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Detailing my automobiles, my go-to therapy.

CentennialState

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I also enjoy washing my cars.

My goal in washing is obviously to get the car clean, but doing it by touching the paint as little as possible - everything revolves around that main goal for the exterior. I'll freely admit I'm anal about my cars, but my wife is very understanding and lets me indulge. She knows it's a happy place for me.

This might get a little long....

Both of my cars have Xpel PPF and Gyeon ceramic coating, so I don't need to wax, but I'm particular about washing. I use a combination of products, mostly from Adam's Polishes, Griot's Garage, Chemical Guys and Gyeon.

With either of my cars, I only wash in the early morning or later afternoon, so the sun doesn't heat up the car's surface, to reduce water and soap from drying too fast and causing spots, etc.

I start with the wheels, which get rinsed with a pressure washer first to get the loose brake dust and dirt off, then they get sprayed with Adam's Wheel Cleaner and left for a few minutes so the cleaner can do its thing. After sitting a few minutes, they are scrubbed with wheel brushes and microfibers using Chemical Guys Mr. Pink shampoo to get off any other brake dust/road grime. (Ceramic coating on the wheels helps with this.)

After the wheels are done, the entire car gets a pressure wash with plain water to get off the loose dirt and dust. That is followed by a foam cannon to cover the entire car with a thick layer of Adam's Car Shampoo. While that dwells, and softens and lifts any dirt, I fill my wash and rinse buckets (using a Grit Guard in each). The wash bucket gets either Adam's Car Shampoo or Chemical Guys Mr. Pink. I use a combination of lamb's wool and microfiber pads to actually wash the car - but only with the weight of the wet pad - never 'scrubbing' and only in straight, back and forth motions (not circles) to reduce swirl marks. Also, one pad is only used for the lower body (where there is potentially more dirt) and another pad is used for the upper portions - all to further reduce the chance of swirls and scratches. This is the only time during the wash I will physically touch the paint.

After that, the car is liberally sprayed with clean water from a pressure washer to get all of the soap off. I then change water supply to the pressure washer to a deionized water supply (via a CR Spotless DIW-20 water deionization system) and completely rinse the car again. This final rinse with deionized water (which is pure H2O) greatly reduces the chance of water spots from the hard water we have here in Colorado.

The car is then immediately pulled into the garage.

I use a Metrovac, Master Blaster Revolution to blow dry the car. Again, the goal is to touch the paint as little as possible.

Once the exterior is clean and dry, I move to the interior. I use either Adam's Leather & Interior Cleaner or Griot's Leather Care, followed by Adam's Leather Conditioner to clean and condition all the leather. When the alcantara of the headliners or steering wheels needs cleaning, I usually only use a very slightly damp microfiber towel, immediately followed by a dry microfiber towel - and then a toothbrush to 'fluff' the alcantara fibers again.

Interior trim, which in the case of my cars, is either painted the color of the exterior of the car or is carbon fiber, gets dusted with a small California Duster.

Once the interior is done, I move to the engine compartment. I usually only need to use a damp microfiber towel to wipe dust off of things.

I occasionally use Adam's In & Out spray on a microfiber to condition any rubber seals.

The last step is to use Gyeon Q2 Tire to give the sidewalls of the tires a nice matte finish.

So that's my wash process for *my* cars - but the Bronco will be my *wife's* daily and our family vehicle to get out into the wilderness. I honestly don't know if the Bronco will get the same treatment as described above. It will get regularly cleaned (I'm very interested in trying a 'wash out interior'), but if there are some water spots or the engine isn't perfectly clean, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. The Bronco will be a bit more of a rough-and-tumble car for us rather than a beauty queen - and my wife has a different definition of 'car wash' than I do - so we'll have to see how it goes :)
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Jess

Jess

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I’m the same way. It really is therapy for me. I use Adams polishes products and a griots polisher. I picked up a new Gmc At4 and graphene ceramic coated it. Surprisingly the paint on the new truck was near flawless. I’ve always been a wax guy but I’m a believer in ceramic coating now.
I never even know ceramic coating existed. I have now been using my vacation time wisely and researching it for the past two hours.
 

dapperdanny

Big Bend
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Big Bend
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I also enjoy washing my cars.

