Zaino products is the best I've ever used.

 

I really like Zaino products.... Four coats on the new white maxima this weekend (in addition to clay bar)

I was really impressed with their support. I had a question and sent an email to their support address. Sal Zaino responded personally and fully answered my query.

So far, I'm very happy with how it makes the white shine.

 

I have only used Zainos on my old Hondas (black paint). What Zainos products did you use? I don't think that I need polish since I bought the car ('11 Maxima) last Monday but I am going to use a clay bar to get rid of any contaminants from the factory. I plan on doing it next week to the new Max & my '11 Odyssey. I can't wait to see how it looks with pearl white!!!!