My goal in washing is obviously to get the car clean, but doing it by touching the paint as little as possible - everything revolves around that main goal for the exterior. I'll freely admit I'm anal about my cars, but my wife is very understanding and lets me indulge. She knows it's a happy place for me.

This might get a little long....

Both of my cars have Xpel PPF and Gyeon ceramic coating, so I don't need to wax, but I'm particular about washing. I use a combination of products, mostly from Adam's Polishes, Griot's Garage, Chemical Guys and Gyeon.

With either of my cars, I only wash in the early morning or later afternoon, so the sun doesn't heat up the car's surface, to reduce water and soap from drying too fast and causing spots, etc.

I start with the wheels, which get rinsed with a pressure washer first to get the loose brake dust and dirt off, then they get sprayed with Adam's Wheel Cleaner and left for a few minutes so the cleaner can do its thing. After sitting a few minutes, they are scrubbed with wheel brushes and microfibers using Chemical Guys Mr. Pink shampoo to get off any other brake dust/road grime. (Ceramic coating on the wheels helps with this.)

After the wheels are done, the entire car gets a pressure wash with plain water to get off the loose dirt and dust. That is followed by a foam cannon to cover the entire car with a thick layer of Adam's Car Shampoo. While that dwells, and softens and lifts any dirt, I fill my wash and rinse buckets (using a Grit Guard in each). The wash bucket gets either Adam's Car Shampoo or Chemical Guys Mr. Pink. I use a combination of lamb's wool and microfiber pads to actually wash the car - but only with the weight of the wet pad - never 'scrubbing' and only in straight, back and forth motions (not circles) to reduce swirl marks. Also, one pad is only used for the lower body (where there is potentially more dirt) and another pad is used for the upper portions - all to further reduce the chance of swirls and scratches. This is the only time during the wash I will physically touch the paint.

After that, the car is liberally sprayed with clean water from a pressure washer to get all of the soap off. I then change water supply to the pressure washer to a deionized water supply (via a CR Spotless DIW-20 water deionization system) and completely rinse the car again. This final rinse with deionized water (which is pure H2O) greatly reduces the chance of water spots from the hard water we have here in Colorado.

The car is then immediately pulled into the garage.

I use a Metrovac, Master Blaster Revolution to blow dry the car. Again, the goal is to touch the paint as little as possible.

Once the exterior is clean and dry, I move to the interior. I use either Adam's Leather & Interior Cleaner or Griot's Leather Care, followed by Adam's Leather Conditioner to clean and condition all the leather. When the alcantara of the headliners or steering wheels needs cleaning, I usually only use a very slightly damp microfiber towel, immediately followed by a dry microfiber towel - and then a toothbrush to 'fluff' the alcantara fibers again.

Interior trim, which in the case of my cars, is either painted the color of the exterior of the car or is carbon fiber, gets dusted with a small California Duster.

Once the interior is done, I move to the engine compartment. I usually only need to use a damp microfiber towel to wipe dust off of things.

I occasionally use Adam's In & Out spray on a microfiber to condition any rubber seals.

The last step is to use Gyeon Q2 Tire to give the sidewalls of the tires a nice matte finish.

So that's my wash process for *my* cars - but the Bronco will be my *wife's* daily and our family vehicle to get out into the wilderness. I honestly don't know if the Bronco will get the same treatment as described above. It will get regularly cleaned (I'm very interested in trying a 'wash out interior'), but if there are some water spots or the engine isn't perfectly clean, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. The Bronco will be a bit more of a rough-and-tumble car for us rather than a beauty queen - and my wife has a different definition of 'car wash' than I do - so we'll have to see how it goes :)
Love your thorough process. I don't use separate pads for top and bottom, but I always wash the bottom last to keep any debris from getting into the pad and scratching the other paint. What do you do in the winter? I hate the thought of salt destroying my paint, but also hate the thought of taking it through the car wash.
 

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nbennett14

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Base
I also enjoy washing my cars.

My goal in washing is obviously to get the car clean, but doing it by touching the paint as little as possible - everything revolves around that main goal for the exterior. I'll freely admit I'm anal about my cars, but my wife is very understanding and lets me indulge. She knows it's a happy place for me.

This might get a little long....

Both of my cars have Xpel PPF and Gyeon ceramic coating, so I don't need to wax, but I'm particular about washing. I use a combination of products, mostly from Adam's Polishes, Griot's Garage, Chemical Guys and Gyeon.

With either of my cars, I only wash in the early morning or later afternoon, so the sun doesn't heat up the car's surface, to reduce water and soap from drying too fast and causing spots, etc.

I start with the wheels, which get rinsed with a pressure washer first to get the loose brake dust and dirt off, then they get sprayed with Adam's Wheel Cleaner and left for a few minutes so the cleaner can do its thing. After sitting a few minutes, they are scrubbed with wheel brushes and microfibers using Chemical Guys Mr. Pink shampoo to get off any other brake dust/road grime. (Ceramic coating on the wheels helps with this.)

After the wheels are done, the entire car gets a pressure wash with plain water to get off the loose dirt and dust. That is followed by a foam cannon to cover the entire car with a thick layer of Adam's Car Shampoo. While that dwells, and softens and lifts any dirt, I fill my wash and rinse buckets (using a Grit Guard in each). The wash bucket gets either Adam's Car Shampoo or Chemical Guys Mr. Pink. I use a combination of lamb's wool and microfiber pads to actually wash the car - but only with the weight of the wet pad - never 'scrubbing' and only in straight, back and forth motions (not circles) to reduce swirl marks. Also, one pad is only used for the lower body (where there is potentially more dirt) and another pad is used for the upper portions - all to further reduce the chance of swirls and scratches. This is the only time during the wash I will physically touch the paint.

After that, the car is liberally sprayed with clean water from a pressure washer to get all of the soap off. I then change water supply to the pressure washer to a deionized water supply (via a CR Spotless DIW-20 water deionization system) and completely rinse the car again. This final rinse with deionized water (which is pure H2O) greatly reduces the chance of water spots from the hard water we have here in Colorado.

The car is then immediately pulled into the garage.

I use a Metrovac, Master Blaster Revolution to blow dry the car. Again, the goal is to touch the paint as little as possible.

Once the exterior is clean and dry, I move to the interior. I use either Adam's Leather & Interior Cleaner or Griot's Leather Care, followed by Adam's Leather Conditioner to clean and condition all the leather. When the alcantara of the headliners or steering wheels needs cleaning, I usually only use a very slightly damp microfiber towel, immediately followed by a dry microfiber towel - and then a toothbrush to 'fluff' the alcantara fibers again.

Interior trim, which in the case of my cars, is either painted the color of the exterior of the car or is carbon fiber, gets dusted with a small California Duster.

Once the interior is done, I move to the engine compartment. I usually only need to use a damp microfiber towel to wipe dust off of things.

I occasionally use Adam's In & Out spray on a microfiber to condition any rubber seals.

The last step is to use Gyeon Q2 Tire to give the sidewalls of the tires a nice matte finish.

So that's my wash process for *my* cars - but the Bronco will be my *wife's* daily and our family vehicle to get out into the wilderness. I honestly don't know if the Bronco will get the same treatment as described above. It will get regularly cleaned (I'm very interested in trying a 'wash out interior'), but if there are some water spots or the engine isn't perfectly clean, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. The Bronco will be a bit more of a rough-and-tumble car for us rather than a beauty queen - and my wife has a different definition of 'car wash' than I do - so we'll have to see how it goes :)
I am curious about use of the ceramic coating. I have googled to see what some good ones are and I have bought 2. Can't remember the names of them but it seems like when I try to apply it everything is great going on but it doesn't seem to come off very well. So do you need to let it sit for awhile or what? It will look like it is streaky, like it just doesn't come off all the way. So what am I missing b/c it seems like that is the only way to go anymore.
 

Rick Astley

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I grew up detailing exotics and learning the trade in a shop nearby. It's a rough industry that burns you out physically and won't make you enough money to buy 1/2 the car you're working on.

That being said, i've kept my (other) small business going which is boutique detailing for specific customers or situations. Frankly I'm pretty much at the point where I only get my "Detail Therapy" in on my own cars as I don't need the money and the garage days are fewer and further between.

For those of you looking for detaining chemicals/equipment, Autogeek.com is the best place you can start and you can be easily equipping your garage with professional grade chemicals or near-professional chemicals for just a few bucks more than parts-store-chemicals or, GASP, Ammo.... Lots of info he gives you (nothing you couldn't find with 15 minutes of self-study on Autopia forums), but when you're paying 500% more than necessary for his chemicals, you get to save the 15 minutes for your own private reflection time.

If you're getting into paint correction, then sticking with the tried and true Porter Cable 7424xp will hive you a thousand hours of reliable use and save you money over the exotic orbitals (or the Griots units which when you're 10 generations into making your "perfect" orbital and it still can't beat the benchmark (7424XP) then something has gone wrong, stop trying to make orbitals!).

Over the years having gone through hundreds of different chemicals either as trials from vendors, or experimenting on my own, plus giving away about a hundred different bottles a few years back, i've thinned down the "herd" to just the mainstays that i'll use on my own car as I don't want to deal with people who let their paint mangled to the point they are paying to try and save their paint job and pissed off that the results are "any further and you're getting a paint job anyway".

Just a hundred or so MF towels,
Maybe 40 products left
Non-exotic orbital in the 7424xp
buckets of various compound pads
tons of tools
(The little stack of 4 bottles on the far right were being gifted via "buy nothing" to a neighbor kid who just got his first car, I don't suggest griots polishes unless you enjoy spending time to do nothing)

Ford Bronco Detailing my automobiles, my go-to therapy. Detailing chems
 

Rick Astley

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I am curious about use of the ceramic coating. I have googled to see what some good ones are and I have bought 2. Can't remember the names of them but it seems like when I try to apply it everything is great going on but it doesn't seem to come off very well. So do you need to let it sit for awhile or what? It will look like it is streaky, like it just doesn't come off all the way. So what am I missing b/c it seems like that is the only way to go anymore.
Because somebody had the marketing budget that out-spent Zaino and convinced you that "ceramic" does something for your paint. (hint; it doesn't).

Surface coatings have been around for decades, "Ceramic" is the new keyword to convince you that the most difficult-to-apply process that costs a thousand bucks is worth sending their children to a nice school.
 

nbennett14

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Because somebody had the marketing budget that out-spent Zaino and convinced you that "ceramic" does something for your paint. (hint; it doesn't).

Surface coatings have been around for decades, "Ceramic" is the new keyword to convince you that the most difficult-to-apply process that costs a thousand bucks is worth sending their children to a nice school.
I see, I have always had good luck with my wax that I use and now I have to get it online b/c they don't have it local b/c it isn't new anymore. But I always see advertisements for the ceramics and decided I had to try it out. Well it looked like it really helped but then I would look from different angles and you could still see it on there. Didn't matter how many times I would wipe it off it was still there.
 

Rick Astley

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I see, I have always had good luck with my wax that I use and now I have to get it online b/c they don't have it local b/c it isn't new anymore. But I always see advertisements for the ceramics and decided I had to try it out. Well it looked like it really helped but then I would look from different angles and you could still see it on there. Didn't matter how many times I would wipe it off it was still there.
Don't get me wrong, you can have surface coatings which do an awful lot for your paint. Basically take the ceramic powder out of "ceramic coatings" and you've got a product that would be 1/10th the price and go on pretty easy and provide a miserably dull and lifeless existence on people's cars.

You're doing more for the appearance of your vehicle with a wax than a coating. The coating will, obviously, last longer but they haven't engineered a chemical coating yet that will beat a good wax in appearance.

Now you need to post up what you're using!

If I was going for maximum life out of a wax, then i'd use this sealent. Awesome gloss, reflection and amazingly easy application/buffing.

Wolfgang v3.0 hybrid sealant wax

I prefer to top this with a carnuba puck wax after it's cured to give maximum depth and warmth.
 

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nbennett14

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Don't get me wrong, you can have surface coatings which do an awful lot for your paint. Basically take the ceramic powder out of "ceramic coatings" and you've got a product that would be 1/10th the price and go on pretty easy and provide a miserably dull and lifeless existence on people's cars.

You're doing more for the appearance of your vehicle with a wax than a coating. The coating will, obviously, last longer but they haven't engineered a chemical coating yet that will beat a good wax in appearance.

Now you need to post up what you're using!

If I was going for maximum life out of a wax, then i'd use this sealent. Awesome gloss, reflection and amazingly easy application/buffing.

Wolfgang v3.0 hybrid sealant wax

I prefer to top this with a carnuba puck wax after it's cured to give maximum depth and warmth.
I will have to check when I get home. I wanna say it is like K 1 or something like that but don't hold me to it. Not for sure, it is in with all my other waxes and crap that I don't use but one out of the 10 or so I have in my stash.
 

TNcoupe

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Clubs
 
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I'm an Autogeek addict. I try different things all the time. Cant really notice a difference in all the products on new paint with thin clear but I am big on chemical and mechanical decon of the entire car before applying any products. I wash my car at least once a week and do full decon and polish and wax at least twice a year depending on harshness of weather.
 

CentennialState

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Clubs
 
Love your thorough process. I don't use separate pads for top and bottom, but I always wash the bottom last to keep any debris from getting into the pad and scratching the other paint. What do you do in the winter? I hate the thought of salt destroying my paint, but also hate the thought of taking it through the car wash.
Washing top to bottom is always good practice. Even with my two-pad method, I still do each section (upper- and lower-half of a car) from top to bottom.

Luckily, salt isn't used too much in the Denver area (unless it's bitter cold) and when we do get snow, it usually melts the next day. Colorado DOT makes use of a liquid magnesium chloride anti-icing / deicer which can be rough on some finishes - esp. chrome - and if it's too cold for the MgCI2, a sand and salt mixture is used.

I'm kinda lucky in that I work from home and don't need to go anywhere if I don't want to. So when the weather outside is frightful, I usually just stay home. When I do a winter wash, I try to wait for warmer days, then just follow my normal washing routine as much as possible. We're blessed with quite a few warmer days (50s) during the winter months, so things generally work out fine. Washing in the winter is never going to be as pleasant as it is in the warmer months, but it feels oh so good to have a nice clean car :)

If you do need to wash on a cold day, a pressure washer is your friend, as it makes everything go much quicker. In the event it's just too cold for a full wash, but your car is covered in grime and you need to get it off, use the pressure washer to carefully get the worst off, then foam, then use your pads - but make the water in the buckets warm (your hands will thank you for it). Then do your rinse (or two) and pull it in the garage. Forget spending too much time on the wheels (unless you've got some very special wheels) - just spray them off with the pressure washer. Abbreviate as much as possible, but don't skimp on the washing of the paint - take your time there to rinse, foam, wash, and rinse - as that's where your real potential damage can occur.

With this abbreviated wash and a pressure washer, the only times your hands really get wet is when you're using your pads - everything else uses the pressure washer and you could even be wearing gloves for that.
 

CentennialState

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Clubs
 
I am curious about use of the ceramic coating. I have googled to see what some good ones are and I have bought 2. Can't remember the names of them but it seems like when I try to apply it everything is great going on but it doesn't seem to come off very well. So do you need to let it sit for awhile or what? It will look like it is streaky, like it just doesn't come off all the way. So what am I missing b/c it seems like that is the only way to go anymore.

Your mileage may vary with ceramic coatings, some like them, some don't. I think ceramic coatings are great stuff, but only worth it on certain cars. A proper ceramic coating is rather costly and they do have to be applied properly - and it is HUGELY important to properly prep your paint before applying real ceramic coatings. Ceramic coatings will accentuate imperfections (like scratches) in your paint if you apply it over them. So the first real step in a proper application of a good ceramic coating is a full paint correction - even on a brand new car.

I will insert here that I will not be ceramic coating our future Bronco. I will reserve that for my other cars. The Bronco will probably get waxed quarterly or as needed with Klasse All-in-One, which has been a really good product on some of my other cars.

These days there are lots of products that claim to be ceramic coatings or have ceramic coating ingredients in them - and they may have some of the properties of a ceramic coating - but a 'real' ceramic coating is like adding an extra layer of very hard, clear material over your paint. (A friend of mine poured some on the garage floor and let it cure and it formed a very hard clear mass.)

A 'real' ceramic coating will take some time to cure. Infrared lamps can help speed it up and times will vary by product. The Gyeon product took an hour or so per panel to fully cure under IR lamps.

Mine was done by a professional detailer who specializes in PPF and ceramic coatings. The paint correction, XPEL install and ceramic coating takes about 3 days, but it looks fantastic and protects the paint really well. The hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coat also cause water to run off the car very easily (more so than even a good wax) - making blow drying that much more effective.

Ceramic coatings can last years if properly cared for. The less you physically touch them the longer they'll last - another reason to touch the painted surfaces as little as possible during a wash.
 
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Jess

Jess

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I also enjoy washing my cars.

My goal in washing is obviously to get the car clean, but doing it by touching the paint as little as possible - everything revolves around that main goal for the exterior. I'll freely admit I'm anal about my cars, but my wife is very understanding and lets me indulge. She knows it's a happy place for me.

This might get a little long....

Both of my cars have Xpel PPF and Gyeon ceramic coating, so I don't need to wax, but I'm particular about washing. I use a combination of products, mostly from Adam's Polishes, Griot's Garage, Chemical Guys and Gyeon.

With either of my cars, I only wash in the early morning or later afternoon, so the sun doesn't heat up the car's surface, to reduce water and soap from drying too fast and causing spots, etc.

I start with the wheels, which get rinsed with a pressure washer first to get the loose brake dust and dirt off, then they get sprayed with Adam's Wheel Cleaner and left for a few minutes so the cleaner can do its thing. After sitting a few minutes, they are scrubbed with wheel brushes and microfibers using Chemical Guys Mr. Pink shampoo to get off any other brake dust/road grime. (Ceramic coating on the wheels helps with this.)

After the wheels are done, the entire car gets a pressure wash with plain water to get off the loose dirt and dust. That is followed by a foam cannon to cover the entire car with a thick layer of Adam's Car Shampoo. While that dwells, and softens and lifts any dirt, I fill my wash and rinse buckets (using a Grit Guard in each). The wash bucket gets either Adam's Car Shampoo or Chemical Guys Mr. Pink. I use a combination of lamb's wool and microfiber pads to actually wash the car - but only with the weight of the wet pad - never 'scrubbing' and only in straight, back and forth motions (not circles) to reduce swirl marks. Also, one pad is only used for the lower body (where there is potentially more dirt) and another pad is used for the upper portions - all to further reduce the chance of swirls and scratches. This is the only time during the wash I will physically touch the paint.

After that, the car is liberally sprayed with clean water from a pressure washer to get all of the soap off. I then change water supply to the pressure washer to a deionized water supply (via a CR Spotless DIW-20 water deionization system) and completely rinse the car again. This final rinse with deionized water (which is pure H2O) greatly reduces the chance of water spots from the hard water we have here in Colorado.

The car is then immediately pulled into the garage.

I use a Metrovac, Master Blaster Revolution to blow dry the car. Again, the goal is to touch the paint as little as possible.

Once the exterior is clean and dry, I move to the interior. I use either Adam's Leather & Interior Cleaner or Griot's Leather Care, followed by Adam's Leather Conditioner to clean and condition all the leather. When the alcantara of the headliners or steering wheels needs cleaning, I usually only use a very slightly damp microfiber towel, immediately followed by a dry microfiber towel - and then a toothbrush to 'fluff' the alcantara fibers again.

Interior trim, which in the case of my cars, is either painted the color of the exterior of the car or is carbon fiber, gets dusted with a small California Duster.

Once the interior is done, I move to the engine compartment. I usually only need to use a damp microfiber towel to wipe dust off of things.

I occasionally use Adam's In & Out spray on a microfiber to condition any rubber seals.

The last step is to use Gyeon Q2 Tire to give the sidewalls of the tires a nice matte finish.

So that's my wash process for *my* cars - but the Bronco will be my *wife's* daily and our family vehicle to get out into the wilderness. I honestly don't know if the Bronco will get the same treatment as described above. It will get regularly cleaned (I'm very interested in trying a 'wash out interior'), but if there are some water spots or the engine isn't perfectly clean, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. The Bronco will be a bit more of a rough-and-tumble car for us rather than a beauty queen - and my wife has a different definition of 'car wash' than I do - so we'll have to see how it goes :)
Enjoyed reading your step by step process and detail on your car. Learned some new things. Thanks.
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